Horror Stories - 6 Disturbing TRUE House Sitting Horror Stories That Turned Terrifying

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Starting point is 00:01:00 Hello everyone and welcome back to horror stories. I know many of you use these episodes to fall asleep so before you drift off, I'd love it if you could leave a comment letting me know where you're listening from around the world. Also, don't forget to like and subscribe if you're enjoying the episodes. Story 1. A couple of summers ago, I agreed to house it for an older couple I had met at a professional retreat. They lived in California's East Bay and had planned a two-week trip to Hawaii. But they were hesitant to board their two cats. In one of our conversations, I had mentioned how much I missed northern California. So we made an arrangement.

Starting point is 00:01:51 I would take care of their house and their pets while they went on vacation. And in exchange, I'd have a free place to stay in one of my favorite areas of the country. Honestly, it sounded perfect. They were warm, generous people, and they even let me one of their cars while they were away. They spent a few days showing me around the property and giving me instructions about the plants, the house and the cats. One of the cats was incredibly shy and always hidden her room, which seemed like her little sanctuary. After dropping them off at the airport, I was pretty excited to settle into the quiet and go exploring.

Starting point is 00:02:27 I spent my mornings hiking around Mount Diablo and my afternoons taking spontaneous road trips. Soma for wine and music, little coastal towns near the island. Santa Cruz, even leisurely drives into the city in San Francisco. I felt so relaxed out there that I started looking at local rentals, half seriously wondering what it would take to move out west. Around the middle of the second week, I remember pulling into the driveway one afternoon and feeling a wave of hesitation before opening the door. I assumed it was just fatigue catching up with me. I went in, made myself a light dinner, and went to bed. That night I found the shy cat curled up under my bed, quietly whimpering to herself.

Starting point is 00:03:13 I had barely seen her until then, and suddenly she didn't want to leave my room. It struck me as odd, but I figured she had finally gotten used to me, or maybe something outside had scared her. I started locking the bedroom door after that, not because anything had happened, but because I was beginning to feel strangely uneasy. Around two or three in the morning, I thought I heard crunching in the ground, under my window, like slow footsteps. But when I got up to check, there was nothing there. I stayed awake for a while just listening, but it didn't happen again. The next day I had plans to go to a small

Starting point is 00:03:51 festival in Soma, and even though I felt a little off, I went. I came back around sunset and found the front door locked with the top deadbolt. My key only opened the bottom knob lock, which was how the couple always left it. I hadn't touched the deadbolt at all. That had never happened before. I called the couple and asked if there was a spare key somewhere, and they told me where to find it, buried under a thick patch of ivy in the backyard. It was obvious it hadn't been moved in a long time, so that calmed me down a bit. I chalked it up to a memory lapse, or maybe that they had accidentally locked it before they left, although it didn't quite add up. But it happened again. But it happened again, this time with the door that goes from the garage into the kitchen. I went out to

Starting point is 00:04:40 grab a drink from the second fridge, and when I turned around to go back inside, somehow the door had locked behind me. I had my keys, but it still threw me. I just stood there looking at the cats as if maybe they had somehow hit a latch or something like that, but that explanation never fully convinced me. That night, the same sense of unease came back even stronger. The shy cat stayed pressed to my bedroom, wedged behind the dresser, ears flattened and tail puffed out, staring toward the hallway as if she were waiting for something. I barely slept. The next morning I woke up completely exhausted. Nausea, chills, aches all over my body. I stayed home, lying on the couch almost all day, binge watching old shows with the volume low. As the afternoon

Starting point is 00:05:30 went on, an intense paranoia began to settle in the back of my mind, like I wasn't alone in the house. It was different from the night before, sharper. I couldn't shake it. By late afternoon, I decided to go out, even if just for a little while. At the supermarket, as I was checking out, the cashier cheerfully said, have a good night. And there was something about the way he said it that broke me. I didn't see it coming. I started crying as I walked out of the store because a part of me whispered that maybe he would be the last person to say that to me. That's how sure I was that something terrible was going to happen. I sat in the car for a long time going back and forth about whether I should return. I didn't want to leave the cats, but every fiber of my being screamed

