As The Raven Dreams Podcast - ATRD Ep. 138 - Scary Gas Station Stories and Strange & Scary Stories

Episode Date: August 30, 2024

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THE STORY AUDIO IS BETTER! Today, on the 138th episode of the As The Raven Dreams podcast, we have 8 True Chilling stories. These stories come from the shadowy corners of reality, where everyday life takes an eerie twist & ordinary people experience the extraordinary. Today we will be diving into terrifying Gas Station stories as well as other Strange & Scary Stories. 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... Tater Tot, Aidan Thomas , Micah Harvey, Carla Base, SpyV, TimTomThomas, GraciousMacy, Layla... As Well As Any Author That Has 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're aboard Via Raii, Embarked and profite. Embarked and celebrate. Rigolet. Publiere. Savory. Admire.

And profite. Viarai, the voice that we love that we love. If you have a true scary story, you'd like to share with the podcast, go to as the ravendreams.com and click the button to send it my way. Also, if the platform you're on

has the option to rate the podcast or leave a comment, please consider doing so. And as always, thank you. I finally got the chance to write out something that happened to me when I was a young adult. This was back in the late 90s when I was working as a tow truck driver. I worked on call on the overnight shift, and after finishing a job, I stopped at a gas station to fill up so I wouldn't have to worry about it if I did get a call in the middle of the night. better to do it around midnight rather than three in the morning when you just want to get back home and back in bed.

I remember it was autumn because it was a lot cooler, so I could have my windows down comfortably all night. I pulled into the gas station, one that I had stopped at plenty of times before. The parking lot was pretty empty, there was a car parked on the side of the gas station building that was off. My first thought was that it was either someone that worked there or maybe someone else that stopped for something other than gas. I didn't pay any more attention than that. But as I started fueling up, I heard a very loud pop coming from the store. It made me jump and I looked over to see if I could figure out what it was. But all I saw was a man in a mask jumping over the counter and running out the door.

I remember being frozen in place. I didn't know if I should go in and check on those in there, or if I should hide, or hell if I should just leave and save myself. But before I could even make a choice, the man in the mask noticed me and we made eye contact. He quickly approached me, raising the gun, and asked me, What did you see? I kept my hands up in my head to the ground and said, nothing. I didn't see anything, didn't hear anything.

We stayed like this for a few seconds, until he shoved me and said, Get back in your truck and leave, now. As I walked back to my truck, he shouted at me to hurry up, so I started the truck and left before I even caught my seatbelt on. I watched from the mirrors.

He stood in the parking lot watching me until I was completely out of view. I know I got out of their unscathed, but it kept eating at me. What if he had shot someone at the station? What if they were dead or dying and no one was there to help? Would anyone show up there to help? So I made a pretty crazy decision and headed back.

I didn't have a cell phone at the time, but I did have my radio in the truck. I immediately called it in and told them that I think I witnessed a robbery and told them to get the police there as soon as possible. Then I turned around to head back. When I got back, the car on the side was gone, assuming it was the robbers, so I pulled in and waited before getting out to make sure no one ran up to my truck. When no one came up, I quickly jumped out and ran into the station. I saw just what I was worried about. The old man that owned the place was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with a bullet wound in his stomach.

Then there was a younger girl laying next to him. Her face bruised and cut. Both of them were unconscious. I knew it probably wasn't that long, but the police hadn't arrived yet, so I grabbed the wall phone behind the counter and called 911. While on the phone, the lady said they already had someone on the way, but asked for the status of the victims. She asked me to apply pressure to the wounds on the man to prevent further bleeding.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before an ambulance showed up, followed by the police. They got the man in the ambulance and left pretty quickly, while another group worked on the girl. While I was talking to the police outside, they wheeled the girl out, who was now awake, but still looked rough. I explained to the cops what all I had witnessed, and one of them thanked me for radioing it in. They explained that the man had lost a lot of blood, and since the girl hadn't woken up, he could have died if I hadn't.

that's when I knew that I did the right thing, even if it could have cost me my life. After giving them my contact information, I was told that I could leave. I went home to my wife and kids still a bit shaken up and explained to my wife what had happened. She was usually asleep when I left, but she said that she woke up to a bad feeling when I hadn't returned within the normal amount of time. She called the office to ask about me, and they had said they hadn't heard from me yet. I would actually end up radioing into them right after she called. After talking through it, she said that she was proud of me for going back and calling it in, even if it was risky, knowing that she would want someone to do the same for her if she was the victim.

