As The Raven Dreams Podcast - ATRD Ep. 105 - Scary Gas Station & Retail Horror Stories - 07 True Scary Stories

Episode Date: December 29, 2023

Welcome to the chilling 105th episode of The ATRD Podcast! Today, we will step into the shadowy corners of reality, where everyday life takes an eerie twist & ordinary people experience the extraordinary. Today we will be diving into stories about the horrors of working Retail, and terrifying things that happen at Gas Stations. So, turn down the lights, tune in, and let the haunting tales of everyday people take you down that dark and creepy road. Remember, these aren't just stories... these are true experiences that remind us that our world can truly be scarier than fiction. Have a Story To Submit? ➤ https://www.astheravendreams.com Or Post to the Subreddit ➤ https://reddit.com/r/TheRavensDream Support the channel for Early Access AND more! Patreon ➤ https://patreon.com/AsTheRavenDreams Join ➤ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkW0ihdMHfBUjQrMKjRto6g/join Or Check out the Merch Store! ➤ https://teechip.com/stores/astheravendreams Thank you to all of the authors that have stories in today's Video... Ella G., AntiquePersona, ComeAtMe, Erin, MidnightMuse91, WPD, and authors that requested Anonymity. 'As The Raven Dreams' is a community where we explore the darker parts of human existence through true and harrowing stories. From sinister encounters with strangers and stalkers, to terrifying experiences that defy explanation and unsettling mysteries that linger in the shadows, I am here to tell you the most haunting narratives ever whispered. Much Love, and Sleep Well... ----- #TrueScaryStories #AsTheRavenDreams #RedditStories ➤ Stories include a content warning for language and sensitive/disturbing content. Viewer discretion is always advised. ➤ ALL Audio of this Podcast are copyright of AS THE RAVEN DREAMS / RAVEN ADAMS and may not be duplicated, in any format, without explicit permission ➤ If you like any of the following stories, consider subscribing! - Dark Web horror stories, creepy lets not meet stories, stalker stories, Glitch In The Matrix Stories, Unexplained Horror stories, Paranormal stories, cryptid encounter stories, Crazy ex lover stories, creepy neighbor stories, quantum immortality, true scary stories from reddit, or any other True horror Stories! ➤ And Remember; You are loved, you are important, and you are valid. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/astheravendreams/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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to submit your story. Also, if the platform you're listening on has the option to rate this podcast, please consider doing so. And thank you. I used to work the late shift at a local gas station. The shift where all you get is regulars and random people passing through. We were just off an exit by a major freeway, so we would typically only get people that were just going into work early in the morning, or people that were driving through town and needed to stop for gas.

It was a decent job. Most people were decent, and really there wasn't much to complain about. We had this one customer that would come in a few times a week named Tom. Tom was a nice dude. Late 30s or early 40s. Seemed kind-hearted and always had something he wanted to talk about. Or he would have a joke that he really wanted to tell. From what I knew about him, he was just a night owl,

and he'd been in a few times, and he just kind of latched onto our station as a bit of a safe haven, a place to spend a few minutes away, socialize a bit, and then get on with his night. Over time, Tom and I had developed what most people would call friendship, though it only ever existed at work for me. He started being a bit more open with some of the hardships in his life, and he'd certainly been through some tough.

times. It never felt like a sob story, though. He just seemed like he wanted to share who he was, and that was that. I appreciated it. We talked through some things. He gave me advice about my relationship based on his relationship with his ex-wife, that kind of thing. One of the topics that would always seem to knock his cheery demeanor down a notch, though, was his younger brother, Mark. Mark apparently struggled with addiction, as an on and off kind of thing. He'd been to rehab, he'd gotten clean, and then he relapsed within the same year, something that had happened multiple times in the last decade. Despite this, Tom was dedicated to his little brother, and he had put in a lot of time and money to help him out, to the point that Mark was now living with him. From what I gathered, this was actually one of the reasons his marriage fell apart, because Tom was unwilling to let Mark die on the streets, and his wife basically told him it was her or Mark.

Tom wasn't willing to give up, and he really believed that things would get better. One evening I was sweeping up the floor and wiping down some of the station's surfaces when I heard the bell chime. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was about 3.30 in the morning, which typically meant it was going to be a regular over a traveler. I glanced over, and I see Tom's head over the shelf. I shouted out, Hey, Tom, I'll be right up in a moment. Let me just finish wiping this down. He didn't say anything, so I quickly finished wiping down the soda fountain and made my way to the front.

but immediately paused when I looked over at Tom. The first thing I noticed was that he looked like he'd been crying, and his eyes were wide in shock. The second thing I noticed was that his hands and shirt were covered in blood. I rushed over to him to ask him if he was okay, what had happened. He lifted his hands to stop me from approaching, and shook his head before just saying, call the cops, please, just call the cops.

