Horror Stories - 3 Creepy TRUE Road Trip Horror Stories

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Starting point is 00:01:25 Story one, I was on a road trip with my good friend Carter to visit some college buddies. The drive was pretty long, about 15 hours. But we thought that between the two of us, we could manage it in one go. I started out driving and after about four hours Carter took the wheel. The plan was for me to sleep while he drove, but I just couldn't. For some reason, I never managed to get comfortable. So when it was my turn again, I was already exhausted, more tired than before he had even taken over. Even so, I was able to keep my eyes open and stay alert to the road,

Starting point is 00:02:00 but somehow I didn't notice the gas tank dropping too low. We were in Carter's old Chevy, which didn't have any modern technology. to warn you when fuel was running low. It only had a gauge, which I hadn't even looked at. It wasn't until the engine started jerking that I realized that we had completely run out of gas. Carter woke up immediately and started searching on his phone for the nearest gas station. But barely 30 seconds later, I had to pull over on the highway because the car wouldn't accelerate anymore. I felt like a complete idiot. And to make it worse, Carter told me that the closest station was four miles away. We were practically in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by flat planes with not a single vehicle in sight.

Starting point is 00:02:44 We talked for a few minutes about what to do, but Carter eventually decided to walk to the gas station and bring back a can of fuel while I stayed behind to watch the car. Maybe it wasn't the smartest strategy, but it seemed like a waste to call a tow truck and pay about $200, just for a little bit of gas when it was still a reasonable walking distance. Even though it was one in the morning and completely dark, Carter didn't seem bothered and just set off down the road. Within less than a minute, he had already disappeared from view. I leaned back, going over and over how stupid I had been to put us in this situation. But only a few minutes later I saw some lights approaching from further up the road. They passed me but at a much slower speed than normal. The speed limit was 55 or 60, yet this car was going maybe 50.

Starting point is 00:03:34 or 20. I watched it in the side mirror and noticed it didn't accelerate after passing me. Instead, it slowed down even more until it came to a complete stop, then made a three-point turn to come back. Honestly, I didn't want to admit I was out of gas or ask for help, and I didn't have to. The vehicle passed by again, this time at an almost ridiculous speed of about five miles per hour, clearly peering inside to see who was there, before finally speeding back off in the direction it had come. What the hell was that? I kept my eyes fixed on the road for several minutes, waiting to see if they would return. I had a really bad feeling. Maybe it was just instinct, but I started to sense that something could go horribly wrong at any moment. I pulled out my

Starting point is 00:04:22 phone and called Carter, just to tell him what I had seen and ask him to hurry if he could. It rang several times, but he didn't answer. That made me even more nervous, though I thought maybe his phone was on silent or he had lost signal. I waited a minute and called again. Nothing. At that point, I probably wasn't thinking clearly anymore, but I decided to leave the car and try to catch up to him. I figured it had only been about 10 or 15 minutes since he'd left, so if I jogged lightly, I could probably reach him quickly. I locked up the car and started running along the shoulder. The silence was absolute, so quiet that whenever I stopped jogging, I could hear a buzzing in my ears, just because there wasn't the slightest sound around me.

Starting point is 00:05:07 I ran for about 15 minutes. By then I should have already caught up to him unless he himself had started running for some reason. So I pulled out my phone again to try calling him. And just then I heard the faint sound of a ringtone coming from somewhere off the road. I looked out toward the open field and saw a small light cloud. flowing faintly through the grass. My body froze. It was Carter's phone.

Starting point is 00:05:31 I called his name out loud, but there was no reply, only the dim screen glowing in the dark. I stepped cautiously into the grass repeating his name. Finally I heard something, a muffled voice. Carter. He was there, though I couldn't make out what he was saying. I moved in faster and then I heard him yell, clear this time, telling me to get down.

Starting point is 00:05:55 I still couldn't see him, but I obeyed and dropped into the grass. That's when I looked back and saw a car approaching on the road. I recognized it immediately. It was the same one that had been creeping around before they were looking for us. For him, really. The car passed three or four times, turning, slowing down, blatantly scanning the area. When it finally seemed like they had left, Carter and I crawled out of hiding and sprinted toward the gas station.

Starting point is 00:06:25 On the way, he explained what had happened. That man had stopped and tried to convince him to get into his car. According to Carter, the guy's behavior was extremely unsettling, making it obvious he had bad intentions. When Carter refused, the man got out of his vehicle, and Carter bolted running as fast as he could. The man returned to his car to chase him, but Carter had veered off into the field,

Starting point is 00:06:49 hidden in the grass, and stayed perfectly still. That's when his phone slipped out of his pocket. and out of fear of revealing his position, he didn't dare move to pick it up. Luckily, we made it to the station and got help. We also reported everything to the police describing the car and what had happened, though they never managed to find the guy. It was a truly terrifying experience, and I still feel guilty for having caused the whole situation. The only thing I know for certain is that I will never, ever let the gas tank get that low again.

