In the few short decades of its existence, the Internet has become a staple of society and revolutionized how we do just about everything: the way we shop, the way we talk, the way we meet people, and the way we travel, just to name a few.
Most surprisingly, it’s changed the way we scare others as well as ourselves. It didn’t take long for lovers of the paranormal to flock to online forums and chatrooms to share and explore stories of ghostly sightings, UFO pictures, and creatures that no one has supposedly seen before.
That’s how stories about the Black Eyed Kids started to circulate.
In 1998, Brian Bethel posted a firsthand encounter with two boys outside a movie theater in Texas. The oldest claimed to need money to buy tickets but had forgotten their wallets. He asked Bethel if they could get a ride home. When a wave of unease and fear rose in Bethel’s throat, he refused. Both boys became visibly angry, scaring Bethel even more. The oldest demanded to be let in, swore they didn’t have a weapon and promised not to hurt Bethel, but something in their voice told the driver a different story.
They didn’t need a weapon to hurt him. They had other methods.
Then Bethel saw their eyes: nothing but inky, depthless black. No whites, no irises, no pupils. Just black.
That’s when Bethel sped off and never looked back.
A few weeks later, a supposedly unrelated sighting popped in Oregon, but that was only one of many that would begin to flood the internet. The location, ages and gender of the children varied, but some things always stay the same. The children come in twos, but only one does all the talking. They approach adults who are alone and request entrance either into their car or home, asking to use their phone, their bathroom, or to wait until their parents come to pick them up. They bring with them an unsettling air of dread and fear, chilling their victims to their bones, ensuring they don’t sleep the rest of the night, or for days after the encounter.
Oh, and they seem to have a strong affinity for people who know of their existence. Sorry about that.
What they do once they gain entrance is unclear. Some reports claim that they make their hosts sick, others never hear from friends who supposedly let the children in ever again. Maybe different children have different agendas. I, for one, don’t care to open the door to find out.
So, as Halloween draws nearer, keep your wits about you after dark and be careful who you open your door for. You just might find two small pairs of soulless black eyes staring up at you.