I hesitated for a moment, not really sure what was going on, but after a few seconds of thinking it over, I just told him, okay, and walked behind the counter to call 911. When they answered, I told them that I had a customer that was requesting the police, and Tom broke down sobbing uncontrollably. He slumped down to the floor,

and just kept saying, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I didn't mean for this to happen. I was in shock, but just kept trying to relay what I was seeing to the dispatcher and told her that I needed an officer there, ASAP. It really was not something I would have expected to have to deal with. Tom was such a kind-hearted and gentle man, but the thought of him hurting someone, and to do so in a way that covered him in blood like that, it just seemed impossible. After the dispatcher disconnected, I tried to talk to him to ask him what had happened,

trying to keep him calm and connected to the real world. He kept apologizing over and over, saying that he didn't mean to do it, that he didn't mean to get me involved, he just didn't know where else to go. I told him it was okay that it would get figured out and that I wasn't mad at him he just stayed sitting on the floor with his knees curled up

crying his eyes out and apologizing After a couple of moments we heard the sirens and that seemed to push him to a sobering point He'd stopped crying, wiped his face on his sleeve and cleared his throat as he watched the officers walk to the door Obviously they were as confused as I was, asking what exactly was going on. I guess the look on my face told them that I had no idea, as they turned their attention to Tom, sitting on the floor and covered in blood. They asked him what had happened, and he stood up saying,

I'm not going to cause you any trouble. I'm not going to fight back. Please just arrest me. The officer asked him why he needed to be arrested, and I will never forget. at the dark and painful tone he took on when he responded with, I murdered my brother. The officer asked him a few more questions, just trying to clarify that he was saying what he thought he was saying,

and he confirmed with them again, and again that he had murdered his brother. After a bit of back and forth, they did lead him out of the store, and one of the officers came back to ask me some questions. All I could offer were the fragments of his life that I was, aware of, that he lived with his brother Mark, that Mark was an addict and was a cause of a lot of stress for Tom.

None of it really seemed helpful, other than to confirm that he did have a brother and that the possibility was there. The rest of the shift after they left was eerily quiet, and I was mentally in a weird place. I found out a few days later that Tom had actually gotten into a very very very. very violent altercation with Mark. In a moment of desperation and confusion that was fueled by years of pent-up frustration, Tom had attacked Mark. He left him really, really messed up after attacking him,

to the point that Tom thought he was dead. Mark actually did not die from the attack, but had come rather close to death. He was in the hospital and was going to need a lot of work, and recovery time, but he was most likely going to live. The news hit me kind of hard. I was forced to think back on all the nights that I'd spent having aimless conversations with Tom and how much he had wanted his brother to get better.

It is terrifying to me to really think about how quickly and how sharply things can go from I'm doing everything I can to help you get better to attempted murder. And Tom was not a person that I would ever anticipate getting violent. In the end, I guess we all have our own demons, those voices inside our head that lead to those intrusive thoughts. And unfortunately for Tom, those demons won that night. I guess I just hope that that night was a turning point for both brothers, and that they both got the help they needed.

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The Reglements of the Concourse Sapplic I have a bit of a story from back in the late 80s when I was about 8 or 9 years old at the most I was definitely at that age where things became core memories

but not old enough to fully comprehend the situation so it had to be around that time unfortunately the only other person that was involved with this situation my dad passed away a few years ago

so I can't ask ask him the exact date, but I can still tell the story about it. That year, my dad and I were on a long road trip. It was for a fishing trip that he'd wanted to take me on to teach me to camp and fish and all that, a father-son bonding experience kind of thing. We've been driving for a few hours. I was tired, he was a bit tired, and I had no idea where we were. as the night came on, we pulled into a gas station in the middle of a small town in, I think, Colorado.

It was a small station with a single flickering light overhead, and it kind of felt deserted. My dad told me that he needed to go to the restroom and asked me if I needed to go. I told him no, and he then told me to stay in the car and that he would be right back. I would say that this was a different time and that this was a common thing back then, but honestly, he shouldn't have left me alone. I will acknowledge that at the same time as saying that he would have never done it if he thought that it would have put me in danger. A few moments pass, and I'm just sitting there reading a comic book and waiting for him to come back.

When the passenger door of the car opened randomly. startled, I looked up to see a man that I had never seen before, sliding into the front passenger seat. He was unkempt, had wiry hair and a completely vacant look in his eyes. I was stuck there watching this man just sit there, completely frozen in confusion. He didn't acknowledge that I was there. He didn't look back or say anything to me. he just sat there and stared eerily out the front windshield. In what felt like an eternity, but was more likely just a couple of moments,

my dad came out of the gas station. It took him a second to process the scene too, and when he realized there was some random dude sitting in the car with his young son, he started immediately yelling, Hey, what the hell are you doing? Get out of my car! This guy did not. react at all. He didn't flinch at my dad's yelling or even seemed to register that we were there with him. He just kept staring ahead, expressionless and distant. My dad saw that I was okay and that I was

just as confused as he was, and he opened the passenger door to try to physically get this man out of the car. As my dad did so, the man did finally move, but not to get out. He just turned to to look at my dad. He wasn't looking like he was aggressive or angry. He just looked empty. My dad kept trying to get him out of the car, eventually lowering his tone and saying, look, man, you gotta get out of the car.

