Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 10x09: Rural Highway Creeper - Let's Not Meet

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

Stories in this episode: - Beware the Carnie, by Jess (0:50) - Rural Highway Creeper, by Anonymous (7:07) - A Drugged Creep Walked Me Home, by Eustacia (13:15)  - Creepy Guy Who Came Into My Apa...rtment by Rachel Watkins (25:30) - He Didn't Even Make a Call, by Monica (33:39) - Stalked on the Central Coast, by Ashley J. (40:24) - Roadside Creep, by Kelsey (46:24) Extended Patreon Content: - She Pretended to be Me, by KV - Followed Home From Hooters, by Liseann - Those Green Eyes Were Deceiving, by Yvette Join me at twitch.tv/crypticcounty if you dare! Check out the other Cryptic County podcasts like Odd Trails, Welcome to Paradise (It Sucks), and the Old Time Radiocast at CrypticCountyPodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts! Get access to extended, ad-free episodes of Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast with bonus stories every week at a higher bitrate along with a bunch of other great exclusive material and merch at patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast. This podcast would not be possible to continue at this rate without the help of the support of the legendary LNM Patrons. Come join the family! All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. To submit your story to the show, send it to letsnotmeetstories@gmail.com. Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at stamps.com/. Click the microphone at the top of the page, and enter code MEET. Thanks to Stamps.com for sponsoring the show!  Download SmartNews for free today in the app store to get the news that matters most. Search for it in the Apple App store for your iPhone or iPad, or Google Play store for Android users.  Go to grammarly.com/tone to download and learn more about Grammarly Premium’s advanced tone suggestions.  - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/433173970399259/  - Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com  - Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast  - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/  - Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty  

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You know it, your wife knows it, your friends know it. Yep, there's no getting away from the fact that there's an outdoor kitchen shaped hole in your life. And it's time to put things right. Thankfully, bull outdoor products are ready with everything you need to create a world-class outdoor cooking space. Bull outdoor kitchens and accessories add value to your property and extra fun to your world. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Turn a bull loosen your backyard. BullBBQ.com to My name is Andrew Tate and this is season 10 episode 9 of Let's Not Meet a True Horror Podcast. When I was around 10 years old, a neighboring small town was hosting one of those pop-up
Starting point is 00:01:25 carnivals. It was the kind of carnival where folded up, smaller amusement rides were brought in on semi-trailers. There were a few thrill rides, like this octopus-looking thing that had passenger compartments on each arm, and riders were spun around while being raised and lowered. There were kids rides like Mary Goarounds and different types of automobiles, and of course, the ever-popular Ferris wheel. There were probably a dozen rides that lined the five or six blocks of the main street. My parents had friends in this small town. A place they frequently patronized was a particular
Starting point is 00:02:06 waterhole on the main street. It worked out that they could socialize and have some drinks while their children were occupied at the carnival. My older sister, younger sister, and I were released to go about our business, but our parents asked that we check in with them every so often in the typical 90s latch key fashion. I felt like we were at the carnival for hours. Being able to do so much unsupervised, I relished the freedom that I was afforded on this particular night. I did as I was told, ran into the bar between every other ride to say hi to my parents
Starting point is 00:02:40 and check in, then back to the carnival I went. Eventually the carnival started to die down. The lines were shorter, and families with little ones had returned home, so the crowd was thinning. I set my sights on the swings, another classic amusement ride with dozens of playground-style swings that hung from chains that fastened in the front. The ride spun around at just the right speed, not too fast and not too slow. It was refreshing and it made you feel like you were floating.