Starting point is 00:06:22 not to open that front door. In the end, I pulled myself together just enough to at least go on unlock it, hoping I'd feel better once I was inside. But I didn't. I froze in the entryway, unable to move any farther into the house. That's when I did something that in hindsight sounds completely ridiculous, but it worked. I stood there facing the dark hallway that led to the bedrooms and shouted that I had already called the police and they were on their way. I figured that if someone really was there, they'd run before things got worse. Right after I set it, the master bedroom light flipped on and I heard something heavy slam against the wall. I ran.

Starting point is 00:07:06 I ran faster than I've ever run in my life, straight to the car, and dialed 9-1-1 while I tried to breathe through the panic. The police arrived pretty quickly and did a full search of the house. They didn't find anyone, but the sliding glass doors in the master bedroom were wide open. behind the curtains tucked into a corner was a pile of empty food wrappers. Nothing was missing. There were no signs of forced entry. The couple said everything was just as they'd left it. But whoever had been there had been living in that room for at least a couple of days.

Starting point is 00:07:42 That bedroom opened directly onto the living room, which meant they had probably seen me on the couch the whole day I was too sick to move. After the police left, the shy cat immediately went back into that room. room, as if she knew it was hers again. I didn't see her again during the remaining three days I stayed there. I didn't sleep much after that, but nothing else happened. Even so, the damage was already done. To this day, I can't go to sleep in a new place without checking every closet and every lock, but I'm grateful for the intuition that kicked in that night. I'd rather carry a little fear than become another unsolved case. Story two. When I was

Starting point is 00:08:29 17, I agreed to watch two kids for a week while their parents were away for work. I had babysat them before, so I knew the house, the routine, and even their dog's very strange habit of staring at the wall for no reason. The house was relatively close to where I lived, about a 10-minute drive. The area was made up of scattered homes tucked among lots of trees, quiet streets, and very little movement, especially at night. Their home, and they're home was modern, all clean cube-like lines with an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows on one side, and a separate guest house in the backyard that they rented out to a guy. They told me not to worry about him. He was very private and never approached the main house.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Everything happened during Halloween weekend. All my friends were out at parties or going through haunted attractions, and I stayed behind handing out little bags of fruit to exactly two kids who rang the doorbell before I put the little ones to bed. Just as I was about to start getting them ready for sleep, the doorbell rang again. I assumed it had to be someone we knew because trick-or-treating was almost non-existent in that area. Turns out it was my best friend and a couple of guys from our group. They were on their way to a bonfire nearby and thought it would be funny to stop by and remind me of everything I was missing out on.

Starting point is 00:09:55 We chattered in the kitchen for a while about nothing important. and when they left I checked around the house, locking doors and closing all the blinds. I made popcorn, put on a scary movie, and was starting to relax when I heard a very soft tapping sound. At first I thought I imagined it, but when I turned off the TV, I heard it again. Light, almost timid. Then suddenly, without warning, it intensified. Someone began pounding on the door with real force. I bolted upstairs on pure instigued. and grabbed the landline phone in the master bedroom. I didn't have a cell phone at the time, so calling home was my only option.

Starting point is 00:10:37 My mom picked up, and when I told her what was happening, she handed the phone to my dad. He told me not to move and that he would come as soon as he could. While I waited, I peeked out of the room and saw the older of the two kids standing in the hallway, pale and worried. I told her it was just my dad and sent her back to her room. Then I ran downstairs to check that everything was still locked. As I passed the long row of windows, the entire glass wall, it suddenly rattled violently, as if someone were hitting it or throwing something against it. I froze and then ran into the living room, grabbing a heavy fireplace poker with my heart pounding,

