For a decade, I have been a cleaner for crime scenes, and nothing seemed to faze me anymore. But little did I know that fate had different plans for me.
A call came in, and I was summoned to an apartment. The police had left with their verdict - it was an accident.
Mainly because they could not find a body.
But as I got closer to the apartment, I felt an eerie presence around me. My gut told me that something was off, and it was not just a mere accident.
My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the place - it was a disaster. The air was thick with the stench of ozone and burnt flesh. The furniture was overturned, and the roof was scorched and blackened as if they had been subjected to a massive surge of electricity.
A lamp lay shattered on the floor, its bulb flickering like a dying ember.
The walls were covered in half-dried blood splatter, but as I looked closer, I could see that the walls also had strange symbols and markings, etched into the plaster with what looked like sharp claws.
It was like something out of a nightmare, a twisted and surreal landscape that defied all reason and logic. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized that I was in the midst of something far beyond my understanding or control. The windows were sealed with black trash bags.
When I looked around the room my eyes fell on the desk in the corner with amateur radio, some old books, and a notepad lying on it.
I had to investigate further, and started by reading the notepad, I wish I hadn’t.
The notes were some form of a diary. It was very detailed and told as if it were a story. It was about a young man in his mid-twenties, living in a quiet suburb of a small town. The very town I was now in.
He was a bit of a loner, preferring to spend his time tinkering with electronics and experimenting with anything he could find.
He had always been fascinated by the way that different devices could be used to connect people across great distances, and he was constantly looking for new and innovative ways to explore this fascination.
His name was Jack.
On this particular day, Jack was strolling through his neighborhood, enjoying the warm summer sun and the gentle breeze. He had recently moved into the area and was still getting used to the layout of the streets and the quirks of his new neighbors. He liked to take long walks around the area, exploring the hidden corners and forgotten alleys that most people overlooked.
As he wandered down a quiet side street, he spotted a sign advertising a yard sale. Intrigued, he made his way over to the yard and began to browse the items on display.
He noticed that several of the items seemed to be from the Soviet era. There were old, battered cameras, some of which still had Cyrillic letters on them. There were also a few dusty books, with titles that Jack didn’t recognize.
But Jack was drawn to a dusty old radio, sitting on a table in the corner. It looked like it had been sitting in someone’s attic for years, but Jack was immediately drawn to it.
He picked it up and examined it closely, turning it over in his hands and testing the knobs and dials. He could tell that it was an older model, but it seemed to be in decent condition. Without really thinking about it, he decided to buy the radio, hoping that he could bring it back to life and use it to explore his passion for communication and electronics.
As Jack approached the person holding the yard sale to purchase the radio, he couldn’t help but notice that the seller seemed a bit hesitant to part with it. The seller, an elderly man with a stern expression, seemed to be studying Jack carefully as he handed over the cash.
“Are you sure you want this?” the seller asked, his voice low and serious.
Jack nodded, a bit confused by the question. “Yeah, I think it’s really cool. I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now.”
The seller shook his head slowly. “This radio has a history, you know. It’s not like the others. It’s been through some things that most people wouldn’t believe.”
Jack’s interest was piqued. “What do you mean? What kind of things?”
The seller sighed heavily, seeming to weigh his words carefully. “Let’s just say that it’s seen some dark times. It is from a time that I just want to forget about.”
The seller looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head. “I can’t say any more. You’ll have to find out for yourself. But be careful, son.”
With those cryptic words, the seller handed the radio over to Jack and quickly packed up his other items. Jack was left standing there, holding the radio and feeling a sense of unease creeping over him. “Why all this hassle over a simple radio?” Jack thought to himself.
Jack convinced himself it was just an old man’s memories haunting him and went home with his new project.
I had to stop reading from the notepad for a bit, scanning the room and laying eyes on the radio on the table. “That must be the radio he bought.” I thought to myself.
I continued reading.
After getting home, Jack took the radio apart and cleaned it. He replaced the broken antenna and turned it on. To his surprise, the radio worked fine, and he was soon able to pick up all sorts of signals, from local news to amateur radio chatter. Jack loved the thrill of communicating with strangers from faraway places, and he soon became addicted to his new radio.
One night, while tuning his radio, Jack heard something odd. He was immediately struck by the unusual nature of the signal he was picking up. It was faint and garbled, with a strange rhythm and pitch that seemed to fluctuate at random. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before. A rhythmic tapping och pecking mixed with something close to mumbling came through the speakers of the radio.
At first, Jack thought that it might just be interference from another nearby radio station or some other electronic device. But as he adjusted the knobs and dials, he realized that the signal was something else entirely. It was almost like a language, but one that he couldn’t quite decipher. There were strange pops and clicks interspersed with long, drawn-out tones that seemed to stretch on forever.
Despite its strange nature, Jack found himself becoming more and more entranced by the signal. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like there was something important hidden within the garbled noise, something that he was meant to discover.
He recorded the signal and played it back over and over again, trying to discern any patterns or clues hidden within. But the more he listened, the more confused and disoriented he became. It was like the signal was actively working against him, trying to keep him from understanding its true meaning.