Starting point is 00:03:11 I had a few tickets left and decided that the swings were where I was going to spend them. At some point, I was the only person riding the swings. I'd take a ride and it would slow to a stop. Then I would hand the ride operator another one of my fee remaining tickets to ride again. I didn't even get out of my seat. Two or three rides in, the ride operator started sparking up a conversation with me. It was easy to talk while I was riding because the swings didn't move that fast, and our voices easily traveled
Starting point is 00:03:45 for us to hear each other during the entirety of the ride. First he commented on how much I liked the swings, and then he questioned if I was going to use my tickets elsewhere before the carnival closed for the night. He wanted to know which ride I liked best, which one I didn't like, and which one I wouldn't ride again. It was all harmless, just innocuous conversation. Then, I was out of tickets. As the ride stopped, I went to unbuckle the lap restraint, but
Starting point is 00:04:15 the operator told me that it was okay if I took another ride. He said it didn't matter since there wasn't a line. I was pretty excited, anything free was good. As it turns out, this free ride was anything but. There were fewer people around, so the operator started getting more brazen with his questions. He asked me who I was at the carnival with, and where I lived. He wanted to know how old I was and where I attended school. and where I lived. He wanted to know how old I was and where I attended school. I was only 10 years old at the time, and I don't remember anyone having the stranger danger conversation with me. I have, however, always had inherently good radar. Something in my young mind told me that I needed to lie to this man. I told him I lived out of state and was attending
Starting point is 00:05:07 the carnival with my aunt and uncle. I don't know why I thought that was a safe thing to do. I just didn't want to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to know that I lived close by and was currently alone, at least proximity wise. I disengaged myself from the conversation since I was getting that icky feeling about his questioning. I started keeping things vague, responding with, I don't know, or mm-hmm. As the ride slowed down for the very last time, the operator came over from his post to help me unbuckle my lap restraint. He was talking very quietly to me now. He still prodded me for details while offering information about himself. Once the lap restraint was off, the operator, rather than step back and let me out of the
Starting point is 00:05:57 seat, stood over me. He was holding his hands in front of the two chains of the swing, essentially blocking me in. I would have to physically push him if I wanted to get up. He continued telling me things about himself, how he wasn't from around here. He said that he traveled a lot and loved to meet new people. I began to panic. I kept my eyes down and said as little as I possibly could. I just didn't know how to react.
Starting point is 00:06:31 Out of nowhere, I then hear my dad's voice booming, calling out my name. My gaze darted around the carnival until I saw him. The operator immediately dropped his hold on the chains of the swing and I bolted. Turns out, as my dad had told me years later, I hadn't checked in with my parents in a while, which prompted him to go out and look for me. My dad saw what the operator was doing and yelled as loudly as he could to get our attention. It worked, and I managed to get away from what could have been a very traumatic encounter. My parents hugged me a little tighter than normal that night.
Starting point is 00:07:08 I don't remember them taking us to another small town carnival after that, or allowing our latch-key upbringing to be as liberal as it had been before. To that creepy carny, who likely had deplorable things on his mind as he cornered a ten-year-old girl, let's not meet. When I was 24, I had just moved back into my parents out in rural Northern Minnesota. moved back into my parents out in rural northern Minnesota. I had always been an avid runner and was preparing to run my first full marathon. I should note that this event happened a mere two weeks after the murder of Molly Tibbets made national news. She was killed after turning down a man while she was on a run. He abducted and killed her because of
Starting point is 00:08:02 this. I left my parents' house, which was about eight miles north of town. I was about five miles into my twelve-mile route on a small-state highway. Not many cars traveled there during the day. This made it a great time to run, with little traffic to dodge. I noticed a large white suburban, with very dark tinted windows drive by from behind me. The car slowed a bit when it passed, and I assumed it was because of the sharp corner, so I just continued running. About five minutes later, I heard and saw that same car coming around again. This time the suburban was driving toward me.
Starting point is 00:08:44 They were going slower this time, and it freaked me out. I had my fair share of cat collars, as well as creepers, while I've gone out running in the past, but I hope that it was just some board teenagers as it was summertime. The car sped off once they passed me and kept running. A few minutes later I heard a car coming from behind me again, going very slowly. Already knowing who it was, I turned to look, and it was the same suburban driving less than 10 miles per hour past me. This made me panic as I left my pepper spray at home. I just kept running as the car went by, trying to decide if I should turn around or keep running to my brother's house. Either choice was a solid six miles away at this
Starting point is 00:09:31 point. As I was thinking about this, the suburban was driving back towards me, going even slower, basically idling. I instantly froze and stopped running. I made a mental note of the license plate, pulled out my phone with 911 dialed and was ready to press call. My fighter flight kicked in and I decided that I was going to put up a flight. Keep in mind, I couldn't see anybody in this car. Still, I decided I was going to stare down where the driver would be. I gave the longest death glare that I could. It took about a minute for the car to slowly pass me. I stared at the dark tinted windows
Starting point is 00:10:12 where the driver would be the whole time. They kept driving and took off as they passed me. I instantly started crying and shaking when they rounded the corner. I was in the middle of a long run with no houses nearby, so I called my brother repeatedly until he answered and I asked him to come get me. He ran to his truck and drove to me right away. Now I didn't want to be a sitting duck so I kept jogging towards town, which was in the same direction as my brother's house. I kept him on the phone with me and prayed that the suburban wouldn't come by again. I knew there was a busier highway only about a mile up the road. I made it there by the time my brother showed up and brought me home.