We were both up for another hour or so before we finally fell back to sleep. The next day, I got a call from the cop who wanted to go through the details again. They said they also had the footage and wanted to confirm the identity of the man. I met them at the same gas station, and they watched the grainy footage of what happened in the store. I watched the man reach for the gun, causing him to shoot. The girl started to panic, and he had actually pistol-whipped her a couple of times. Then he jumped over the counter and out the door. We then watched the footage of me in the parking lot as the guy held the gun to my chest,

and then I drove away. After I confirmed it all, he also asked if he could give my contact details to the victim. Apparently the girl was his daughter, and they had both been working there that night, and they wanted to thank me for coming back to help them. So, I agreed. I actually went to see them in the hospital, and the girl was looking better. She still had two black eyes and some stitches. and scrapes on the side of her face, but she still had a sense of humor with the whole

you should see the other guy. They did catch the guy as they were able to see his car and license plate, which belonged to the guy's mother who worked for USPS. But anyway, they both thanked me for what I did, but I would like to think that I would do it again in a heartbeat, if it meant I could help just one person. for the remaining time I worked at the tow company I would go to the same station for gas even if it was out of the way

they actually gave me free coffee and day-old donuts anyways now in 2024 I'm grateful for the technology we have better cameras and a cell phone on us pretty much at all times it makes me a lot quicker to help but thankfully I haven't had to do some

something like that since. Hey there. I work eight-hour days restoring historical artifacts, and I have an AirPod in consuming episodes of your podcast throughout weeks at a time. I'm loving this discovery. Just a quick aside, that is an awesome job, just saying. Here is my story. I have no clue how to categorize it,

but in my short 22 years of life thus far, I have no clue what I saw or how to explain it. For context, my friends and I are avid disc golfers. We have been for six years and counting. Thus, every summer, we take a trip up to Northern Michigan to play some of the best courses the state has to offer. During this particular summer, I believe my two friends, both named Jack, and I were 18 years old.

We were on the second to last day of our trip, and we had found a relatively unknown course deep in the woods, about two and a half hours from where we were staying. Naturally, we wanted to check it out as we drove down country roads deep into farmland, and eventually a thick forest, and civilization became a distant memory. By the time we had gotten two hours into the drive, we hadn't seen a property or even another car for at least. an hour. At this point two-lane county roads had whittled down into a narrow one-lane dirt road that didn't even allow enough space for two cars to pass. Knowing that there was absolutely nothing, hence I mean nothing for miles upon miles, in the way of evidence of human life, or even a vacation home, is big for the context of what happened next. We were using Apple Maps, and the little Siri voice told us,

you have arrived at your destination. We had overshot whatever entrance we were intended to use, so we did a less than graceful five-point turn to pivot ourselves in the opposite direction. To our surprise, there was definitely not a disc golf course anywhere nearby. Instead, we sat on the side of the road, peering out the car windows,

into a small overgrown field, which was approximately the size of half of a football field, maybe slightly smaller. There really wasn't anything special about the field. It was full of old rusted out farming equipment, tractor attachments, etc. I'd call this field an ancient junkyard, long taken over by nature. Assuming that we were in the wrong place, as we hadn't seen a single house or car for hours,

we did a careful scan of the area looking for any signs indicating an opening to the course. My friends were looking on Google and my eyes were stuck to the field. At this point, and I swear to God I am fully sane, a little girl, maybe four or five years old, emerged from the back of some rusted out equipment at the back of the field.

I'll never forget what she was wearing. purple, maybe linen pajamas, and a matching set. Nothing you would see a toddler wearing in the modern day. I was like, okay, what the hell is this? There was no adult or house or car to be found. Just this little kid alone, perusing the equipment at the back of the field facing opposite to us. At this point, my shock had spread to my two feet. friends who were now staring intently at the same thing as me, confirming my sanity.

We didn't speak, just stared, wondering if we should go and check on her. While we stared at the girl who seemed to not notice we were there, she pivoted and turned in our direction, facing our car parked maybe a hundred feet away. At this point, we noped out. My friend Jack kicked his Buick into top gear, and we absolutely... flew out of there. We had seen Texas chainsaw, so we figured nothing good could come out of investigating.

Now, perhaps there was an adult somewhere there, or a house deep into the woods, where she had come from. Or maybe this was some sort of bait. Really?

I'm glad not to know. We still tell the story to everyone we know, and I think about it often. I hope you enjoyed. And this is completely true. Lasagne sur-joled, puissance-molyne, for 15 minutes. We'd say that's the lojo. Pre-a-jou? Vive the pleasure with Leo Jo.

The casino in line that proposes the more recent machine-assed and the games of casino in direct. Profite of 50 tours gratu on Big Bas Bonanza. Without exigance of misuse and with payment instantane. Hey! I've got! Woo-hoo! Sentire the pleasure! Play-Ojo! When I was 188 years, 1st, Ontario.

50 tours gratuys on the machine-ass-sub-based-Bonanza. Depos minimum of $10. Veil to be in a fashion responsible. The conditions apply. When I was 18, I started working at a gas station right outside the city that I lived in. It was probably a 15-minute drive toops, which worked out in case I had to get a ride to and from work. I had a pretty crappy hand-me-down car that didn't like to run when it was too hot or too cold, or any day that ended with a why.

You get the idea. And since I was still living at home, my parents or older brother would sometimes take me to work. So it was nice working close. I chose to work there because, one, they were one of the few people that actually called me in for an interview, and really I just needed something to do after I graduated, while I figured out what I was doing with my life.