Starting point is 00:11:17 and then all at once silence. The banging stopped. The air felt still, and I just stood there, not sure whether to cross. cry or scream. Then the doorbell rang, a single slow chime. I crept at the door, half convinced it was my dad, and looked outside. No one was there, just the porch light flickering slightly in the breeze. I slammed the door shut and went back to the phone. I called my mom again, whispering, Did Dad just get here? She said he was still looking for his keys. That's when it all hit me. My mom stayed on the line, trying to keep me calm and finally said,

Starting point is 00:11:58 Okay, he's on his way now. A few minutes later, the headlights of a car cut through the trees, and I ran to the door ready to open it. But just before I did, three people stepped out of the shadows along the side of the house. My dad jumped out of the car holding a bat, shouting like he was about to take on a gang. And then when they stepped into the light of the porch, I realized it was my friends. The same ones who had stopped by earlier. They never went to the bonfire.

Starting point is 00:12:29 They thought it would be hilarious to sneak back and scare me by pounding on the doors and windows as a joke. My dad gave them an enormous scolding. I was furious and relieved at the same time. The rest of the night I barely slept, and those friends stayed far, far off my babysitting radar for a very, very long time. Story 3. One summer when I was around 17, I stayed home alone for a weekend while my parents went to our beach house near Cape Ann. They usually didn't worry too much about leaving me by myself. Small town, quiet neighborhood, and a couple of nosy neighbors who watched the street like it was their job.

Starting point is 00:13:15 My mom left the fridge full of leftovers and some cash on the counter for takeout. I already had the whole weekend planned, pizza, video games, and absolutely. zero responsibilities. That first night I stayed up ridiculously late playing, so when I woke up the next afternoon I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I had plans to meet some friends at the local park around three to smack a tennis ball around with hockey sticks. So I dragged myself into the shower around 1.30. It's not something I'm proud of, but when I'm home alone, I treat the shower like a second bedroom. I had music playing on my phone and was aimlessly scrolling through stuff, standing under the hot water for probably close to an hour. At some point during that scrolling,

Starting point is 00:14:03 I heard the back door open. It's old and sticks a bit, so it always makes this high-pitched creek when you pull it. It's impossible to confuse it with anything else. I stood there for a few seconds, frozen trying to make sense of what I'd heard. No voices, no footsteps, just that single sound. After a minute of silence, I chalked it up to the wind or something stupid and turned off the water. Still wrapped in steam and confusion, I grabbed a towel and started heading downstairs. The staircase in my house is laid out like a narrow tunnel that leads straight into the kitchen, so you don't see what's in front of you until the last few steps. Every creek of the steps, sounded much louder than usual, and I caught myself sneaking down like I was in some suspense movie.

Starting point is 00:14:51 When I was almost at the bottom, I stopped for a second and shook it off. I figured that if someone had actually come in, I would have heard something else by then. I took the last steps normally and rounded the corner into the kitchen, completely unprepared for what I saw. There standing in the middle of the kitchen was a man just standing still, staring directly at me, not moving an inch. What unsettled me the most, more than his face or that strange smile he had, was the way he was holding his arms. They were lifted back behind him at an almost twisted unnatural angle, like he had dislocated its shoulders on purpose. The moment I made eye contact with him, my brain went blank. I didn't think. I didn't speak. I just lunged forward and threw a punch at

Starting point is 00:15:42 his face, the clumsiest punch I've ever thrown in my life. I managed to hit him, but I didn't stick around to see what he did next. I bolted upstairs, nearly tripping as my towel slipped off. I slammed my bedroom door shut and jammed a chair under the doorknob, just like I'd seen in movies. I grabbed the landline, hands shaking and called 911, trying not to fall apart. I told the operator what had happened, my voice breaking, and she told her. me to stay on the line and stay quiet. I curled up next to the bed, trying to hold onto the phone, when I noticed that the hallway light, the one you can see under the bedroom door, suddenly disappeared. I didn't need to see feet to know he was standing right on the other side. I stopped breathing.