Starting point is 00:10:56 I told my parents about it later and we decided to call the highway patrol to report the vehicle. They said that they would look into it since I provided them with the license plate, but I never heard anything back. I never run on rural roads anymore, and I always make sure that I have something to defend myself with when I go out for a run now. So to whoever decided to continually creep by me while I was on a run, let's never meet again. Whether you're making s'mores, pie crusts, or snacky, partakes classic grams are your new pantry staple, with just the right hint of cinnamon and a super satisfying crunch. These versatile graham crackers are delicious anytime. Partake's classic grams are made with better for you ingredients.
Starting point is 00:11:54 Plus, they're certified gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and top 9 allergen free. Partake is a proud B-Corp certified black owned women leg company. Fine Partake's classic grams at Target nationwide. This happened to me in the early summer of 2019 in Missoula, Montana. Some friends and I were going to a concert at a local bike shop. It was a large space that was a community co-op place that doubled as a public event venue since it had the space for it. There was even a small stage set up there. My friends and I met up and had a fun night at the concert. We had drinks throughout the night since they were serving alcohol. I don't drink often,
Starting point is 00:12:38 and I don't go out often where lots of people are drinking since I'm a nervous person and I don't feel comfortable around a lot of people when they're drunk. I went out because I wanted to have a nice evening and enjoy the music with my friends and I didn't intend on having a super crazy night. I have a lot of food allergies and one of them is wheat, so I don't drink beer. I stuck to canned ciders, while two of my friends got beers from the keg that they had on the drink station. I had a total of maybe two ciders the whole night, then switched to water, while all my
Starting point is 00:13:12 other friends continued drinking more. We all lived close enough that we walked to the concert, and the few who drove parked at my house. Being a russ person who doesn't enjoy social functions, I just people watch. Concerts are always lots of fun for people watching. I had noticed one of the people who was serving drinks several times throughout the evening. He was short, he had a stocky build, and sandy blonde hair with a beard. He never approached me or anyone in my group, but our eyes met several times. It kept happening while he was at the drink table or in the crowd. I tried to disregard
Starting point is 00:13:52 that since I had locked eyes with several other people as well. We were at a concert with about 200 people, it was bound to happen at least with a few others. Later on in the night I noticed my two friends who drank the beer were acting a bit off, but I assumed it was because they had more to drink than me. I didn't find anything out of the ordinary to be alarmed about, as far as their behavior and actions go. I wanted to get out of there sooner rather than later, but everyone else in my group wanted to stay in chat with other people that we knew that had shown up.
Starting point is 00:14:28 I felt sober enough to walk on my own so I said goodbye to my friends. It was still early enough and I was going to be walking along well lit routes for the 10 minutes that it was going to take me. Even though it was getting close to 10 pm, this guy still had some sunlight left before the darkness set in. I texted my boyfriend at the time to let him know that I was on my way home since it was a habit for me to do so when I went out. I had exited the main doors and made it halfway down the block from the venue when I heard
Starting point is 00:14:58 somebody shout from behind me. Hey, wait! It was the man who had been serving drinks and had locked eyes with me. He was now running towards me. Hey, wait. It was the man who had been serving drinks and had locked eyes with me. He was now running towards me. Now I was weirded out and instantly put on edge. Why was he choosing now to run out of a crowded place to come and talk to me? I thought maybe I had dropped something, and he was returning it, until he caught up to me. He introduced himself and I said hello and gave him my nickname, already knowing I wanted to give as little information to this person
Starting point is 00:15:30 as possible and end the encounter as soon as possible. He apologized for the weirdness of his timing and choosing to talk to me and asked how my evening went. I once again answered as concisely as possible. When I realized he wasn't going to stop talking to me, I continued walking. He continued walking too. Fuck, I didn't expect him to follow me. It was at this moment I internally kicked myself for thinking that it was a good idea to leave my pepper spray at home. This was most of my internal thought process the rest of the way home. Just wishing I had changed that one decision. That's what you get when you prioritize being cute over being safe.