The pay wasn't great, but... I worked with some pretty cool people, and the job itself was pretty simple. At least, most of the time. The lunch rush was a bit annoying, or Sunday afternoons after church lit out. Our gas station seemed to be the place to go to continue sermon. But regardless, I could handle it, and it certainly made the day fly by. But sometimes we got some odd people, or the occasional drunk that would try to cause problems, and being a smaller girl,

I stayed back to let the others handle those. But the story is actually about one of those times that I seemed to be in the center of it all. It was a late night, and we had just finished cleaning up the hot food stations. We shut them down at 9 p.m., and they have to be thoroughly cleaned. They were pretty close to the register,

so I was also in charge of ringing people up. Susan was out by the pump sweeping and cleaning up around the area. She's an older lady that's been there forever, so I feel like they just let her do whatever she wants because cleaning the parking lot isn't even on the check-off list, or something we were ever told to do. Then Anthony was in the back, juggling the tasks of back-office work and some inventory prep. Anthony was actually a good friend of my brothers, who I had a bit of a crush on at the time. time, so I was happy to work with him. He was always really nice to me and looked out for me, so really the job wasn't bad at all.

So anyways, that was our setup for the night. I was pretty much it for the front of the store, but it wasn't unusual for me either. While I was wiping down the shields, I saw a van pull up out front. They had parked across three parking spots and seemed to hit their brakes pretty hard. based on how the car lurched forward. The van looked like one of those old Chevy travel vans. My dad used to have one identical to it, but it was red instead of green. Wanting to see the idiot that parked like that,

I continued to watch as a man got out of the driver's seat, walked around and up to the door and entered the gas station. The man looked to be in his mid-40s, average height with buzz-cut hair. In all honesty, he looked pretty normal. That is, until he started talking. I greeted him as I normally do, and when he spotted me, he quickly advanced towards me. Oh, thank God.

I'm having some car troubles. Would you mind taking a look at it? I immediately chuckled at this comment. I was this little 18-year-old girl. What made this grown man think that I, of... all people knew anything about cars. I'm sorry, sir, I would have no clue. I don't know anything about cars beyond putting gas in them. Oh, come on, you look like a smart girl. I'm sure you could figure it out. Why was this guy so adamant that I looked at his van and that I could fix it?

It was weird. I again pushed back to say that I couldn't help, and even offered to go get Anthony, as he might be able to help, but the guy was insistent that I should help him. He began begging me. He offered to pay me in cash or beer. I told him I wasn't even old enough to drink, reminding him again that I was only 18. And then he hit me with, well, I've got a litter of puppies in the back. You can have one if you want. That's when I realized just how messed up this whole thing was sounding. So I told him in a very firm voice, Sir, I'm not a child.

I'm not going to go out to your van for anything, and I can't help you with it. He immediately tried to go back to pouting and begging when thankfully Anthony walked back into the lobby. Is everything okay here? Can I help you with something, sir? He tried shaking his head, but I immediately stepped back towards Anthony

and told him that he was, having car troubles and asked me to take a look. Anthony looked at both of us funny and then kind of laughed. He told the man that he could see if he could help, but the man shouted. No, I want the girl. That was the comment that really scared me. This now seemed like more than just car troubles. Anthony then took a step forward to be in front of me and told him firmly,

Look, man, you and I both know she's not going out there. there, so either I can help you, or you can leave. The man stared at us for what felt like several minutes. He looked angry. I thought he might try to do something to Anthony, but instead, he called me a name and then stormed out of the store. We watched from the door as he walked around to get back in the driver's side, and to my surprise, I watched another guy sit up in the passenger seat.

I didn't even know someone else was in there. And just as quickly as he pulled up, he also burned out of the parking lot, making Susan come back inside and ask what that was all about. I explained to both of them what all had happened, and even Susan laughed and said, Puppies? What is this, the 1950s? We all laughed and tried to shrug it off, but honestly, it still kind of spooked me.

He drove it into the parking lot, just fine and left in the van just fine and he was adamant that I had to help him why me the fact that he tried so hard and even tried bribing me made me feel really uncomfortable I was ready to just let it go and thankful that he was gone but Anthony was insistent on calling the police to report it to my surprise they came by and took it very seriously they They even said they had reports of a suspicious van that had been driving around, some nearby neighborhoods, that was reported by parents. They saw the van slow down and even stop in front of their place, but would drive away

when they went outside or tried to call out to them. They never came back and told us they caught him or anything, so I'm not sure if they did or not, but that certainly did not make me feel any better. If it was the same guy, then was he trying to be? to abduct me? For weeks afterwards, I became kind of paranoid any time there was a guy that came in alone, as bad as that sounds. I made sure that I had a ride to and from work beforehand, so that way I wasn't waiting around alone. Not that Anthony allowed me to, though. He made me wait in the back, which was nice. I only worked there for about a year after that. The store got

robbed the next year and that traumatized me pretty badly. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but you really start to reevaluate your life when you're staring down a barrel. But that was my experience working at a gas station, and all I can say is thanks for the experience, but so long. I will not miss it. I wanted to share an experience with you that I had when I worked at a gas station. This was back when I was in my mid-20.