Starting point is 00:16:31 The shadow under the door didn't move. It just swayed slightly, like he was rocking forward and backward. I couldn't even bring the phone to my mouth. I stayed like that. for what felt like half a day, listening to the operator asking if I was still there while that shadow remained motionless. Eventually the light came back and I heard the faint creaks of the floorboards as he walked away. I still didn't move. I stayed stiff and silent until I heard loud banging on the front door and voices shouting that it was the police. When they came upstairs and I saw the uniforms I completely broke down. My whole body felt like it had been tenfold. for hours and was finally letting go. Since then, my parents don't leave me alone at night,

Starting point is 00:17:17 even though I'm older now. I check every lock, every window, and then check again just in case. The police did everything they could. They brought in a sketch artist, set up a lineup, but they never caught the guy. Sometimes when it's dark and the neighborhood is quiet, I swear I can feel him nearby again. That horrible smile and those grotesquely twisted arms flash into my mind, and I wonder if he's still out there somewhere waiting. Story four. When I was in middle school and my sister was in high school, we used to make extra money by dog sitting for an older wealthy couple my mom cleaned for. They were retired, had no children, and lived in a huge house tucked away in a quiet, densely wooded neighborhood

Starting point is 00:18:09 that felt like it was a million miles from anything else. The backyard looked like something out of a travel magazine, stone pathways, a sparkling pool with a small waterfall, and nothing but trees as far as you could see. The house itself, all stone and glass, had a very open concept with massive windows that during the day gave you a full view of the garden. But at night, they only threw back your own reflection staring right at you, which always made me a little nervous when I had to walk through there alone. They had two dogs, complete opposites of each other, Samson a big good-natured golden retriever, and Saudi, a husky mix with serious issues. Saudi was the type to destroy furniture if you left her alone too long, or completely lose it if a

Starting point is 00:18:58 stranger came too close. That's why the couple paid us a ridiculously good amount just to hang out at their house while they were out. Basically to keep Sadie from wreaking havoc. Most of the time it was easy. TV, snacks, pool. But Saddy could turn into a little monster without warning, and we just had to wait it out. One time she even cornered me, barking like crazy, and I had to climb onto a couch just to feel like I had some control back. The Easter weekend, when everything happened, started out pretty normally. It was my sister's turn to spend the night there, and I stayed with her the first night so she wouldn't be alone in that huge, strange house. We binged a bunch of terrible rom-coms, ate junk, and fell asleep late. The next day we swam in the pool for a while, and then I went

Starting point is 00:19:49 home because she said she'd be fine alone that night. It turned out to be one of the biggest bullets I've ever dodged in my life. That night my sister was on the treadmill in the home gym, a spotless room on the ground floor that looked out over the pool through one of those huge sliding glass doors. She had an Easter weekend movie marathon playing and was completely in her own world when she thought she heard the house beep. The same sound the system makes when a door opens. She stopped the treadmill and went to check, and sure enough, the sliding door was open. This thing was huge and heavy, impossible for it to move on its own.

Starting point is 00:20:29 The dogs hadn't gotten up from where they were lying, which was really strange considering how reactive Sadie usually was. But my sister chalked it up to the wind, or maybe she hadn't fully closed it. Trying to shake it off, she locked it again, restarted her run and tried to focus on the movie. Even so, after a few minutes, she couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched,

Starting point is 00:20:53 like something was standing right behind her, even though the room seemed completely empty. She pushed through her workout as long as she could, but eventually gave up and decided to go to bed. She locked herself in the guest room with both dogs, hoping that would help her relax. A couple of hours later, she was jolted awake by a deep growl that vibrated through the entire room. At first she thought it was Sadie having one of her usual episodes, but then Samson started growling too, and he never did that, while she tried to calm herself and not be able to. lose it completely. She heard the unmistakable beep from the system again. Another door opening.

