title: The Spot off the Side of the Highway
author: The Truth
contenttype: podcast
publication: The Truth
published: 2026-02-12T05:00:00+00:00
sourceurl: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/495/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/SBP9459916311.mp3?updated=1770866009
word_count: 4730
This episode of The Truth includes strong language. The Truth. There's a spot off the side of the highway where people disappear. Kill Justin. Please, you have to listen to me. Leave David alone, okay? He's driving. Thank you. But my wife, you don't understand. She vanished. Guys, guys, we're getting close. My wife! Oh my God! What are you trying to do? Kill us? No, the spot's gonna kill us, bro. We are on the fucking highway, Justin. What if we hit someone? We're supposed to be on an adventure here. You don't have wild my brother went last year. Okay, well, when I want to compete with Calvin and those losers, I'll let you know. Sure. Hey, drink anybody? Just wait until we're out of the car. You're driving. I'm vibing. Is that a text from Sean? Yeah. What's he doing tonight? He's fine. You don't wanna come? Well, I just thought you wanted it to be the four of us, actually. Oh, yeah. I guess I did. Yeah, I just thought it was something we used to talk about so much from your kids. It would be cool to like have a moment before we go. Plus, we don't have to spend every night together, you know? They definitely don't. What does that mean? Shut up, Justin. Wait, I don't get it. Kat, I'm not trying to be a jerk. Really? But even you've heard these rumors by now. Okay, if you're talking about Kelsey McKinsey, they're just neighbors, okay? He gives her rides, and people are making a whole big thing about it. He gives her rides? Fuck off, Justin. Sorry, I didn't know. Well, there's nothing to know. Shout seems really cool. I mean, we're not in a lot of classes together, but when I see him around, like in the hallways or lunch, you're sometimes in the parking lot. He always gives cool. That's awesome. Thanks. What about you? You dating anyone? Wait, wait, we're here. Pull over. Oh, my ears. Here? Yes, right here. Are you sure there's not really- Yes, this is it. Okay. The car. Everybody close your eyes. Okay. Word. Okay. The spot. It's close. Can you all feel it? Okay. First things first. How much beer did everyone bring? Everyone's heard this story, but not everyone believes it. Which means that no one quite agrees on what this night is supposed to be. Or who it's really for. This is the truth, I'm Jonathan Mitchell. And this story is about growing apart. And what happens when you realize it's too late. They hear all of our stories add free. Go to the truth podcast thatsupportingcast.fm. If you've been listening to this show lately, you know that last month was my wife's birthday. And I surprised her with a gift. You got me my cashmere hoodie sweater. From? From Quince. Quince.com, who also happens to be sponsoring this episode of the truth. I love this sweater. I've actually worn it twice this week. It is so soft. It is a very flattering fit. So I can wear it with jeans. I can wear it with sweats. It looks cute no matter what. They've got wardrobe staples with quality that's made to last. And they work directly with safe ethical factories. 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Visit lifelock.com slash podcast for the threats you can't control. Terms apply. Now back to the spot off the side of the highway. Are you sure this is the right place? Of course, I'm sure. My brother did this after graduation. The place they worked with. Where do you go? Yeah, see it's the wrong intersection. What? It's the wrong intersection. No, it's not. It's 650. No, it's 650. When Calvin did it, it was 600. And I know that because he got busted by the cops for drinking and had to run for it and ended up hiding in Amberley's barn. For real? That guy is like a shotgun for every day of the week. Yeah, but he hates cops more than he hates teenagers. Well, you'll remember that Calvin and his friends never found the spot. Did they? So, if we're actually looking just in, where are you going? Find the right place. This is the right place. Just come back here. It's how it starts. I'd say so. So, just out of curiosity, like, what are we doing here, Cap? What are you talking about? It's senior year. We're spot hunting. There's beer. Fair. But, you know, okay, I just, if you and Sean were in a fight or something and you needed to talk, like, I'm always here. Well, I appreciate that, but, like, we're really fine, so. Okay. I just, I just never seemed like you cared much about the whole spot hunting thing. Not