I had made some mistakes as a young adult. I didn't have the best parents. One I actually never met, and my mom clearly wasn't ready to be a parent. Thus, I became a pretty rebellious teenager. I myself fell in love with a guy that was 10 years older than me, and when I became pregnant at 18, I was under the impression that everything was going to be all right, and the man I was with would support us. So I finished high school but made no plans on bettering myself career-wise, expecting to just be caring for a child for a few years at least. But the honeymoon phase was over before it began when my baby's father quit his job and expected me to pick up the slack while he did, God knows what. That's how I ended up working for a gas station for over a decade. Not many were willing to hire someone who was barely 20, with no experience.

This place that I worked at was nice. The people there certainly became more family than my biological ones, other than my sister, who also had a different father that also wasn't in the picture. They knew I had a baby at home, and they were always flexible with me. Ruth, the owner, even cleaned up a small area in the back so I could set up my daughter's playpen to bring her with me. I ended up doing this more often as I couldn't try. trust her father to watch her either.

He quickly became an alcoholic, and I learned that he wasn't a very nice one either. Now, seeing what my mom went through with her various boyfriends, I knew the red flags, and I understood my choices would affect more than just myself, so I knew I had to get out. I dealt with him for four years, and I finally decided to take action. When I was 21, I was able to take on more shift. at the station. I would work overtime, I would cover other people shifts,

whatever I could pick up for extra money. Working the night or overtime meant a nice bonus, and I even asked Ruth to cut my checks into two, keeping any time over the 80 hours separate. I cashed those and saved the money so that my ex would only see the flat 80. Yes, he always took my checks. That's how possessive he was.

This was also many years ago, so I got a paper check and we cashed it out. And I didn't have a bank account. I was only 18 when I started working and had no idea how to even go about getting an account. Now, after explaining my pity story, sorry, this is how I ended up in the situation that I'm telling you about today. I had started working the overnight shifts. It was rough at first, but being on my feet. and keeping busy definitely helped. I also had my daughter with me since she was asleep most of the time there anyways,

and no one was really around to disturb her. My ex was typically home at night drinking, so it was a win-win for me anyways. I told him they needed me to work overnights, but that I didn't get any extra pay for it, making it seem like I was disappointed about it. He was none the wiser. Anyway, there I was. working late into the night while my daughter slept peacefully in the back. I kept the door cracked open so I could hear her cry if she woke up.

It was probably around three or four in the morning. I had just gotten my second wind, which was typically about when that happened for me. I started organizing the impulse items near the register and counter, which then spiraled into me deep cleaning because it clearly hadn't been done in quite some time. I was crouching behind the counter when I heard the bell ring, indicating someone had entered. I yelled out, Hey, welcome in. Or something to that effect.

The only response I got was a slight grunt, and then the person began whistling. It was a bit odd, but it was also four in the morning. The people I saw at that time were typically under the influence, homeless people, just needing some respite from the summer heat, or others just getting off work. Based on his response, I assumed it may have been the former. Either way, I know that I have to keep an eye on people, so I stood up to look at the customer.

What I saw I never could have expected. It was an older man, tall and gaunt-looking. He wore a long overcoat that he was practically swimming in. He had on a baseball cap that was streaked with yellow and brown stains. But the biggest problem that I had with him was the enormous sledgehammer he had resting on his shoulder. My heart immediately dropped. I had never been in a situation like this at work. We had never been robbed, at least not in the time that I worked there.

And the most violence we had ever seen was a guy kicking over the trash can because he didn't win his scratch-off tickets. So was this guy really about to? to try something with a sledgehammer? I watched him walk down an aisle, look over several items, and pick up one of the canned food items, and then put it back down. Then he walked down another aisle and stopped whistling long enough to smile at the item he grabbed. Then, he started back up again walking toward the front. I quickly looked away trying to act casual, not wanting to give him any reason to try something, hopefully.

Once he reached the counter, he tossed down a single pack of D batteries and stopped whistling. He looked at me with a smirk, and I asked him if that was all he needed. Y'all don't sell VHS tapes, do you? Now, this was some time ago, but I hadn't seen VHS camcorders in quite some time. And our random little gas station certainly wasn't selling them and never had. I politely told him No, sorry we don't And rang up his batteries

He groaned as he tossed down a very crumpled and slightly damp bill And I gave him his change He shoved his change in his pocket With the batteries and then turned to walk away before pausing He looked back at me Smiling in those few seconds felt like an eternity I studied his face Worried that I may have to recall

call it later. His face had deep lines across his forehead, and by his eyes with his skin looking tightly stretched over his cheekbones and jawline. It kind of reminded me of that alien from men in black, where he pulled his face tight so that it wasn't too loose, but it was like he forgot to pull his forehead tight. He seriously looked unnatural. Then he spoke to me in a low and curious tone. You look just like her, you know. You look just like my Emma. I didn't know what to say, so I stared back with my head lopsided like a confused dog. She was beautiful, my Emma, just like you, and smart.