Starting point is 00:21:36 That's when she broke down. She grabbed the phone, called our dad in tears, and he told her to hang up and call the police while he headed straight over. When the dogs bolted out of the room barking like crazy, she knew it wasn't just her imagination. She ran to the front door, let our dad in, and he did a quick sweep of the upstairs with his gun. But everything seemed to need to know. He didn't. intact. When the police arrived, they checked the perimeter and found the sliding door open again, and the backyard gate unlocked. The lock on the sliding door had definitely been tampered with, but there were no clear signs of a break-in. No broken glass, nothing missing. Just that half-open door, as if someone had come in and out without leaving a trace. That was when the officers casually mentioned

Starting point is 00:22:24 something the owners had told them earlier that month. It turned out the hub, husband had received a death threat related to his job. Something about layoffs and people losing their jobs. They never told my sister, never warned her to be careful. After that night, neither of us ever agreed to dog sit there again. A few months later, the couple sold the house and moved to another state. Rumor had it, the husband lost his job, and we never saw them again. Story 5.

Starting point is 00:23:00 I was browsing a site called Stay Secure, kind of like a good. gig board for night security jobs. When I came across a listing that made me look twice, they were offering $50,000 to watch security cameras for a single night at a property in Seal Beach. Yeah, it sounded absurd. It seemed more like a joke than a real offer, but I'd been between jobs for over a month and figured I had nothing to lose by at least reaching out. The ad said it was urgent and to my surprise, I got a response in less than an hour. from someone who called herself Mari. We agreed to meet the next day at a small, quiet sushi restaurant not far from the harbor.

Starting point is 00:23:43 Mari looked like she'd stepped out of a law firm, perfectly tailored suit, immaculate hair, and that serious commanding energy some people have. She explained that the house wasn't occupied at the moment, and that all I had to do was monitored the live feeds from the surveillance system. She said the place had enormous sentimental value, and they just wanted someone to keep an eye on it while they were away. It sounded pretty straightforward. We exchanged numbers and I noticed hers was on a flip phone,

Starting point is 00:24:14 which threw me off for a second, considering how sleek and technologically modern the property had looked in the listing. But I let it go. Maybe she was one of those people who preferred to stay disconnected. Fast forward to the night of the job. I arrived a little after 6 p.m., took a walk around the house, which honestly looked like something out of a design magazine, and quickly noted where the cameras were positioned.

Starting point is 00:24:40 Mari had told me not to worry about the basement or the attic. Both were packed with junk and used as storage, she said. That didn't seem strange to me at the time. If someone was going to pay me that much, I wasn't about to start snooping around in exactly the places they'd asked me to avoid. After the self-guided tour, I settled into the upstairs monitoring room with a big leather couch and an entire wall covered in monitors.

Starting point is 00:25:07 The night was pretty quiet. I watched a couple of screens, ordered takeout, and only got up twice to use the bathroom. Around 11.30 I turned off the monitors and fell asleep right there in the room. It was a long shift with a whole lot of nothing happening. At some point during the early morning hours, I jolted awake for a second. There were no noises, no lights. just a weird jolt that pulled me out of sleep.

Starting point is 00:25:35 I didn't stay awake. I rolled over and drifted back off without thinking much of it. Morning came and I went through my usual routine, gathered my stuff, took a shower, got dressed. I was about to head out to grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich nearby when I walked past the basement door. That's when it hit me. A thick sour smell was seeping out from under the door.

Starting point is 00:25:59 something dense and bitter in the air, like something had been rotting for a very long time. Then I saw it, a dark reddish stain on the floor right outside the frame. I froze. My first instinct was to run, and that's exactly what I did. I bolted outside without even locking the door behind me. Once I was in the car, I dialed 911 and told them everything. What I had seen, what I had smelled, and aware I had been worried. working that night. They took it seriously and said they would send a patrol car. I stayed on the line until the first police car arrived and only then did I hang up. About a week later, the police

Starting point is 00:26:42 called me. They asked me to come in for a follow-up interview. I was not prepared for what they told me. The investigators had found four bodies in that house, two hidden in the attic and two in the basement, and Mari was not who she claimed to be. The house actually belonged to a couple who had been reported missing. Apparently, Mari was connected to them in some way, possibly a relative or someone tied to their finances. She had posed as the owner in order to take over the property and the inheritance. One of the bodies had still been alive during my shift, and according to the trail of blood, had tried to drag themselves up the stairs to seek help before dying. That brief moment when I woke up was probably when it happened. I can't describe how