Starting point is 00:07:22 Story 2. This happened in 2014. I almost never took road trips back then, mainly because I rarely had enough time to take several days off just for driving, and I also needed extra time to actually enjoy a vacation. However, I just happened to be between jobs when my family was organizing a surprise party for my father's 50th birthday. At that time, gas was much cheaper than it is today, and flying was much more expensive in comparison. So both to see. save money and because I wasn't working at the moment, I decided to make the trip by car. To be safe, I planned it as a three-day drive. After my first full day on the road, I stopped at the nearest motel and booked a room for the night. It wasn't exactly a luxury place, but I didn't care.

Starting point is 00:08:14 I slept until 11 in the morning, then packed my things and opened the door to leave, only to jump back in surprise at the sight of a man standing right in the doorway. Excuse me, he said. I tried to walk past him, but he didn't really move, which made the situation somewhat awkward. He looked to be in his forties with heavy bags under his eyes and a face that, overall, gave off very little friendliness. While I finished loading my belongings into the car, he just stood there outside, watching me in an unsettling way. Thankfully, I didn't have to stay another minute in that place. I checked out of the motel and got back on the road.

Starting point is 00:08:53 That day was going to be the longest stretch of the trip, at least ten hours of driving. At first, everything went smoothly. I passed through several towns and cities, but after about five or six hours, all that was behind me. And the rural landscape began with endless stretches of lonely highway. Realizing that towns were becoming fewer and farther apart, I stopped at the next gas station to fill the tank. I paid, started fueling, and went inside to grab a car. to help me stay awake. When I came back, I found something strange. A car had parked extremely close to mine, so close that from the front, it looked like its bumper was touching mine.

Starting point is 00:09:35 It was an old dark red corolla. No one was fueling it, and the windshield was so tinted that I couldn't see inside. Even without seeing, I knew someone was in there, and I couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching me. I quickly removed the pump, got into my car, and left. Almost immediately that Corolla pulled out too without having pumped a drop of gas and merged onto the highway right behind me. I tried to convince myself it was just a coincidence and kept driving. I saw it behind me for a while, maybe five or six cars back, but as evening fell, the mix of headlights made it impossible to tell which one it was. Later that night after traffic had thinned out, I drove another four hours without seeing that car again. By then I had almost completely forgotten about it, assuming it had been nothing.

Starting point is 00:10:27 My biggest concern at that point was just staying awake now that my coffee was gone. My next big destination was still about two hours away, and I wanted to reach it so I could find a nicer hotel and maybe spend the next morning exploring the city. But that depended on whether I could keep my eyes open. I decided maybe a second coffee would help, not so much for the caffeine, but for the simple act of sipping something and keeping myself occupied. At the next exit, I saw a service station and pulled in. From the start, I noticed the store was closed.

Starting point is 00:11:00 Disappointing, but since I was there, I figured I'd refill the tank anyway. As soon as I started fueling, I saw headlights coming down the empty highway and taking the ramp into the gas station. The place was already eerie on its own, isolated, surrounded by darkness, with only a few exterior lights shining dimly. but when I recognized the approaching car as the same red corolla from earlier, my heart started pounding. I couldn't shake the thought that I was really being followed. I hurried to remove the pump and put it back, but the car sped in without even slowing at the pumps,

Starting point is 00:11:35 pulling up right next to my driver's side door. I barely managed to get inside when the passenger door of their car flew open and a man came running straight toward me, trying to open my door without hesitation. It only took an instant to recognize him. It was the same man from the motel. Those strange eyes made my blood run cold. I started the car immediately. When he realized my door was locked, he stopped yanking at it.

Starting point is 00:12:02 I glanced at him for just a second before pulling away, expecting to see anger or frustration on his face. But what I saw was much worse. He was grinning from ear to ear, as if the whole thing amused him. Pure madness. I floored it back onto the highway and didn't stop until I reached the city. Thankfully, I'm almost certain they didn't follow me this time. What still terrifies me even today is that the man had gotten out of the passenger seat.

Starting point is 00:12:30 That meant someone else had been driving, and that both of them were involved in whatever they had planned. They had followed me for over ten hours since that motel. And the most disturbing part is that maybe they had been following me since the day before without me even knowing it. Even though it's been a decade, I still can't forget that road trip. Story 3 a few years ago when I was in college, I was driving back home to spend winter break with my family. The trip was nearly across the entire country, which meant several consecutive days of long, non-stop driving. As a broke college student, I had no intention of paying for hotels or even motels. I just packed some blankets in the back seat and decided I would sleep wherever I could, whenever I was.