But she just didn't understand. Couldn't see the truth. He curled his fingers toward me, wanting me to come closer. Do you see the truth? I wonder? I sat back up, wanting to escape his breath and intimidating stare. I was still frozen with fear, and his choice of conversation did not help the situation. Then he went to adjust how the hammer was resting on his shoulder, but it made me flinch.

He looked back at me with his smile wider now. Do you know what this is for? I shook my head, still unable to speak. It's for breaking down. down walls, like the walls we build in our heads, the walls that keep us from seeing. He then looked directly into my eyes, and I felt like I was being interrogated. Hell, I would have confessed whatever he wanted me to at this time just to get him to stop staring at me.

Emma couldn't see past her walls, but I helped her, I helped her see. He then laid his hand flat, palm down on the counter. He mentioned how Sometimes we need to break things in order to reveal the truth Only then can we repair He began walking towards the door And then he opened it and I exhaled Thinking the weird interaction was over

But he turned toward me once more You have such beautiful walls I wonder what truths they hide Then he walked out whistling I watched as he walked to the right down the sidewalk until he was out of my sight. He hadn't even driven there. He had walked. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I could hardly breathe. I went to lock the door and then ran to the back with my daughter.

Thankfully, she was still sound asleep. I called the police to report whatever had happened, and they said that they would send someone over. Once they arrived, I realized just how stupid I sounded. I explained that a guy came in with a sledgehammer and what all he had said to me, still not able to forget it. They looked at me like I was crazy until I showed them the camera footage. There was no sound, but you could still make out some of the mouth movements and could see the fear written all over my face. They said they would keep an eye out for him, but since he didn't necessarily, threaten me or do anything, there was little they could do other than question him for being a

suspicious person. I honestly didn't care. I just felt better about telling someone about him rather than keeping it to myself. Thankfully, nothing else happened that night, and I never did see him after that. But, man, there was a time that I had a slight panic attack any time someone came in when I was working alone and at night. I continued working there for many years after. In fact, I even became a manager. I was able to get away from my ex and get a good place for myself and my daughter on that income,

which was a blessing. And even though I was a wreck after that night for some time, I would do it all over again. Just I would prefer to not ever meet that guy again. I live in Louisville, Kentucky, which is world-famous for the Kentucky Derby. This year was the 150th run for the Roses. We have races of all different kinds leading up to it from the hot-air balloon race, which is really colorful and beautiful to see,

and even a hospital bed race and rat race, an old steamboat race, and the couple of weeks leading up to the Derby include many festivities, including a parade and fireworks and the Blue Angels and an awesome air show, even music and parties. In 1987 I was working at two jobs at that time. One was in a hospital in the lab as a phlebotomist. One was in a shoe department of a large store. I was also taking a college class at this time,

and in each of these venues I was able to join in the fun and could draw a derby horse from the pot, meaning names of horses were written out and you could draw one out if you paid two bucks and the more people in the group the better because that pot would swell. I've always had things happen to me like premonitions and dreams or knowing something that I really had no way of knowing. And this derby, years back, I knew which horse would win. At that time, there were no online betting, bookies were illegal,

you had to go to the track yourself to make a bet, or know someone to place it for you who was going. Or just win a little in a jackpot. But in those you paid your two bucks, and just drew a slip of paper out of a hat. You could not request a certain horse. More and more, I knew who would win, but everyone always gives odds, tips, and commentary, so no one ever listens, and someone saying they really do know who will win, means nothing at all. Everyone just brushes you off.

I ran into a person I knew and was so excited, because she and her husband, both doctors, were going to the derby's, so I told her. But I'd say she likely ignored me, or I'd have sure heard all about it. The horse did the unthinkable and started off fast, going the full mile and a quarter without tiring, sailing past all the opposition,

until the very end, and usually if they break leading, they are quickly at the back of the pack. The horse had incredible odds. A $2 bet would earn about $330. But I had instead simply drawn out of three $2 jackpots, a random horse's name. Alashiba, Alashiba, and... Hmm, Alashiba. Wow. I won around $100 for $6.

and it became a triple-crowned win of three consecutive races afterwards. I felt like the old Greek mythological character, Cassandra, and the prophetess that nobody ever believed. There'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. Hey Raven. Love the podcast. I've been listening to it a lot at work lately as I work in a scene shop. After listening to a couple of the paranormal episodes,

I believe I have a story that could fit right in and look forward to sharing it for some of my... own peace of mind. I think you'll agree that it won't disappoint. I have a total of three different stories all based around the same area. To begin, some backstory. I grew up as a theater kid. Well, to be honest, since I grew up in a theater family, I didn't really have an option to not love theater. Back in my 20s, I'm in my 30s now. I lived in Indiana for a couple of years. I lived in Indiana for a couple of years. After multiple 60-plus hour work weeks, I decided I needed to develop a life outside of work. I couldn't find a theater nearby that I thought I was good enough to audition for,

but I thought it might be cool to look into some haunted houses. When you really think about it, there really isn't much of a leap between haunted houses and a theater. Both have rather involved scenery, require actors, and a fair amount of technicians. So, I found one nearby, and I worked there for a couple of years. Unfortunately, I was laid off from my job in a mass layoff, so I moved out of Indiana and back home with my mother in Ohio. I knew right away that I had to find a haunted house to work at. Luckily, Ohio is not shy of multiple haunted houses.