You're scaring my kid. The man then turned his gaze to me and just stared with that same empty look. It looked like he was seriously disconnected from everything in every sense. I will never forget that stare and how he looked. It was seriously etched into my memory for those moments that we made eye contact. My dad, realizing that the situation was not one that he could resolve by force or being angry,

decided to try a different approach. He knelt down and started trying to talk to the man calmly, asking him if he was okay, if he needed an ambulance or needed help. There was no response, but he kept trying, just trying to reason with this man that he was causing a problem. After a few more minutes, the man slowly turned to look back at the windshield, gave a very subtle nod, and then turned to get out of the car. He walked away without a word, and just kept walking down the sidewalk. My dad immediately jumped into the driver's side and locked the doors. He asked if I was okay, if that man had hurt me or anything.

I nodded, telling him I was fine, and then asked him what that was. He just told me that he didn't know, and we sat there for a few silent seconds before my dad started the car and we pulled out to get back on the road. We got to a hotel and checked in, and my dad tried his hardest to lighten the situation. I was kind of stuck mentally, just thinking about the road. the man and what the hell had happened that evening. Later on, my dad actually used this to teach me an important lesson. He told me that the man was probably unwell or confused, and that some people have really hard lives, experiences that we could never imagine, and sometimes those experiences leave

them lost. It was definitely a lesson in empathy, and I have always held that very close to my heart. It was scary at the time, sure, but there was so much going on that none of us knew about. Now, years later, I often think about that man. I do wonder what his story was, what series of events led him to climbing into a stranger's car on a quiet evening, and I wonder if he ever found his way back from wherever he was lost. I wish we could have done more to help him, but at the time there was nothing we really could have done. I guess my dad could have run back into the station and told them to call 911, but the man

was gone by the time we started thinking logically again. Obviously, being the late 80s, we didn't have a cell phone to call them ourselves. And I think that my dad's main concern was just getting away from it and getting me to safety. I don't fault my dad for it. I'm sure that if he could have done more, more than he would have. We did have our trip, and the events were eventually pushed back for the rest of the time out. I don't think my dad ever told my mom about the situation either, and neither have I, because

well, she doesn't need to worry. And I wanted to share the story with you, because I thought it would be a good one for your audience, if nothing else. Hopefully, they enjoy it. And if not, oh well. Thank you, Raven. much love. I wanted to share a story that happened to me back in 2019.

I used to work in a large toy store located at our mall. I actually loved the place. It wasn't your typical children's store with Barbies and stuffed animals. It had anything you could think of related to toys or hobbies, including puzzles, craft supplies, games, and much more that I can't think of. I had shopped there on many occasions because it was closer than some of the other local retail stores and had better variety. I started working there when I was 18 shortly before I graduated. The perks were pretty well worth it, even having to deal with the hungry moms.

But the mall also attracted some odd people, which is why I'm telling you this story. So the mall I'm at is pretty long, but it has to be. two floors, and my store was on the bottom floor and close to the middle. We also tend to see and hear a lot of the activity outside of the store, because we're close to the carousel that's in there as well, right by the ice cream kiosk. So there's typically a lot of activity around us, and while we did have the occasional mean customer walking through the door, we didn't often get people that were so disruptive that we would have to kick them out.

But then walks in a man that I will call happy. I was at the front picking up some toys that had toppled over. When this guy walked in, stopped at the entrance and shouted into the store. It's a wonderful day in the USA! At first I thought the guy was pretty eccentric, so I looked over at him and chuckled and said, And good afternoon to you. he seemed to appreciate my acknowledgement and walked over to me. When he got closer, I could tell that he was definitely drunk.

I could smell the alcohol wafting from him, and I could only assume what the stain on his shirt was from. His eyes looked heavy and his speech was slurred. Yet he was the happiest drunk that I'd ever encountered. I just hoped that he didn't drive there like that. So he approached me and asked, How are you doing, love? But again, it wasn't in a creepy way,

and it was just friendly, so I didn't take offense to it. I told him that I was fine and asked if he was okay, given the circumstances, and he said that he'd never been better. He asked me if I had plans for the holiday, and I said that I did, to which he seemed very pleased with this, and began digging in his coat pocket. He then literally pulled out a wad of bills.

There was no rhyme or reason to them, and, in fact, a few fell to the floor and he didn't even seem to notice. I picked up the bills that fell all while he continued talking to me, and when I tried to hand them back, he held out a $100 bill to me, saying, Take this and have a Merry Christmas, love. I smiled with a slight chuckle, but shook my head telling him that I couldn't accept it. He made an exaggerated,

Oh, man, I just wanted to do something nice. I told him that I appreciated the thought and that it was nice, but that I just couldn't accept it per my job. He understood, grabbed the bills from me, and stuffed it all back into his pocket. He then went in for a hug. which I accepted, once again not getting any real weird vibes from him and he happily walked off down one of the aisles,

with a bit of a skip in his step even. However, he still let his presence be known. He practically narrated out loud everything that he was looking at. Oh, this little guy walks, and roars. Nice, it dances. He wasn't really hurting anything. just being a little louder than the rest of us. My manager started getting annoyed because he would knock stuff down,

because he obviously wasn't walking straight. But if he noticed it, he would turn and immediately pick it back up. After a few aisles, my manager had enough of it, while the rest of us thought he was just having a good time and not hurting anybody. She went and confronted the guy and said that he was causing too much chaos and that if he didn't make a purchase in the next five minutes, then he needed to leave. He turned to her with an exaggerated frown, and from what I could see, tried to offer her some cash too,

which she refused. He then made his way back up to the front, waved to all of us, and left. So, we just continued about our day and picked up the items he had dropped. and left behind. Everything seemed to go back to normal for probably about half an hour tops, when I started to notice a small crowd forming outside of the store. I didn't think anything of it at first, especially being in a mall. People stop randomly for a break, to organize bags.