He tried to tune in, but the signal was too weak, and it faded away after a few minutes.
This is when Jack started to use the notepad more as a diary and sort of log book. I read the next entry.
23-01-12: Jack visited a nearby amateur radio club and asked the members if they had ever heard anything like the strange signal he had picked up. They told him it was probably just interference from nearby electronic devices, but Jack wasn’t convinced. He went back home and did some research, determined to find out what he had heard.
After several hours of searching, Jack found some information about a mysterious Soviet radar station called the Duga-3. The radar was built in the 1970s as part of a Cold War missile defense system, and it was known for its massive size and strange, repetitive clicking sound. The radar was also infamous for causing interference in radio signals around the world, earning it the nickname “The Russian Woodpecker.”
Jack was intrigued, but he was also very confused. The Duga-3 could not have been the source of the signal. Jack had seen images of the Duga towers and knew they were old, rusty, and almost fallen apart. The electricity to the radar station originally came from Chernobyl, so it shouldn’t have any power either.
However, the next night, logged as 23-01-13, Jack heard the strange signal again, and this time it was much clearer. He listened carefully and heard a faint voice, speaking in a foreign language. The voice was muffled, but Jack could make out a few words that sounded like they might be Russian.
Jack was excited but also scared. He had stumbled upon something strange and mysterious, and he didn’t know what to do. He continued to listen to the radio, and he heard more strange signals and creepy voices.
Days turned into weeks, and there were many dates and notes about the signals. What I could understand is that Jack became more and more obsessed with the strange signals. He started to stay up all night, listening to the radio and taking notes. He even started to hear the signals during the day from regular speakers, when he was at work, in the car, or out running errands.
23-02-02: Jack decided to upload the recordings to an online forum for amateur radio enthusiasts, hoping to get some feedback. To his surprise, no one had heard any of the signals he uploaded. Jack was perplexed. He had spent countless hours analyzing and decoding the strange signals he had picked up on his radio. But now, it seemed like no one else was able to pick up on the signals he had heard for weeks.
Jack tried to stay calm and rational, reminding himself that the signals might have been simply too weak or too distorted for other listeners to pick up on. But as the days went on and he received no feedback from the online community, his sense of unease and isolation grew.
He began to spend more and more time holed up in his apartment, obsessively listening to the recordings and trying to decipher their meaning. He started to notice that the signals were becoming clearer and more distinct, almost as if they were evolving or adapting to his presence.
It was as if the signals were alive, and were somehow aware of his fascination and obsession with them.
Jack was thrilled but also scared. He had stumbled upon something big, something that could be dangerous. He continued to listen to the radio and record the signals, hoping to learn more. But the more he listened, the more he realized that he might be in over his head.
The thrilling feeling abruptly stopped one night, logged 23-02-14, as Jack was listening to the radio.
He heard a voice that he recognized. His heart dropped and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
It was his own voice.
But distorted and warped, like it was being played backward.
The voice grew louder and more intense, and Jack felt like he was losing his mind. The lights in his apartment started to flicker. Jack started screaming to make it stop.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the voice faded away. Jack was left trembling and sweating, unsure of what had just happened.
Over the next few days, strange things started to happen around Jack’s house. Objects would move on their own, and he would hear whispers and footsteps when no one else was around. His dreams were plagued by strange Cyrillic symbols and twisted creatures, and he woke up feeling like he hadn’t slept at all. He felt as if something was watching him from outside his windows, so he cut open and put up black trash bags over the windows so no one could see inside.
23-02-19: The strange happenings only got worse.
In the evening, as he was recording the strange signals, the room filled with an icy cold breeze. The hair on his arms stood up, and he felt like he was being watched. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life, and a voice spoke in a language he didn’t recognize. It was deep and gravelly like it belonged to a demon.
Jack tried to turn off the radio, but it didn’t stop even though the radio was turned off. The voice grew louder and more intense, and he felt like it was trying to enter his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to block it out, but the voice grew louder and more insistent. He felt like he was being consumed by the darkness.
Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, the voice stopped, and the room was filled with an eerie silence. Jack’s eyes snapped open, and his heart leaped into his throat. A shadowy figure towered over him, its form barely discernible in the dim light. It was tall and thin, with long, spindly limbs and glowing red eyes that seemed to burn into Jack’s soul. Its razor-sharp claws glinted in the darkness, poised to strike.
With a bloodcurdling scream, Jack scrambled backward, his heart racing like a freight train. But the figure was too fast. It reached out with lightning speed and seized Jack by the chest, its claws sinking deep into his flesh. Jack felt a searing pain that was like nothing he had ever experienced before, like his very heart was being ripped out of his body.
Panic surged through Jack’s veins as he fought against the creature’s grip, but it was like trying to move a mountain. The creature’s strength was beyond anything Jack could comprehend. His vision began to swim as he felt himself slipping away, his life force ebbing out of him.