Starting point is 00:16:17 It was the first time in months I had not carried it with me. I'm never going to make that mistake again. He was making innocuous conversation and I could smell beer coming off of his breath. It was also at this moment I noticed the empty beer glass still clutched in his hand. I only had a dinky little purse that held my ID, keys, lip balm, and my phone. I had tucked my phone away before he got close to me because I didn't want him to have an easy in to ask for my number. It somehow made sense to me at the time, even though I was taller than him and more sober, I went into panic mode and just nodded and
Starting point is 00:16:58 smiled at him while trying to say as little as I could. I was hoping that he would get the drift and leave me alone since we were a few blocks away from the concert at this point. I hoped that he had friends that he wanted to get back to or something. Unfortunately, no such luck. It wasn't until we were several blocks out away from the noise of the venue in street lights
Starting point is 00:17:23 that he even bothered to finally ask if it was okay for him to walk me home. I did not feel comfortable saying no. Being the only two people on a quiet residential street, I wish I had. I wish I had kept my phone out. I wish I had called my friends. I wish I had said no and started running or screaming, but all I was thinking about was if I said no, he might try to attack me. I had no way of defending myself beyond my own two hands and legs. I thought that I could use the fact that he might be guessing I was more inebriated
Starting point is 00:18:00 against him if he decided to do anything. I don't fully remember anything that he said since I was so focused on getting through this encounter safely. I know he told me a lot of information about himself. He was from Tennessee and he said that he worked on a weed farm. I took that moment as an opportunity to talk about something that wasn't directly related to me and we talked about medical marijuana state laws. I was trying to keep the conversation directed away from any information about myself. I kept trying to walk faster, and he kept weaving closer to me. I just sidestepped or backed away so he never actually touched me. He might have bumped into me at one point, but I made a big show
Starting point is 00:18:46 about needing him to be further away from me after that. As we got closer to my house, I started to panic more and I was running out of ways to keep the conversation directed away from me. I didn't want him to know where I lived. He was creeping me out. We got outside of the area from where I lived, and I deliberately stopped closer to a building that wasn't mine. I made it clear that I was going inside my house alone. After a few awkward goodbyes, I waited until he started walking away, to walk between the building I stopped in front of and the one that I lived in. I waited until he was out of sight, then quickly darted into my actual building and down the stairs to my apartment. I immediately
Starting point is 00:19:31 texted my friends about what happened, and they let me know that my two friends that were drinking beer were feeling ill, so they were helping them get home. I called my boyfriend and asked him to come over since I didn't feel safe being alone until my friends came back. I remember thinking to keep the lights off in the apartment in case he was still out there. I waited a few more minutes, then told my friends that I was freaked out and going elsewhere for the night. Then I ran to my car and took off as soon as I could. I almost felt like I was overreacting as I thought about everything, but I was doing what
Starting point is 00:20:10 made me feel the safest. I assumed it would all just be a silly misunderstanding that I could look back on and laugh about. The next day, I woke up to texts from the group of friends that I went out to the concert with. My two friends that were drinking beer had been drugged. One of them had to go to the hospital and confirmed that they were given a date rape drug. We were all able to confirm our recollections from the night and after talking to other people in attendance at the show, we were able to pinpoint who had done this.
Starting point is 00:20:44 It was the man who had followed me home. He had several allegations of drugging and assaulting people, which we found out about in the following days and weeks after this happened. We spoke to the owner of the venue and he was banned. They even changed their policy of how they served drinks. It all felt a bit weird since one of the things that I remember him telling me was that he was returning to Tennessee soon, so getting him banned from a place in a town and state that he would soon be thousands of miles away from, they'll so useless. I realized the next day
Starting point is 00:21:20 that he had probably seen me with my friends who got drinks from him, and assumed that I also had one of the spiked drinks. Listening to this podcast brought back this memory. I realized that because he followed me that night, I kept my friends in anyone else who might have possibly been drugged, safe. I'm grateful, but I also wish that he had suffered more consequences for his actions. I feel like telling the story could be a way to make what he did haunt him just as it continued to haunt me. So to the asshole who drugged my friends and hoped that he had drugged me while following me home and hopes to do God knows what. Let's never meet again because I fight now, and I always carry my pepper spray and
Starting point is 00:22:06 taser because of shit bags like you, even when I'm trying to be cute. If you've fallen out of love with your home, maybe you just need a refresh. Contact Sertepropanars and we'll put the power of Pro to work for you. That's Sertepros Power to transform living rooms and rejuvenate kitchens. The power to get the job done right, on time, and within your budget. Get that love and feelin' back! With the help of SertTA Pro Painters, start your project at CERTAPro.com, the power.