Sometimes they'd even start talking to someone they were with or ran into. But it wasn't until I saw them looking up in. pointing that I became curious. When I got the chance to step away, I walked out to the front of the store and looked at where everyone's attention seemed to be, and I figured it out. Happy was on the top level, looking down to the bottom. He was saying or singing something that I couldn't quite make out. But what I could understand were the bills that he seemed to be slowly dropping to the bottom,

on purpose. People were standing around trying to grab them as they slowly fell, or playfully fighting as they picked him up off the floor. While everyone seemed to be having a good time with it, including happy, something was giving me a bad feeling. I was going to head back in and ask my manager if there was something that we should do, but the screaming from the people were becoming louder, making me think something was happening. I turned back to the crowd and saw that Happy was now crawling onto the railing and sitting on it, with his feet now dangling over the edge. I immediately became nervous about this, knowing that it was not going to end well. What if people got out of control down by us because of the money?

What if someone above noticed this and started fighting with Happy, causing him to fall? I yelled back into my store and told someone to call security, but quickly went back outside to watch what would happen. I tried to get people to keep walking, and not huddle, saying that it was a safety issue to block a store's entrance, which wasn't entirely false, but no one would budge. They all stood where they were waiting for more money to drop. Not long after, I saw two security guards approaching. I pointed to Happy and tried to quickly explain, but one guard was already running towards the stairs while the other one stood nearby,

ordering people to leave, which finally worked. But then the feeling of dread that was approaching finally hit its climax. As Happy yelled something about love, I couldn't quite tell what he said, held his arms out wide, closed his eyes and leaned forward until he fell off the railing.

It all seemed to go in slow motion, yet I was frozen in fear, not knowing what to do. I watched him fall to the ground as he hit a bench directly below. The sickening thud echoed through the mall, and he flopped off the bench onto the ground, motionless. I stood there as I took in everything around me. Some people still nearby were screaming, trying to snap photos and looking for more loose build. The security guards were calling for an ambulance as they were trying to care for happy, who was now unresponsive and lying in a pool of blood around his head. More people from my store and the one across the way came out, and were watching too.

I was terrified, nearly holding my breath just thinking that I watched this man fall to his death, and that I was no better than the rest of the people that stood by to watch. Thankfully, the EMTs showed up, and as they put him in the head and neck brace, he groaned, at least telling me he was still alive. The aftermath became kind of a blur. One of the janitors came by to clean up the blood, which was a decent amount. People slowly dispersed, and we were told to continue working, with that image now burned into my head. I was thinking about it the rest of the night.

Where did Happy come from since he was so obviously intoxicated? Why did he have so much cash on him? And why was he so willing to just give it out? Most importantly, why did he fall? It was obviously intentional, but none of it made sense. I never saw the guy again, so I also don't know what happened. but it's still fresh in my mind, especially around this time of year. I just hope that he turned out all right, and that I never have to experience something like that, ever again.

My name is Aaron, and I've worked the overnight shift at a small out-of-the-weight gas station for quite a number of years now. It pays enough for what I need, and I've made it work with my fiancée. Honestly, like most people have said, it's an uneventful job. For the most part, it's just me, the fluorescent hum coming from the ceiling, and the occasional late-night customer. Most people just coming off the later shifts and cops that are on their routine drives. But I do have one story that was weird more than creepy, and I really don't have much of an explanation about it, other than that. It was a pretty quiet night. It was a bit chilly and cloudy out, so a pretty standard autumn night here.

I hadn't seen any customers for about an hour, and none had used the restroom at all during my entire shift, which may sound like a pointless fact, but it is important. Around 3 a.m., as per my cleaning routine, I decided to check and clean the floor, and then do a quick check and clean up the restrooms. We have a buzzer system that rings throughout the store so no one can enter without buzzing the bell and waiting for someone inside to open the door. So I didn't have to worry about anyone coming in and ransacking the place, thankfully. The men's restroom went about as one would expect.

It was a bit untidy, paper towels on the floor and such, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The women's restroom, however, was a mess, like a major mess that I won't even describe. Thankfully, I did have time to clean it up, starting at the front, as you do. I got the whole room picked up in record time, and everything was fine until I went in to clean the last stall. There in the toilet was what looked like a baby doll. At first I thought it was a real baby and my heart stopped, but as I got closer I realized that it was. just a doll. However, this doll was grotesquely mutilated. Its once blonde hair was matted and partially

torn and cut off, leaving these ugly bald patches. The plastic skin was marked with what looked like burn marks and deep cuts, but the most disturbing part of it was the face. The eyes had been gouged out, leaving these dark and empty sockets. The mouth of the mouth of the which looked like it was once a cute smile was cut into damn near a joker-style grin. It looked like someone had taken their time to systematically deface and destroy this poor toy. I kind of stood there frozen for a few moments trying to process what I was seeing. Who would do something like this? And how did they manage to get it in here without me noticing?