Starting point is 00:27:30 twisted it felt to process that. Mari paid me the full amount anyway, which made everything even more disturbing. Looking back, the flip phone, her vague story, it all seems obvious now. I sat face to face with a killer and didn't even realize it. That night changed the way I look people and without a doubt how I choose jobs. I don't think I'll ever let myself be led blindly into something like that again. Story six. In early autumn I was staying at some friends property on the outskirts of town while they went on a trip to Bice. They asked me to keep an eye on the house and take care of their two large shepherds while they were gone. Nothing out of the ordinary, basic house-sitting tasks. And they were kind enough to pay me, which helped a lot since I'm

Starting point is 00:28:25 disabled. The place sits beyond the highway, tucked between hills and farmland, and the nearest neighbor is at least a ten-minute walk away. Local police response time. Let's just say if you get into trouble, you'd better be good at waiting. I'd stayed there several times already, and it had always been quiet, but this time something didn't feel quite right. I remember it was a little after 8 p.m. when I got into the shower. The dogs were relaxed in the living room when I went in, but halfway through my shower, I suddenly heard them go nuts, growling and barking in a way that was not their usual noise. One of them is trained in narcotics and doesn't even react like that to deer or coyotes. So I shut the water off immediately and stepped out, still dripping,

Starting point is 00:29:15 trying to listen. I didn't see anything when I looked out the window, but as soon as I was a soon as I stepped into the hallway, I saw a silhouette pass in front of the bedroom window. Not quickly, more like someone trying not to be seen. The porch lights were on as usual, so I know I didn't imagine it. I quietly told the dogs to stay close and be quiet. Right then I caught a man's voice outside, deep and low. I couldn't make out much, but I clearly heard the words, come around. My blood ran cold. If someone said, says that, it means they aren't alone. I grabbed my handgun from the side table in the living room and position myself next to the front door just in time to hear the doorknop start to

Starting point is 00:30:01 rattle. I didn't hesitate. I shouted loud and clear that I was armed and not afraid to defend myself. I heard them bolt. Using the voice command system I called the county dispatch, and luckily they had patrol cars nearby that could get there in about 20 minutes. I told the operator where I was, that they would need to open a cattle gate at the end of the driveway, and that I'd have my weapon on me while I went down to meet them. She reassured me that she would relay that information to the officers, and even encouraged me to stay armed until help arrived. That part actually gave me a strange sense of calm.

Starting point is 00:30:41 While I waited, I called my friends and told them what had happened. They have security cameras around the house that they can check through an app, so they started reviewing the footage while I stayed still, watching for flashing lights to appear on the gravel drive. When the deputies arrived, I went down to let them in and then stayed back while they searched the property. They didn't find anyone, not even near the barn or the tree line. But just as they were about to finish,

Starting point is 00:31:08 my friend sent me a screenshot from the camera. It clearly showed a figure standing on the porch, just far enough out of range that you couldn't make out the face. The footage matched exactly what I had seen and heard. The strangest part was when the officers mentioned that, on their way to the call, they passed a man riding a bicycle not far from the area, which is odd because almost no one bikes out there, especially at night. They took a full report, but there was no follow-up.

Starting point is 00:31:39 No arrest, no update at all. My husband didn't like the idea of me staying there alone after that, so he came and stayed with me for the rest of the week. Later, one of the neighbors mentioned finding an improvised campsite deep in the woods a few weeks earlier. Maybe someone had been living out there. Maybe not. I've stayed at the house again since then, and everything has been quiet. But I'll be going back for Christmas.

Starting point is 00:32:05 And let's just say I won't be letting my guard down this time. If you're wondering whether I really would have pulled the trigger if someone had come inside, yes, I wouldn't have hesitated. It's a hard decision, but it's a hard decision. In that kind of moment, survival comes first.

Horror Stories - 6 Disturbing TRUE House Sitting Horror Stories That Turned Terrifying

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