since you're kids. Not suddenly you're texting me to come help you find it. Honestly, so fun of us all to hang out. Okay. She was calling me about it. My mom answered. All right? She thinks we're all still 10 years old. Your mom does her softest. Well, I guess both of them, actually. And I figured with you and Justin, it might actually be fun. Do you say so? Let's go, you guys. I'm going to start hunting before the sun sets. Okay, let's take a vote. Where are we going to start drinking? Here. Are you kidding? Good pick. Come on, hurry up. It's this way, you guys. She brought a compass. That's really awesome, so. What was your plan for finding it, Cap? I don't know. Look around. Whatever, Justin. Can I get a beer? Yes, ma'am. I think it's really smart thinking of yourself. Industry is. Thank you. Hey, fun fact. This stretch of highway has the highest number of reported missing people in the state. I didn't know that. I didn't know that. And now we're just going to walk into it. It's not a fun fact. That's not even true. Okay. Many people have come out here and come back with nothing but hangover. Guys, guys didn't find the right spot. Okay, so you're saying you want us to go on this? No. Obviously, you don't want us to go missing. I'm just saying. I mean, isn't that why we're all out here together? Because we want to find it. Like, did you just come out here to judge everything, Cap? No, I didn't. Okay, I'm a spot freak. I love the spot. I want to get killed by a spot like everybody else. None of us want to die. We're not actually here to die. Oh, my God. I'm kidding, so. What's guiding you, anyways, with the compass? Oh, yeah. So do you remember how in the clips we used to watch in Justin's basement about Charlie's warning? My wife. She vanished. I swear. One second. She was there. And then the next she was not there. You know, low-key. My favorite was when he interrupted literally the basketball finals during the National Anthem. That one was good. My favorite was the store. Remember how paste the cash. Okay, so there was a pretty clear story of what happened from those, like how far Charlie was from the highway and where the spot might be within, like, just a few miles stretch. A few miles is a lot of miles. Not when you take the time to look. So I took the time. No one cares. All right, hey, time to start recording our historical moment here. Everyone, hey, get in for him. Get in, get in, get in. Okay. Cat, can you smile for once? We're not kidnapping you, all right? Hey, oh, wait, shit. What? What? I don't have a signal. Whoa. Either do I. Yeah, that's because we're getting close. I need service today. Calvin definitely has service. Oh, Calvin, that's funny because he never found the spot. So, breathe. You all know this. We learned about it together. We would get ice cream and walk to Justin's and watch. You really don't remember any of this. Yeah, I guess not. So, why don't you remind him? You have to remember. Okay, well, some of us have had other things going on. What's that? What? What? I'm sorry, okay? It's creepy out here. Sorry. I... So... After Charlie's wife disappeared into the spot, he tried to call the police, but his phone wasn't working. He didn't have service near the spot. He was too scared to move. He didn't know what would happen. Is this all just a joke to you guys now? Because if it is, we can just go. We don't have to spend the night here. No, no, it's not a joke. Well, no. No, we want to be here. We all want to be here, right? Bet. What do you said? Charlie, he could sense the spot nearby, right? Even though he couldn't see it, he could hear a... A reverberation. A reverberation. And he stood there perfectly still on the side of the road until someone came to help him. Cat? Come on. Well, they got him to the police station and then he told them what happened, but they couldn't find his wife. Or any trace of her... Ever... Again. You know he probably killed her, right? Oh my God. Can we not joke about that while we're standing in the same field he was in and the song that killed her? He did kill her. Hey, I'm just saying. When a man's wife goes missing, he killed her. He didn't kill her. He loved her. You can see it in the videos if you really watch his face. God, I can imagine someone just missing you like that. We'd miss you if you disappeared, so... Maybe. You haven't missed me much while I've been here. I still say he probably killed her. That or the wife ran off with somebody. Shut up. But can we build like a camp and stuff before it gets too dark? So you have a place to hang in between the hunt? We're not there yet. Yeah, look. I'll be right back. We can't stop. We're