I'd been one of two people at the store for a few hours. and then the only person for a few more, and none of the customers had come into this restroom the whole time I'd been alone. And my coworker had cleaned the restroom at 11 right before he left. While it could have been placed by him, he's not really a prank kind of person. He's a 60-year-old dude that, while polite, is also very work-oriented while he's here.

After a few moments of just thinking about it, I was able to finally get myself to pull it out of the toilet, wearing gloves, of course, and it looked even worse up close. When I pulled it out, I noticed the stomach had words written on it that were partially gone because they were saturated, but I'm pretty sure it said, my hopes and dreams. I wrapped the doll in a trash bag, not wanting this thing to just sit in the trash can out in the open, in case this was some kind of cursed toy situation. I've seen enough horror movies to know that it could start with this thing coming to life.

I then took the trash out, and the whole time I was playing the night over in my head, trying to figure out who could have put it there, and when they would have had the chance to do so. I even checked the camera footage for the back hallway, since there's usually nothing going on back there, and since there's no way to get into or out at the same. store, they only record

when there's motion. I checked the security footage and clicked through all the recordings for the entire day to see if I could figure it out. And it was the weirdest thing. Not a single person had gone into the women's restroom during my entire

shift. And going back further, there hadn't been a single customer to enter that restroom since 8.30 that morning. Doing the math, that was almost 20 hours prior to me finding the doll. There had been employees that had entered to check the restroom and see if it was clean,

and to mop it, which we had to do regardless of cleanliness, but not a single customer entered the women's restroom at all. The person that had entered at 8.30 didn't look the type to leave a mutilated doll in the stall. She looked like a pretty normal older lady. So, through all of this, I have no idea how that doll got into the restroom. And I have no idea why the restroom was a disaster, as it had been cleaned and checked a few times since that last person used it.

It's also not possible that they didn't just trigger the camera, as the doors are pretty much centered on the screen, and you can't get to the door without walking in front of them. So, by every measure of possibility, the stall just happened to teleport into the stall, and at the same time, it caused the restroom to become an absolute disaster. I have zero in ways of explanation for this, but I will say that it was creepy as hell. Thankfully, nothing like this has happened since, and hopefully it never does, because if it does, I might honestly quit right then and there. It's that wonderful time of year again, so I want to share a story of something that happened to me several years ago.

I try to share this frequently as a warning to not only women, but anyone that could be vulnerable in this situation. Some may take this story as entertainment, and I'm okay with that too. But I just hope that that means that they will remember it and be able to avoid something like this. so here it goes this was back in the winter of 2017 the end of November I'm a very social and outgoing person

so when the holidays roll around I'm always planning parties for my family both sides a party that my boyfriend and I would host for some of his family as well as some parties with friends I also love the gifting side of it

I love seeing people's reactions when they open a gift that I got them. So, every year, I try to make or get the perfect gift for everyone. This year I knew specifically what I wanted to get my sister, but, unfortunately, it was a bit pricey. So I'd been going to a few different places looking for the best price. I had even braved the Black Friday sales, but had no luck. So, late one night, I wound up at a department store to pick up a gift for someone else, as well as some more wrapping paper. I also tried to get my shopping done and prepped as early as possible, so that I'm not running around last minute. It was late one night, and with no work the next day, I started by just casually roaming the aisles to see if there was anything else I wanted.

I was looking at shoes when I saw an associate at the end of the aisle. I could tell that he worked there, because while he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he had his name badge hanging out of his pocket. So my thought was he was probably AP, that's asset protection for those of you who don't know. I understand the purpose of the job, especially with the holiday season,

but sometimes, the associates take it too far, or they think they're so good at it that they're terrible at it, if that makes sense. So, anyways, I spotted him, looking at something on the end cap, and continued doing what I was doing. But when I started trying on a pair of shoes, I texted my sister-in-law to get her shoe size thinking that she would like the ones I was looking at. While waiting for her response, I felt that familiar sensation of being watched. and looked up at this guy, and, of course, he went from looking at me to quickly looking back down at the fuzzy socks.

So I rolled my eyes with a soft laugh, grabbed the shoes, and walked away. I walked around the store a little longer, but, of course, Mr. AP was there every step of the way. I kept finding him at the end of the aisles, seemingly busy, but obviously watching me. It was late, I was tired and was already kind of annoyed with being followed, so I just decided to go and grab the item I came for so I could leave.

However, as I made my way to my destination in that store, I was shocked to see the item I had been looking at for my sister, and it seemed to be about $15 cheaper. Even crazier in my opinion were that there were no sales tags on it. It was like this was the normal price, so... I knew that I had to get it. The only thing preventing me from taking it up to the checkout counter was the anti-theft mechanism holding it on the shelf. So I had to find someone to help. I walked over to a nearby aisle but didn't see anybody, but I also didn't want to go far, calling dibs on the item on the shelf.

Finally, I did spot an associate, but it was the AP guy. So, why not ask him for help, I guess? As well as get the satisfaction of calling him out to say, Hey, yes, I see you and you're not sneaky. However, I called out to him saying, Excuse me, sir, you work here, right? He did a double take at me, but then, without saying anything, he walked away with his head down.