I eventually applied to work at the Mansfield Reformatory. For those of you who don't know this facility, it's famously known for being the filming site of Shawshank Redemption and a couple of scenes from Air Force One. Later, I would find out that it would be one of the most haunted places in all of Ohio. I was hired to be both a technician for the setup of the haunted house and to be a relief actor when the haunt was actually up and running. I would basically go to different rooms and let the actors take bathroom and snack breaks since some nights.

We were open six plus hours. The first story begins when I was setting up for the haunt. Because the Mansfield Reformatory is a year-round museum, we would only have four weeks to set up the haunt starting at the end of August, before we would open October 1st. One afternoon I was carrying a rather large animatronic up the staircase, there with one of my co-workers, who we'll call Bill. Bill was a rather large man.

I'm 6'1 and weigh 300 pounds, and yet I had to look up to Bill to give some scale. As we were carrying the animatronic, his hand suddenly dropped this fairly large metal frame to the floor, sending a rather intense vibration through my arms. I look up and see him holding a hand over his forehead and pain groaning. I immediately asked what happened, and if he was okay. He said it felt like something had cut his forehead.

As he pulled his hand away, I noticed some blood on his forehead, so I told him to lean down so I could see. When he leaned down to me, I could see that something or someone had sliced a very small upside-down crucifix into his skin. typically as we set up for the haunt the spirits there like to mess with us unplug cords move spray paint cans and the like once the haunt season officially starts and thousands of people are coming through that prison every night it's almost like the spirits up their game my next circumstance came once we had opened and i was the relief actor to the haunt i found a lot of enjoyment being able to move at my leisure and scare people in different rooms. There were lots of eerie locations in that prison, however none compared to solitary confinement. Once to step into that wing of the prison, it feels like someone has pulled all the air out of your lungs, and you get this awful feeling in your head like you'll never experience joy again. One night, we were low on relief actors, so I had to extend my round into solitary,

confinement. Whenever I have to go into that area, I tried to have a buddy with me. To be honest, it was plain out unsettling. In addition to the peeling paint on the walls, we only made it worse by pumping scary Halloween music through the whole prison. You know the kind. Low, ominous noises, with people screaming and eerie metal grinding noises that send shivers up your spine.

that night I had just given the actor at the top of the stairs his break, which meant I had to go down three flights of stairs, in the dark, by myself, to find the next actor. As I headed down the steps, I remembered telling the actor, wish me luck, to which he jokingly said, you're going to need it. I made it down the first flight of stairs with an uneasy feeling, but nothing too unnerving. As I descended the second flight, I started getting a feeling that someone was watching me. This would be impossible, though. There wasn't a group of people behind me, I was sure of it.

Nothing is less scary than seeing a guy dressed as a bloody butcher carefully and methodically descending stairs. As I rounded the bottom step onto the landing, I assumed I would be safe from anything too startling, because this floor has been chained off with chain-link fence from floor to ceiling around the landing due to structural reasons. It is literally impossible to get to the other side of this fence without a key to the padlock. How then, is it possible that as I looked down that hallway to my left, where there should have been a black void, there was a woman glowing in a bluish-white light. The white was so intense it looked similar to a welding arch, but somehow with just enough detail that I could make out that it was a woman.

Near the end of the season, I experienced an event that I can only describe as an expression of evil and spiritual form. Since I was living with my mother at this time, in my early twenties, she had concerned that I may bring something home that attached itself to me. To counter this, I would call her once I got home, usually around two in the morning, and she would meet me outside to bless me with holy water before I came inside. At the time, I thought this was pretty unnecessary, but she was giving me a place to live, so I figured compromises were necessary. It was one of the last nights of the haunt, which meant that we saw an even higher number of people than normal, somewhere between 3,000. to 4,000, so I didn't get home until pretty late, around 3 a.m. I tried calling my mother, but she was out for the night, understandably so. So I walked in, showered, and went straight to bed.

The next morning I was watching TV, and my normally cheery mother walked into the living room, with an extremely stern look on her face and stared at me, a stare that pierced through me, almost as if she was given a life-changing illness. She stared at me a long while and quietly said, He brought something home, and she left the room. I thought that was quite odd, but quickly forgot about it.

That night my mother started talking in her sleep, but it was incoherent sleep jarble, so I didn't think much of it. However, the sleep-talking would quickly advance into something more sinister. Night one was just mumbled sleep-talking. Night two was mumbled talking with the occasional swear word. Night three was the occasional swear word with my name thrown in. And night four was my name with death threats.