not there. Fine. Whatever. I just need service for a sec, so I'll be right back. What's up? Where are you going? I'm going back to the service zone. No where, Jesus. Seeing if Shawn called. Called how old are we? Does it call you? I like the sound of your voice. Oh my God. Get over yourself. I'm... All I'm saying is that I'd miss you if you disappeared. Oh wow. So she convinced you them the spots real? Most death. Okay. Gotta be magic. Let's explain how it got all of us to hang out and get apparently a monumental task. I thought I know what was that. I don't remember missing like a million texts from her the last four years, but apparently I'm the asshole because I grew up and I got a boyfriend. No text from your boyfriend? No. Are you sure you have service? I can help you try to connect. You just really get about boundaries. Right. Actually, Kat, listen while we're here. We can just leave. No. Wait. There's just something I've been... Something I've been meaning to tell you, but it's hard, right? Like, because you can't once you say it. Like, you can't. You know? What do I mean? Like, once. Holy shit. He did it. Cut it out. Fireworks, Justin. You brought fireworks? I'm just gonna have to be able to see the spot in the dark. Oh, and fireworks are the best way to do that bullshit. You're just trying to get chased by the cops like your brother. I'm trying to curate a fire night, okay? Like, isn't that what you guys want? The four of us will remember forever? But that's not why we're here. We are gonna get arrested. Hey, come on, Kat. I'll let you light the next one. I don't wanna light one. One wrong move with those things and then your fingers are gone forever. So fun. Guys, come on. It really isn't far now. Tell me this isn't more fun than hiking in the dark, David. I mean, I'd be down to stay here for a little bit. No, we can't. We have to... Well, fine. You know what? Justin, can I have one? Sick. Yeah, of course he can, so. I have something I wanna show all of you. Are you watching? Be careful, all right? When you light it, you gotta... No, no, no, no. You wanna have it straight. Wait. Why didn't it go off? Where'd it go? Do you get it yet? Get what? It went into the spot. We'll continue in just a moment. To hear all of our stories, add free. Go to the truthpodcast.supportingcast.fm. Yes, online shopping is quite literally at our fingertips. But that doesn't mean it's always simple to buy. Whether it's trying to remember one of a million different logins so you can actually place your order or getting almost all the way through checkout before realizing your card is nowhere near you. There are many hiccups that can get between you and placing that order. Which is why it's such a relief when you see that purple pay button that has all of your information saved making checkout as simple as a tap of your screen. 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Go to shopify.com slash realm. That's shopify.com slash realm. Now back to the spot off the side of the highway. Wait, are you being for real right now? You're saying the firework went into the spot? Yes. I can really do it again. Sof. Okay, do it again. Okay, are you all watching? This is a trick. It's faulty. Justin? No, this is not me, man. Okay, hold on. Sof, are you saying you already found the spot? And you brought us here? Yeah, I wanted to surprise you guys. I knew how much it meant to all of us. That's crazy. No, it's not. Yeah, wait up. Wait up. I got away. We can test it out. Wait, you don't need to test it out. Sparklers. Oh my god. Don't go too close. I marked the ground around it the other day. See? Don't cross it. I'll throw it. Testing. Testing. Whoa. Do it again. I'm wild in right now. Let me do it. Shit. Yep. Shit. It's real. And we found it. Just like we said. We should go. We should go. We should tell someone we should. We're joking. We found the spot. We have to document this. Calvin never found the fucking spot. Oh my god. We don't know what it is. I don't like it. This is crazy. We need to make like a perimeter or something. Look, I carved lines around it to make a border. This is crazy. It's getting really dark and I can already barely see those. I don't know, guys. I'm just freaking out a little bit. We'll use the beer. What? We'll use the beer. Roll the beer over. Aim for the border. Soft made. And we'll make it clearer. Okay. Okay. Is that our cat? Okay, wait. Don't roll too hard. We don't want to push him over. Oh, I'm wasting the beer. I'm sorry, sorry. What are we doing? This is insane. Well, how high up does it go? It doesn't matter. Don't go near it. I don't want to move at all. Don't. Let's just sit