Now, I was no longer annoyed. I was pretty angry. I understand that AP is supposed to look, undercover in a sense, but he obviously was not doing a good job. So, why not ask for help? He could have at least said, I'll go get someone for you or something like that. Instead, he just ignored me. I finally just gave up and started heading to the front of the store to leave, but I still

wanted to share my experience with someone. So, once I got there, I told the cashier that I needed help with him. an item, and that the one associate that I saw ignored me and also mentioned that I was pretty sure it was their AP guy, too. The cashier looked at me curiously and said that they would let management know, and even called for someone to get the item for me. Once I got my item, I paid for it all and started heading to the door, receipt in hand preparing to be stopped one last time. To my surprise, though, I didn't see him at the door. But the Then my relief was quickly stomped out when I saw him standing by the bench outside the doors.

Now, I was pretty pissed off. I waved my receipt in the air in his direction and said in an annoyed tone, It's all paid for, you can leave me alone now. But he then answered that with an obvious smile in his voice and said, You sure about that? At that point, I instantly went from annoyed to scared. It was something about the way he said that instantly creeped me out. I continued walking to my car, but now backwards, not wanting to turn my back to this guy.

I had my keys in my right hand, but I was now adjusting them to go in between my knuckles as I walked. When I got to my car, there was a truck in front of me, so once I got to the door, I wouldn't be able to see him. I quickly jumped in, holding my two bags and my purse trying to quickly move them out of the way so that I could lock my doors. Once locked, I looked around to see if the guy followed me, but he was nowhere in sight. After I calmed down, I told myself that I needed to report this to the store because this was never acceptable. If he really thought I was stealing something, he should have stopped me at the door, not followed me to my car. So, I called the store and I asked for a manager. As I explained to them what I had experienced, the woman asked me if I was still there, and I said that I was in my car.

She asked if I would come back into the store to give them an official statement that they could file and ask me a few more questions. I told her that I would be willing to, but that I also was not willing to get out of my car alone. So, she actually walked out to my car, and as we both walked in together, we looked around and did not see this guy. I went into the manager's office with her, and there was another male manager already in there. She had explained further about what all happened. I left the bags in the car, but had my purse, keys, receipt, and phone with me. She didn't even seem remotely concerned that I was stealing, and, and, and, and I was stilling, asked me for a description of the guy.

After I described him, she looked over at the other manager who made a face and shrugged. She then turned back to me and said that she was concerned, because they didn't have anyone, AP or otherwise, working that night that matched the description. Yeah, cue me really panicking now. She even had their guy in AP come out, and I confirmed that it was not him.

He'd actually been in the security room watching the cameras while I was there. Thankfully, they had the same idea that I did. They had me review a portion of the camera footage to point the guy out and suggested that we file a police report because of what he was doing. It was my choice since all they could really report was a suspicious person. But if they were willing to, then so was I. We waited for the police to show up, and once more explained what happened.

Their real AP couldn't find him anywhere in the store, and couldn't find him outside, so they all assumed that he'd probably left, or at least walked to somewhere where the cameras couldn't find him. I, of course, was not feeling too good about going home alone now, so one of the officers was kind enough to walk me to my car and followed me home. He then said that they would drive a road. around the area a few times before leaving. Thankfully, this all made me feel better about the situation,

and that maybe this guy was just a creep whose plans were foiled. Or maybe he was even just screwing around and playing a very unfunny prank. Either way, I was glad it was over. Or, at least, I thought it was over. I went to bed just fine. After calling my boyfriend and telling him what happened, and even the next morning. I had pretty much put it in the back of my mind.

But later that morning, after I had breakfast in a shower, I had to run some errands. I went out to my car and I was unlocking it, and I noticed a shape on my window. After looking at it from different angles because of the glare, I was able to confirm what I was seeing. There was an obvious cup-t palm print on the glass. Like somebody was looking into my car.

I know that it wasn't there the previous day. It was pretty obvious as the handprint seemed to be oily or something, and it left a residue, which is why I noticed it and would have if it was there the day prior. All the bad feelings from the day prior came rushing back, and I ran inside and called my boyfriend. He told me to make a report with the police, which I did. Unfortunately, because I couldn't prove that it was related to the incident, or that I even knew who this person was, they couldn't really do much.

So, I was left feeling vulnerable, helpless, and, not to mention, possibly watched or stalked. I ended up staying home that day, ordered cameras online and waited till my boyfriend got off work to take me to the places I needed to go. I can report that I have not seen that guy since, thankfully, nor have I experienced anything similar to it. I don't know what his intentions were, but I do hope that he was just screwing around, and that I can call him a jerk. But it really did freak me out, and I was kind of afraid to go places alone for at least a few months. I've seen posts and horror stories about women being followed and things being done. to their cars to try and trick or distract them, and that caused quite a bit of fear in me. What if that was his goal?

What if the print was a distraction? Or maybe just him making sure that he had the right car? It still freaks me out, but I try to put it to rest by instead thinking of all the right things that I did. I'm proud of myself for calling the store. I'm proud of myself for filing for filing. the police report for them, and even calling the cops the following morning, even if they said they couldn't do anything.