That's correct. My sweet mother, who at one point was training to become a nun, before deciding she wanted children, was saying, you're going to die, and not just saying it, but yelling it from her bedroom. In the morning, I told her what happened,

and she could not believe what I was telling her. Night 5 started off innocently enough. My mother and I were watching a movie, but she had grown tired, and she said she was off to bed, so we said good night. After an hour or so, I heard snoring coming from her room.

Not a moment later, two books fell off the bookcase to my right. I tried my best to come up with a logical reason why or how they could have done this, and then a third book flew off the shelf and hurled itself ten feet across the room. I had no explanation for this. I went to my mom's room and knocked on the door, and from inside I could hear her sleep talking again, but this time it wasn't swearing. This time, she was speaking backwards, with my name mixed into it.

I thought to myself, absolutely not, I'm just going to bed. I closed the door to my room and locked it. I was thoroughly freaked out without a clue of what to do. I had never experienced anything like this. I sat on my bed, and, as I did, papers from the printer in the corner aggressively shot out of the tray, and rolled around my room like a cyclone. As this happened, I remember a lightning bolt of fear shooting up through my leg and up my entire spine paralyzing me. I don't remember anything after that, because I fainted.

I woke up early in the morning and marched into my mother's room, demanding her to call a priest, or I'm out. I was very worked up at this moment. Here's where it gets curious. My mom called three different priests and psychics asking for help. They were always willing to help, but on the day of, whenever she would go to their house or office, they would see her and immediately turn her away, saying that there's nothing they could do for her. I told her that it sounded like you might be getting scammed, and she said, I would agree, but they aren't taking my money.

They don't even know where I live, so what are they scamming? She heard from a friend that a well-known psychic was coming to the area, and they might be able to help. The psychic was coming to one of their houses, and they were having a group reading. When she showed up at the door, the psychic answered, looked at her and said, I can't help you, and then closed the door on her. She was understandably shocked and thought that the psychic was pretty rude and went home. Later that day, she received a call from the psychic, saying he could come over the next day to help her,

but he was acting really dodgy on the phone. I told my mother to be careful and that it sounded like he wanted to swindle her, and she agreed, but anything was worth trying at this point. When he came over, I was sadly at a part-time job, so I couldn't be there,

but she told me that he came over and performed an exorcism. As soon as it was done, he got violently sick and ran outside and started vomiting. He looked back at her from outside and said that she would be getting extremely sick for the next couple of years, then ran to his car and squealed out of the driveway in a hurry. After she told me this, I asked her how much she paid him. She looked at me and said, That's the thing. I didn't. He just left.

For the next couple of years, my mom did get violently sick. She developed many autoimmune diseases and has honestly never been quite the same as before I worked. worked at this haunt. So, a word to the wise, if you go poking around in things you don't understand, be careful about the repercussions. They might just stick with you

for a while. I regularly have these weird, seemingly apocalyptic dreams. I'm walking through a place that I feel like I know, but it's all kind of bombed out. I can see tall buildings where the exterior wall, are all open. People have, like, blankets or tapestries hanging for privacy, but they're living very high up. In one of these dreams, I went to an amphitheater of sorts. It looked over a body of

water. There were metal strings criss-crossed over openings of the amphitheater that looked at the water. There were a lot of people seated in this theater. Suddenly, fish started jumping out of the water and impaling themselves on these metal strings as the crowd cheered. In my dream, I wasn't interested in the show, so I left. I walked back out to escape of large broken rocks and train tracks in the background. All I wanted was to get home, but I knew it was a long way from home, too far to walk. But it seemed like the infrastructure of the city was gone, and there was no way for me to get an Uber or a train or anything to get home.

It seemed like something big and terrible had happened a while ago, and people were just dealing with it. But I felt lost and could not find my way home. I went to several of these apartments in the tall buildings with the blankets hanging over the exterior. They all seemed strangely familiar, but not. I remember looking out to the horizon and just seeing train tracks with train cars, with train cars, but they weren't hooked to anything.

What do you guys think this means? So, I don't know exactly how to start this, but it has been an event that has stuck with me since I was a child. I'm 20 years old now. I don't remember exactly how old I was at the time, around 10, 12 years old at the oldest. Anyways, I was having a sleepover with two of my friends at the time. let's call them S and T.

We were staying the night at S's house, since they had a house unlike T and I who lived in the same apartment complex. For some reason, our barely preteen brains thought it would be a great idea to go down to our elementary school and around 11 p.m. I really don't know why S's mom let us kids go down there without an adult, but it wasn't even a mile away, and I was a kid and I was a kid and, thought that she was cool for letting us go. It was a typical Washington night, barely any stars to see from the light pollution, mushy grass from the rain never being soaked up all the way, and the dark-hilled forest reminding, at least me,

that anyone could be in the woods watching us. We made our way up to the school from the back parking lot and through the field next to the forest, since it was a straight shot from the house. In all honesty, when we first arrived and were messing around on the play set, I didn't sense anything wrong. When we started playing on the slide, I got a cold feeling in my gut. I looked around us, and I couldn't see anyone in the school windows, in the field, or approaching us.