here for a while, right? I mean, just take a breath. This is a big moment. You guys can take a breath. I am going to capture this. But we don't have service. Who cares? We'll post it later. Justin. I'm being careful. Relax. You brought a phone stand? Always be prepared. Hey, guys. It's your boy, Justin. And I am here with my friends. And we just discovered something that I'm telling you goes so hard. You know the spot? Like the spot that Crazy Charlie is always talking about? Well, yo, you got to check this out. Hey, guys, can you give me some lighting here? I need your flashlights. I don't like this. Please, Kat, can you just do it? This is crazy. I thought we could maybe do something sort of symbolic. Like, we could write down things we want to release and toss them up and like throw them in together. So please, I'm sorry, but no one wants to do that. Okay, I'm telling you, this is going to be so clutch, but it's not going to work if no one can see it. I'm not moving. Okay, so, hey, so what are friends for? Fine, how's this? Yeah, good. Okay, just a little closer. A little that way. Yeah, yeah. Okay, no step back. Be careful. Okay, I'm sorry. You're moving her towards it. Wait, what? Okay, don't freak out. I'm sorry, chill. I'm just messing with you. All right, you're perfect there. Okay, that was not funny. Okay, quiet on set. All right, guys, check this out. You know the spot, right? Like the spot, she is real. Okay, and to prove it, I'm going to toss this sparkler and, hey, watch it disappear. Yo, did you see that? Did you see that? That is so tough. There are more beers there before. Show it again for the haters in case you miss. Justin. I know what you're thinking. Oh, this is AI, but check the receipts. Could AI sparkle like this? Watch again. Justin, get away from it. I'm recording, all right? Can you not? No, can you just get away from it? I mean, serious. Look, I think the sparklers are like making it expand or something. So spark me up. I don't know. I can't really see. Kat, this is the most exciting thing that's ever happened in this town. Okay? And I'm going to prove that it happened to us. Wow. Shit. Damn it. I'm going to burn fast. Shit. That's dumb. Justin. Justin. No. Wait, don't even get that in the finish. Oh my god. Holy shit. What? Holy shit. Why? What? Where did he go? Why did we let him do that? Where did he go? Oh my god. Why did we let him do that? Justin, man. David, don't move. It's a joke. Come on. It's a joke. What do you mean? Where could he be? Come on out, man. Justin, come out. Now, where are there's nothing here? What the fuck? Where is he? He's gone. Justin, this isn't funny. This isn't funny. Stop moving closer. I need to see where he went. He's nowhere. He's. So now what? What do you mean? How do we get him back? What do you mean? What do you mean? I mean, it's the spot. Spot. Spot. And you know all about the spot. And you brought us here and you knew it was real and you brought us anyway. And you don't know how to get him back? Well, I said to be careful. Be careful. What are we even doing out here? We used to talk about it in Justin's basement. I thought, I mean, I wanted it to be like that. I was still going to a concert next week. That was in fucking middle school, Sophie. Did you not make any of the friends? What if we took a break? Or a stick or something? No. No, no, no, no. It'll just disappear and probably you two are growing in. So then what are we supposed to do? Nothing. Can you stop saying that? Is that what this is? You brought us out here to get some kind of sick fucking revenge? Because no one likes you anymore. No. No, I told you. I wanted it to be like it was when we were younger. I didn't fix it. I can't fix it. It should have been you. All right. It should have been you who fell in there. Because you're the one who wanted to come here anyway. I'm sorry, Kai. I didn't think this would happen. He wasn't supposed to do that. The phone stand. Why? No, no. It's a joke. No, it is. Think about it. Why else would he bring a phone stand with us? Seriously. Like, he's supposed to be recording us the whole time. It's rolling now. It's a joke. Justin is always pulling shit like this. Like, fucking with us. He thinks he's going to fuck with us and freak us out. And then we're going to be stuck here, wondering how we're supposed to tell his parents that they're never going to see him again? You know what? Fuck that. Justin. I'm not giving you the satisfaction. I'm leaving. David. David. Wait. David. I'm really sorry, Kai. David. David, come back. No, this isn't happening. I want to get the fuck out of here. David. We shouldn't have even been here. We