And I'm proud that I didn't just ignore it, and that I kept myself safe. Today, I carry pepper spray and continue to keep an eye out for people around me. So, I guess, bottom line, don't ever think you're paranoid if you experience something unsettling or something or someone makes you feel unsafe. Report it. Worst case scenario is that it's nothing, and you can put your fears to rest. Stay safe out there, folks.

It's something else here now, something new. From, exclusively on Paramount Plus, it's the series Stephen King calls Scarious Hell. Everything here is impossible, but it's also real. Sci-fi vision calls it the best show streaming right now. We're running out of time and we still don't know the rules. Don't miss what the movie blog calls something you need to watch. Saving those children is how we all go home.

From Binge All Episodes exclusively on Paramount Plus. One thing that people don't tell you when you go into working at a store or really any retail job, you learn to read people quickly. I feel like places that are high targets for Robbins. or theft, like gas stations, make this doubly true. I used to work at a small convenience store gas station when I was in my early 20s. And working those kind of jobs, you see all sorts of characters. But nothing could have prepared me for what turned out to be my last shift.

And I don't think anyone will blame me for quitting after this all went down. It was a pretty typical night, not sure what day of the week it was. but it was a weekday because we were pretty dead, and we would get fairly busy on the weekends. There was only the occasional customer pulling in to get some chips or a drink or fill their tank, but that was about it. Around 1 o'clock in the morning, a guy walked in that was wearing what looked like a security guard uniform. He seemed like any other late-night customer, friendly, a bit tired. We were situated near some hospitals,

other facilities that I could see having a need for a security guard, so he really didn't look out of place or anything, and there were zero red flags. I watched as he walked around, browsing the aisles. He grabbed a few things, just the normal snacks and a red bull. He was even making casual conversation as he scanned for whatever he wanted, saying that he was working a double shift and that he was trying to get something to keep him going. I laughed, said that I knew all about that, and said that I hoped that it was at least entertaining work. There was literally nothing about him that made me suspicious, concerned, worried, or any other synonym for those words.

He walked up, dropped off what he had. I scanned the items and then asked if he wanted a bag for it all. I then leaned down to grab one of the bags out of the box on the floor, and the second I look at the up, there was a gun pointed right at my face. He just stared at me with cold eyes and said, empty the register. For a moment, I couldn't move. I couldn't believe that this was happening.

The transition from a normal transaction and a normal customer to a gun in my face was jarring to say the least. I remember sitting there and thinking, this can't be real, this has to be a prank. He was such a nice and conversational person. But the gun in my face was telling me that this was very real, and that this was not a joke. After a few seconds, I came back to reality.

I did as he asked. I opened the register and started pulling the cash out of the register, which, being that it was late in the evening, wasn't that much. My mind was racing, as was my heart, and I was so worried about the whole thing going south and how quickly it could. He was so nonchalant, and at one point, the fact that he didn't do anything to hide his face or who he was crossed my mind, which actually scared me more. Like there was a real possibility that he was not planning on leaving any witnesses to this robbery.

Once I got all the bills out of the register, he grabbed it and stuffed it into his pockets. Then, he did something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes with this cold stare, mimed pulling the trigger and shouted, Bang! I jumped half out of my skin, and I swear I let out a yelp like a hurt puppy. I thought I was dead. I thought he was going to pull the trigger. and just blow me away.

The feeling in my chest is one that I will never forget, and if I wasn't running on fear at that point, I would have blacked out and collapsed. Then he just turned away and walked to the door laughing, as if it was the funniest joke ever. He literally walked out of the store like nothing had happened, got in his car and took off down the road. And I was left standing there trying to process what had just,

happened. Once I was sure he was gone, I locked the door and called the police and sent a text to my manager telling them to get there immediately, that we'd been robbed. The officers got there quickly. They took my statements, and I gave them all the info that I could, including the car and the logo on his jacket. When my manager arrived, he was able to get them in the back and got copies of the security tapes for them. The whole time they were there talking and discussing things with me or him, I just felt vulnerable. And like everything was futile.

The dude was brazen about this. Like he knew that he would never be caught. My manager then told me to go ahead and take a couple days off, and I told him that I didn't think I could do the job anymore. I was hit with some major. PTSD over this. He asked me to think it over, which I really did.

But when I showed up for my next shift, after those few days off, the minute the door chime went off, I nearly started screaming. I couldn't do it. And some people will call me a coward for it, but I told him that I had to quit.

Thankfully, my manager was a good friend of mine, and he completely understood. He told me that if I ever wanted the job back, I could have it, and that he wanted me to just be okay with it. The robbery, though, it changed a lot of things, and I lost trust in people. The guy looked and seemed completely normal, professional even. He was dressed in what looked like a uniform.

There was the blue-collar connection that I thought we had, to people working the night shift and sympathizing with each other's struggles. Then he pulled a gun on me and threatened my life for a couple hundred dollars. I actually had nightmares about the situation for a few months. After all, it was said and done. About the gun and him yelling bang like that. Thankfully, he was actually caught. But it wasn't in a good way.

