Red Web
The Experiment That Stripped Their Humanity | Russian Sleep Experiment & The Family on the Road
26 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome back to the Campfire Task Force. Pull up a log and settle in because it's 3 a.m.
Chapter 2: What unsettling story is shared about a roadside family?
somewhere, which means it's time for Red Web Scary Stories, where we explore terrifying tales from the internet. My name is Trevor Collins, and I'll be narrating today's stories, and joining me reacting to each for the first time is Alfredo Diaz.
Oh, man, you just got me doing more and more stuff that I would never have done before this podcast. But here we are. Yes, sir.
Consistent now, we found our footing task force. The first one came out on Friday the 13th. It felt flavorful, appropriate. Mm-hmm.
Chapter 3: What happens during the first part of the Russian Sleep Experiment?
But moving forward, you'll notice today is a Thursday as of releasing this. We're going to release these every other Thursday for however long we feel. It's kind of an experiment. We'll see what's going on with it. And yeah, Fredo, have you ever heard of the boiled frog? No. Okay, well, let me just say you're my little boiled frog.
Over these past five or six years, I've slowly raised the horrifying temperature. And they say, I don't know, I'm not a frog, but they say if you throw a frog in the boiled water, it's going to jump out. But if you raise the temperature slowly, it doesn't know.
Chapter 4: How does sleep deprivation affect the subjects in the experiment?
Really? Okay. So yeah, you're my little guy, my little jumper. And so if suddenly the podcast goes silent and I'm alone, I've crossed a threshold. I've gone too fast, too far.
Or just go too fast, too far, so that way I know and I can try and get out.
Chapter 5: What shocking events unfold in the second part of the Russian Sleep Experiment?
Well, we'll have to find out how today strikes you because we've got an unsettling true story and a classic creepypasta, something that I've been in love with. It's a story I haven't read in a while, but man, will it stay with you. It's from 2010. It is one of the quintessential horror stories from the internet.
And so I'm very curious if you've even heard of this before and what your take on it's going to be. And as we dive into these stories, I want to remind anybody who wants them, the sensitive topics will be in the description. But with that, let's dive into our first story, titled, Came Across an Incredibly Creepy Family Awhile Back.
In around 2018, I, a 25 year old female, at the time was 18 or 19 and living in Nebraska where I grew up. I lived in the largest city in Nebraska, but it is still essentially surrounded by corn and wheat fields.
Chapter 6: What is the significance of the subjects' behavior during the experiment?
The city was expanding, so rich folks started building huge houses with giant properties on the edge of town as things proceeded to grow. All of that being said, I had a good friend whose parents' house was one of those big ones right on the blurring line between the fields and the city. My friends and I were constantly hanging out at his place because it was fun.
They had tons of property to ride 4x4s on, a hot tub, a huge living room for us to watch sports, and have reality TV binge sessions, all the good stuff. Plus, his parents were super cool and we could drink out there as long as we stayed at the house. It was a ton of fun even as I was, and quite am, still scared of the dark.
So I would just not go outside after a certain time because there was little lighting and the nearest neighbor was about a mile away. I always felt a weird energy driving to and from his place if it was late at night, but never had anything happen until one night.
The drive out there was a long, winding two-way road that had thick trees on both sides, and you pass one of the city's largest cemeteries on the way. Barely any lighting besides the street lamps every once in a while, and very little traffic.
Chapter 7: What gruesome discoveries are made when the chamber is opened?
It's all inherently a bit creepy, and I'll admit to having sped through this section of road many times to get through it as quickly as possible. This specific night was perfect spring weather, so I was driving with the windows down, listening to music. And it was around 10pm. I was coming around one of the curves in the road when I essentially had to slam on my brakes.
Right in front of me, in the middle of the road, maybe 50 yards away, was what looked like a family. Again, picture a completely pitch black road with thick forest on either side, and only my headlights to show what's in front of me.
This was a family of three, four, a tall, slim woman, an average height and weight man, a child, short hair but couldn't tell the gender based on the clothes and couldn't see their face, maybe around eight years old, and the mother was pushing a fucking stroller. Their clothes looked normal, not tattered but not nice.
They also were not carrying any kind of light source, meaning before I arrived behind them in my car, they had been walking in the pitch black. They were all facing away from me, walking completely silent in the middle of the street, the same direction I was heading.
Chapter 8: What philosophical questions arise from the Russian Sleep Experiment?
I had turned my music down to hear if they were speaking, had music playing, etc. They didn't. The hairs on my arms immediately stood up. I came to a stop on the road behind them, obviously, and just sat there for a moment to let them move. They seemed to be completely unaffected by me and didn't even turn their heads slightly. nor did they attempt to move out of the way.
I literally thought I was going insane or that I was dreaming. It was so surreal. Before I really had any time to fully process and register what I was seeing and how truly strange it was, they all, at the same time, stopped walking and very slowly turned to face my car. This scared the absolute shit out of me. I honestly didn't even give myself time to look at their faces as they turned.
I immediately threw my car into reverse and sent it backwards probably for about a full 20 seconds before flipping a U-turn, nearly running myself off the road and booking it in the other direction. The only thing I remember noticing is the stroller looked to be completely empty. This was the part that sticks in my mind the most. I never felt terror like that in my life.
I checked my rearview mirror probably a thousand times before getting to a main road and never saw a glimpse of them. In fact, I never saw a glimpse of them ever again. I tried asking my friend and his family about it, only to feel like I was insane because of the way they looked at me. Every time I tell this story, I get one of three reactions.
They immediately think I'm fucking cuckoo, think I'm lying, or have had something similar happen to them. I really don't care if no one believes me, honestly. It was and still is the creepiest thing to ever happen to me. I think about this all the time.
It was either some weird-ass family trying to scare the shit out of someone, a distraction for attempted robbery, assault, something, or it was something more sinister. I'm going to tell myself, probably for the rest of my life, that it was the first option.
Yeah, no, dude. At least you could take solace in the fact that you're in a vehicle. Yeah, right. Exactly. You know what I mean? Not that I necessarily, I don't know. I feel like it would add some layers of protection, not knowing anything. You just gotta, all you can do is assume here. Sure. Oh my God. Walking in the dark, a whole...
family that's wild dude and then they all turning at the same time i feel like it's one of those things where i don't know maybe each family member has a different type of ability or something and so not only do you have to figure out one thing you have to figure out multiple things and you have to worry about multiple creatures or whatever the heck yeah no no way man A whole family?
That's so many just multiple things you have to deal with and fight and all that kind of stuff.
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