Starting point is 00:13:19 caution forced me to stop. Around 1 a.m. after driving 11 hours straight, I finally had to give in. I was getting dangerously tired, and it wasn't safe to stay on the road any longer. I pulled into the next rest area I could find. It was one of those small pull-offs right on the side of the highway, with space for just a few cars or trucks. There was a small building that looked like a restroom and a couple of vending machines. There was only one other vehicle parked all the way in the back, so I parked on the opposite side for some privacy. I got out to stretch my legs and use the restroom. The place was filthy, which was unpleasant,

Starting point is 00:13:58 but I did what I had to do and headed back toward my car. When I returned, I froze. A man was standing right next to my window, peering inside as if to see what was there. Ah, can I help you? I asked. My voice startled him. He stepped back a few paces and gave a nervous laugh. saying he just wanted to know if I was in there so he could ask for some money for the vending machine.

Starting point is 00:14:23 My car was basically a fishbowl, completely clear windows, no tint at all, so anyone could see inside. There was no reason for him to be pressed up against the glass like that. I don't have any cash on me, sorry, I said, walking around him to get back into my car. To my surprise, he didn't leave right away. In fact, he tried to start another conversation, asking what I was doing out there at the that hour. I'm on a road trip. Sorry, but I need to sleep. I can't chat right now. I cut him off. I climbed into the car and he gave me a small apologetic wave before walking back to his own vehicle and getting in. That calmed me a little. At least he wasn't some random drifter wandering

Starting point is 00:15:06 around. He actually had a car. Honestly, I was so exhausted that I didn't have the energy to be properly creeped out or to question what he was really up to. I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted to sleep. Looking back now with a clear mind, I think the smartest thing would have been to leave immediately and find another place. I shuffled the mess off the front seat, tossed everything into the back, reclined as far as I could, and tried to get comfortable. I had barely closed my eyes for a few minutes when I noticed lights moving outside my car. I opened my eyes and saw in the rearview mirror that the man had moved his vehicle directly behind mine. I just stared trying to figure out why he would do that. But once I realized how strange it was, I decided it was safer not to risk it.

Starting point is 00:15:54 I sat up, started the engine, and got back on the highway, cursing under my breath at the hassle this guy was causing me. The problem was there weren't many stops along that stretch of road, which meant my decision cost me at least another 30 or 40 minutes of driving, and I was utterly exhausted. My eyelids kept shutting on their own for a second or two at a time before snapping open as I realized I was nodding off. This happened several times until I finally found another rest area. It looked a lot like the last one, except this one was clearly abandoned or out of service. The building was sealed off with tape falling apart and covered in graffiti. Still, it was a place to stop, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to sleep there for a couple of hours. Maybe it was because I was

Starting point is 00:16:40 too tired, or maybe because the silence of the place gave me a strange sense of peace, but I fell asleep almost instantly. I slept for a while, actually. I think from about 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. until I was jolted awake by a loud bang against my car. The whole vehicle shook as I tried to understand what was happening. I looked in the left rearview mirror and saw headlights from a car parked directly behind me. Then I turned to the right and saw a man standing next to my car with a metal bat. He swung it again, shattering the back window. I kept shouting, what the hell? over and over while frantically searching for my keys to start the engine. The man came closer to the passenger window, and that's when I recognized him.

Starting point is 00:17:25 It was the same guy from the first rest area. He had a twisted smile and started mocking me, repeating the word liar again and again while smashing my car, staring at me with that disturbing grin. I had no idea what he meant, but I managed to get the engine running and sped away before things could get any worse. With my hands shaking, I dialed 911 as I drove. I met an officer at a gas station where I explained everything and we inspected the damage. Two shattered windows, several dens in the doors, and worst of all, a slashed rear tire that was nearly flat, which I hadn't even noticed. Another officer went to the abandoned rest area and found the glass shards on the ground,

Starting point is 00:18:08 but the man was long gone. They alerted all patrols with his disembarked. description and his vehicles, but nothing came of it. I ended up stranded in some small town for a few days until my car was repaired, but eventually I made it back home safe. The most terrifying part is thinking about how absurd the reason was. That man likely snapped over something as trivial as me not giving him a few coins for the vending machine, or because I refused to chat with him at one in the morning on the side of the highway. The fact that I could have died that night over something so ridiculous is truly chilling.

Horror Stories - 3 Creepy TRUE Road Trip Horror Stories

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