were just supposed to get drunk and then hang out and we- Slow down, David. You're shaking. Come on. You're not okay. You don't have to be okay, okay? Just stop. Come here. He can't be gone, Kat. I know. He can't be. Oh, no. I was there. What are we going to tell Calvin? What was supposed to happen? Tonight was- It wasn't what was supposed to happen. Come here, okay? It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. I'm sorry. We shouldn't have come. I'm so sorry. Just supposed to- I know. I know. Fuck. It's okay. I'm here. I'm with you. It's okay. We're going to be fine. Oh. What? David. What? David. You're just really upset right now, I think. Oh, I know. But- No, you can't kiss me, David. Kat. I have a boyfriend. He's cheating on you. Everyone knows that. No, I don't know that. And it's not- It's not like that with us, okay? He's not. So what's happening? Why are we here? Why do you invite me? What are you talking about? You could have been with Sean, but you came here with me. With the group. You know there's something between us. I don't know that. Oh, come on, Kat. Everyone knows it. They talk about it all the time in front of us. Just because people say it doesn't mean it's true. Just because you ignore it doesn't mean it's not. Oh, so you thought I came out here to get drunk and cheat on my boyfriend and then the other people were what? They were just going to watch us? Did you actually think the spot was real, Kat? Because if you thought so, you can explain to Calvin. You knew something would kill Justin and you came out here anyways. Okay, so those were my only two options. I came out here to fuck you or to watch my friend die. Well, I don't think you came out here to keep some old friendship pack with a stupid loser that you haven't talked to in like freaking four years. I told you, my mom was guilty me. And I guess I thought, you know what? It would be nice to hang out with three of my oldest friends before we graduate. Except we're not friends anymore. Okay, and you fucking know it. I did not know that actually. What do you mean? You and me, we're not actually friends, are we? This is so fucked. I have to go, Kat. Fine, I'll get soaked. No, I have to go now. Okay, I just... Well, David, you drove us here, so... You brought my fucking heart, okay? And Justin, I can't wait. I have to go. Well, I can't leave her here. Fine, whatever. David, come on. You're better than this. David, don't do something that you can't take back! You know you're abandoning two teenage girls in the middle of nowhere! Hi, Katie. How's it going? Hi, mom. I haven't a good time with you, old gang. Not really. Oh, that's too bad. I remember when you all used to be inseparable, having adventures in the backyard. There was one time I thought I was going to have to call the fire department. Mom, can you come pick us up? Pick you up. Me and Sof, we had... Well, there was an issue, and then David had to go, so we're just a little stranded right now. We're at the intersection of 50 and County Road 650. Wait, you're... What? You were okay. Jesus. Okay, honey. I'll be right there. Okay, you girls stay put and stay together, all right? Okay, we will. You said Route 650? Jesus. Okay, don't take your eyes off each other. I mean it, all right? I'll be right there. Thanks, Mom. I love you. I love you too. Sof. Sof. Sof, my mom's coming to pick us up. Sof, if you can hear me, can you start coming this way? I really don't want to get close to that thing again, and we should stay where we have service for when she... Sof. Sof, where are you? Are you mad at me, or... I'm sorry about what I said before, okay? I was just scared, and... this whole thing is so scary. I just think I'm so mad at myself about Justin and... and... my mom's coming so... Sof. Shit. I'm sorry about what I... Sof. Sof. Please. Please be here. Because I miss you if you disappeared. Sof, I promise. Please be here. Please be here. Please. Please be. We make these stories independently, and premium subscriptions directly support the writers and actors who bring these stories to life. You can subscribe to our ad free feed at the truthpodcast.supportingcast.fm. There's also a link in the show notes. The spot off the side of the highway was written by Mary McDonald, and directed and sound designed by me Jonathan Mitchell. It's performed by Anna Aubrey as Sof, Shemba Vyraven as Cat, Brendan Dooley as David, John Hudson as Justin, and Mary McDonald as Mom. It was recorded by Christian Kuchinello at Silver Sound in New York. To hear more original stories like this, go to the truthpodcast.com. I'm Jonathan Mitchell, and you have been hearing. The truth. The truth.