A couple of minutes go by and T and I get bored with the slide, but S stays. So T and I go to try and practice our tricks on the bars. Not like the monkey bars, we always called them gymnastic bars, but they were a long line of bars that peaked at about 8 to 10 feet at the tallest. T.E. wasn't as tall or as practiced as me, so she wanted to use the lowest bar to the far right, at the edge of the playground. I helped her for a couple of minutes with her flips before I started spacing out, and staring at the edge of the playground. I call it an edge since it was about one and a half foot wooden border that kept all the cedar chips from spilling onto the basketball court. As I was staring, my entire body went cold before I could fully resolve what my eyes were seeing. I couldn't really see it, but my brain was trying to see it as a person that was hunched, sitting on the border, faced away from us.

It was almost like a darker than black mask that resembled a person with a hoodie on. There was a head shape, but not really a neck. As I stared, I kept getting more frightened because I was sure this was not a person. I couldn't see any texture to the clothes. I just couldn't truly see them. I don't even know how to explain it right, but it was like a void. It wasn't that dark out. yes, it was nighttime, but it wasn't like the total darkness of a closed closet.

But this thing was just the absence of everything. Like it was swallowing the light that would illuminate it. I finally snapped out of it and tried to get T's attention. I lightly smacked her arm a couple of times. T, stop, please. She was confused as she was facing me and couldn't see what had me paler than I already was. I didn't know what to say. and rapidly pointed over her shoulder.

When she looked, I saw her stiffen. I was almost relieved that she was wearing the look that I was. I guess I gathered a couple of brain cells at this point and told T to turn on the flashlight on their phone. Thankfully, she listened, but when she shined it on this thing, it didn't make a damn difference. It still looked like the same empty mass.

I was already starting to panic when I realized It really wasn't a trick of the light. But then, to my terror, this thing turned to look at me. It freaking looked at me. With no eyes, no face, just an impression. I could feel it looking at me. I didn't know what it was going to do, but I really didn't want to find out. So I yanked tea so hard away from this thing.

If I was thinking, I would have apologized, but I just wanted to get away from it. from this thing and for us to be back home. T eventually got the message, so we started sprinting towards the slide, and I started yelling at S. We need to go. Get down. I'm not joking. Get off the freaking slide. We need to get home now. As I'm yelling at S, they didn't seem to hear the panic in my voice and pulled the little kid, but I don't want to go. I've had it at this point, and I start to reconsider my friend in the back of my mind. But being the responsible one, but not the adult of the group,

I grab S's ankle and start pulling them down the slide. It didn't take much since it was a losing battle for them. I don't know if they really understood what was happening at this point, since T started explaining that there was a man over there, probably a, quote, tweaker. I knew in my heart that it was not a person. I've dealt with the paranormal before, and I wasn't about to let this thing fuck. follow us. Eventually, I got a hold of T and S and started booking it out of there. It wasn't the easiest with S having a death wish and wanted to go back to see it, and T having a

medical condition in their legs that made it a lot harder to run fast with the limited mobility, with a sprinkle of asthma and no inhaler to top it off. I was going to drag them back by their collars if I had to. I was determined to let that thing just go back where it came from and leave us be. We made it back safe, maybe a little uneasy for the night, but we told S's mom. It really didn't spook her per se since she was a self-proclaimed witch and ex-goth that liked all things weird and supernatural. She believed it, but was miffed that her own kid wasn't being safe, especially with her kid living in a haunted house herself. I know that sounds crazy, but at least three of their relatives died in the house,

and we had plenty of paranormal encounters in that house to at least respect the idea that we were not alone. In the end, we didn't experience that thing again, thank God. I've seen some things, but I really didn't want to deal with something that struck so much cardinal fear in me so quickly. Everything about it just seemed wrong, like it didn't fit where it was. As I've gotten older, I've stopped trying to rationalize it.

More of just understood that not everything in this world is understood. And you just kind of got to roll with the punches. Hey there, friends. I hope that you enjoyed this collection of scary stories on this episode of the As the Raven Dreams podcast. If the platform you're on has the option to follow podcast and you enjoyed my work, please do consider doing so. Also, leaving ratings and reviews are super important for the algorithm to support the growth of the podcast.

I'm just one guy doing this. I don't have a team. It's literally just me doing everything. So any supports like that is greatly appreciated. Never expected, though. So if you go above and beyond with that, I do appreciate it. Some platforms also allow you to leave comments, and if you feel inclined to do so, please do. I would appreciate that.

I do have a Patreon in a merch store that you can also check out if you want to support a little further. The Patreon side of things get you early access to all of my content. It is formatted differently as it goes in line with what my YouTube channel is, but it is the same stories, just different collections. There is also a website astherravendreams.com, where you can check out pretty much everything about me, my social media platforms, fiction stories I've written if you want to read those, as well as submitting your own stories,

which there's a big button on the front page, you click to do so. And those stories basically keep the podcast alive, to be honest with you. So, yeah. All that said, friends, I do hope that I see you again here very soon. Until then, remember that you are loved, that you are valid, that you are important. You're the best you that you can be. Don't forget it. And until next time, much love and sleep well.