Just as he thought he was about to die, the creature vanished into thin air, leaving Jack lying on the bed, gasping for air. He clutched at his chest, feeling the ragged edges of the wounds the creature had inflicted. His body trembled with a mixture of fear and pain as he struggled to catch his breath.
When Jack finally managed to sit up, his clothes and blankets were soaked with sweat, and his body felt like it had been through a war. He looked around the room, half-expecting to see the shadowy figure lurking in the corners. But there was nothing there, only the eerie silence of the night. He checked his body for the wounds he felt so clearly before, but there were none.
Despite the warmth of his blankets, Jack couldn’t shake the chill that had settled deep in his bones.
He had no memory of what had happened after the creature attacked him, but he knew that he had to stop using the radio. After getting up from bed with what felt like a severe hangover, he packed the radio away in a box and vowed never to use it again.
But the strange happenings didn’t stop. Jack mentioned several times that he continued to see shadowy figures and hear strange voices, even when he wasn’t using the radio. He knew that he was being haunted by something dark and sinister, and he didn’t know how to stop it.
The radio had opened a door to a world of darkness, and he had unwittingly stepped inside. He closed his eyes and prayed for deliverance, but deep down, he knew that the nightmare was far from over.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something sinister and otherworldly behind the strange happenings that had been plaguing him. He couldn’t understand how the radio, a harmless device, had unleashed something so terrifying.
23-03-08, when Jack came home from work, there was a package outside his door. He hadn’t ordered anything, so he was a bit confused but took it inside and opened it.
It was an old book.
Jack had some trouble recognizing it, but he thought it seemed familiar.
Suddenly a bolt of realization struck him. It was one of the books that he had seen sitting on the table among the other Soviet-era items at the yard sale where he purchased the radio!
He opened the book and began to read. To his surprise, he found that it contained detailed information about the Duga-3 radar and the experiments that had been conducted there. This confirmed the research he had been doing earlier, but this is the first time he heard about any experiments.
As he read, Jack’s heart began to race. He realized that the strange signals he had been picking up on his radio were not just interference from nearby electronic devices. They were remnants of the experiments that had been conducted by the Soviet government around the Chernobyl site and were concentrated on the Duga-3 radar.
The book explained that the Duga-3 radar had been used for more than just missile defense during the Cold War. It had been used for a series of highly classified experiments and rituals that involved summoning dark and malevolent forces.
The Soviet government had been obsessed with the idea of harnessing supernatural forces for military purposes, and they had spared no expense in their pursuit of these dark powers. They had gathered a team of scientists, occultists, and psychics to conduct these experiments, and they had used the massive energy output of the Duga-3 radar to amplify their efforts
At first, the experiments seemed like a failure. The scientists and psychics had reported strange visions and feelings, but nothing concrete had come of it. However, as the experiments progressed, the dark forces that they were trying to summon began to take notice.
Jack felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he read on. The book described how the scientists and occultists involved in the experiments had reported strange visions and feelings, and how some of them had even disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The book also contained detailed information about the strange symbols and rituals that had been used to summon the dark forces.
Jack knew that he had stumbled upon something far beyond his understanding or control. He had unwittingly invited the darkness into his life, and now he didn’t know how to stop it.
As he closed the book, Jack felt a creeping sense of unease. He knew that he had to destroy the radio and anything else that might be connected to the experiments at the Duga-3 radar. But he also knew that it might already be too late.
Over the next few days, Jack tried to destroy the radio, but he found that it was impossible to get rid of. It was as if the radio had taken on a life of its own, and it was determined to keep broadcasting the strange signals that had opened the door to the darkness.
The strange happenings in his apartment continued, and Jack began to see shadowy figures and hear strange whispers wherever he went. He knew that he was being haunted by something dark and sinister, and he didn’t know how to stop it.
One night, as he was lying in bed, logged as 23-03-13, the radio suddenly turned on by itself. The strange signals poured out of the speakers of the radio. He sat up, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. He knew that he had to destroy the radio once and for all, but he also knew that it might be too late.
As he reached for the radio, he heard a voice, deep and gravelly, coming through the speakers. It was a voice that he recognized, and yet it was also different, twisted, and warped as it belonged to something beyond human comprehension.
The voice spoke to him, in a language that he didn’t understand but that seemed to resonate deep within his soul. It promised him power, knowledge, and immortality, in exchange for his soul.
Jack tried to resist, but he felt himself being pulled toward the darkness. He knew that he had made a terrible mistake and that there was no way to turn back.
As the voice grew louder and more insistent, Jack felt himself slipping away, consumed by the darkness that he had unwittingly invited into his life. And at that moment, he knew that he had sealed his fate.
The note was hard to read toward the end. the letters were so hastily scrambled down it took all my concentration to figure out what was written.
I hadn’t noticed it, but the last page was filled with strange symbols around the borders and had stains of blood on it.
My mind was stuck on the last entry, dated 23-03-13. I checked the date on my phone. That was yesterday. This happened yesterday.
The radio suddenly turned on, making me jump.
First, loud static.
Then I heard that strange tapping sound.
The Russian Woodpecker.