He tried the same thing in a neighboring town, but the clerk wasn't as cooperative and tried to physically fight him. he ended up shooting and killing the clerk, which made it worse. Knowing that he was willing to pull the trigger like that, it really made me realize how much of a brush with my end that this was. Knowing that he was behind bars did bring some relief, but I was still pretty messed up over that night. I used to work at a certain, cheap little jewelry store

in a decent-sized shopping mall here, in my hometown. You can all probably guess the name of the store. I'm not going to put it out there because they didn't have anything to do with what happened, so I don't want to drag their name or anything. It was a pretty mundane job, with the usual challenges, nothing too crazy, really. I think the hardest things that I had to do were watch out for teen girls, who would try to pocket random earrings.

It really wasn't hard to tell when they were going to try and steal something. And if you stood over them, they would usually abandon their plans and just leave. There was one year, though, where things got weird and creepy. It actually involved the mall's Santa Claus, which was a huge attraction for our mall near Christmas time. I've never really liked malls, when I was a little kid, I would always burst into tears when my mom would take me to see them. And as an adult, they just kind of creeped me out.

In this specific year, the mall had hired a new Santa because the one that had done the job the previous decade had, sadly, been diagnosed with cancer. And he wasn't able to do the job anymore. The new Santa was, to put it kindly, a bit different. He wasn't quite large enough to fill the role, and he didn't have a jolly look in his eyes. He looked rather cold and distant every time I saw him. The kids didn't seem to mind, and I think the parents were just happy to keep the tradition going, so it was what it was. One night I was working the closing shift at my store, just stocking, sorting, and cleaning up like always. I was finishing up something in the back room of the store when I heard the front door chime go off.

We were closed, so I initially thought that it was just my coworker coming back from getting food before the Chinese place closed. But when I walked up to the front, I froze. Standing in the middle of the store was none other than Santa Claus. Something about him was off. He looked a bit... haggard, kind of wired and wily, like he couldn't quite focus on anything in particular. Worse yet, his beard was half undone and just sort of hanging there. Can I help you?

I managed to stammer out, thinking that he had to have a reason to be there, right? At first he didn't respond. He just stood there staring at me wide-eyed like he didn't expect me to actually see. speak to him. Then, in a raspy and almost desperate voice, he said, You know, they're not real. They're not real. None of this is real.

I wasn't really sure what to say to that. Was this some kind of joke or something? His eyes told me that it wasn't. He looked genuinely disturbed, haunted even. I just sort of nodded at him and said, Sir, I think you should go ahead and leave. Instead of leaving, he took a huge step forward, causing me to quickly step back and behind the counter.

He then continued on with, You don't get it. They're watching us. All the time. Watching! At this point, I was genuinely scared. I grabbed the phone and hit the button for security. But the second that I did, Santa turned tail and ran out of the store.

I mean full-on sprinted out of the store. I quickly walked over to the door and pulled it shut and locked it, while I was also explaining to the security guard what had happened. The guard showed up and asked me a few more questions, then mentioned that my store wasn't actually the only one. one that this guy had been acting strange at. Apparently, he'd actually gone off on the cashier at Spencer's, like verbally assaulted him about the same things that he was saying to me.

The next day, the Santa station was closed, and he was seemingly gone. There were some rumors about how Santa had a breakdown, how he was on drugs, and there were even talks about the possibility of him having been a mentally ill homeless man that somehow landed the job. I have no idea. I never learned the truth about him, and based on the conversation we'd had, it could have been any of it. Worse yet, about a week or two later, I actually saw the man again. It was well after close. I was walking out to my car, and I saw him stay. And I saw him stay. He standing in the parking garage still wearing the Santa outfit. Two weeks later.

He was just walking around the parking garage aimlessly, kind of stumbling about and mumbling to himself. I did end up calling the security guard whose cell phone number I had, and he said that he would check it out, but I never got a follow-up. In the end, this was just more ammo for me to dislike mall Santas. for me to be afraid of them, honestly. I didn't see him again after that. Them all hired another person to fill in,

and life went back to normal, thankfully. I'm not really sure how to end this story after that. I guess I'll just say that it was obviously creepy, and I'm kind of glad that he took off, because he kind of looked like he was going to do something much more. violence. Hey there, friends. I hope that you enjoyed

this collection of scary stories on this episode of the As the Raven Dreams podcast. If you did, make sure that you follow the podcast on whatever platform that you're utilizing, and if the platform you are on has a rate

the podcast option, please consider doing so. Those ratings push the podcast into the algorithm, and we have a lot of, all know how the algorithm controls everything, so yeah. I also do have a Patreon. If you go to Patreon.com slash as the Raven Dreams, you can support the channel further. For as little as a dollar a month, you can get early access to all of my content in audio format. The content's a little

different as it's based on what I upload to my YouTube side, but it's the same stories, just in different collections of stories than how they're presented here. Speaking of stories, if you have one you would like to submit to me, please go to as the raven dreams.com and click the button in the middle of the screen that says submit your story. These stories are mostly sourced by listeners, so let's keep the podcast alive.

If you've got one, I'd love to read it. Anyways, friends, I hope you're all having a beautiful day and a lovely week. And I hope I see you again very soon. But until then, remember you're loved, you're valid, you're important. You're the best you can be. Never forget it.

And until next time, much love and sleep well.