Starting point is 00:22:47 A PRO. Each CERTA Pro Painters business is independently owned and operated. When I was in college at 20 years old, I was lucky enough to spend a semester abroad and cork Ireland. I lived in an apartment with five other female students in a rundown apartment complex on the bank of the Riverley. It was a great location close to the school and downtown. While the apartment wasn't luxurious, I didn't spend much time there between class, pub crawls, and tourist traps in Dublin.
Starting point is 00:23:21 Our apartment was on the first floor, and the building had a front and side entrance. When returning from school, I sometimes used the side entrance, so I often ran into the guy who lived in the apartment next to the side door. I met him during my first week living there, and he said hi to me as I walked out. I said hi back, and the brief exchange seemed friendly enough. out. I said hi back, and the brief exchange seemed friendly enough. Ireland was full of friendly people. This guy was in his mid-30s and not Irish. I don't know where he was from, but it seemed like English was his second language. One day, he introduced himself and reached out to shake hands. I introduced myself and shook his hand, but he wouldn't let go. His grip was firm and tight. He leaned in, pulling my arm closer and asking for my phone number. I lied and
Starting point is 00:24:14 said that I had just arrived, and I didn't have a phone yet. He said that was okay, and asked if I had a boyfriend. I didn't, but this is an uncomfortable position, so I said that I did. Back home, he asked, Yeah, I lied. Well, you're here now, and he's there. Can I be your boyfriend here?" He responded. Fully freaked out now.
Starting point is 00:24:41 I managed to free my hand and excuse myself with some excuse about having to get to class. I started to avoid that entrance. Talking with my roommates, I soon learned I wasn't the only one with an experience with the creepy guy who lived by the side entrance. We tried to leave the apartment and pairs or groups as often as possible and avoided the side entrance. Luckily, it was easy enough to slip in and out of the front. I was lucky enough to have a single bedroom in the apartment with a window that faced the street, although it was street level.
Starting point is 00:25:18 There was a tall, spiked iron fence and a small depression of rocks and stones that kept anyone from getting close to the building. I felt safe enough to keep my window open at home or while sleeping, and I tried to remember to close it when I left. About a month into the semester, I noticed handprints on the thin layer of city-suit that accumulated on my window. Looking at them, I realized that they were from somebody on the outside pressing their palms onto the glass as if trying to look inside. Whoever it was would have had to stretch their arms out
Starting point is 00:25:59 through the fence to reach the glass. I freaked out a bit, but then I thought about the group of students on the second floor that we hung out with. They were good people and called us from the streets to get our attention if they were going out to see if we were home. I figured it was one of them and brushed it off. I wish I hadn't. Maybe a week later I was sitting on my bed near the window reading a book when I heard tapping. Startled, I looked up. It was the man who lived by this side entrance waving at me from the street.
Starting point is 00:26:34 "'Come outside,' he said. I told him no. He yelled again, and with my heart pounding, I shut the window and closed the curtains. He kept tapping on the window. He did this for at least a minute. I could hear him persuading me to join him outside. I sat there until he gave up and left. I realized he knew where my apartment was now and precisely where my bedroom was. I kept my curtains closed permanently from then on. As I got busier, I spent some nights sleeping on my friends' floors and several weekends on short trips to England and Scotland, so I didn't really think of that guy much anymore. I didn't run into him for a while.
Starting point is 00:27:22 I was hoping that he got the hint. I was glad to miss seeing him around until one night. I got home very, very late, maybe three or four in the morning. My friends had walked me home and saw me safely into the apartment complex front door. More than a little drunk and exhausted, I went into my bedroom, took off all my clothes,
Starting point is 00:27:45 and collapsed on my bed. As I lay there, hoping sweet sleep would keep my room from spinning, I suddenly heard the apartment's front door open. This wasn't unusual since I lived with five other people. Everyone came in and out all the time, but it was very late for anyone to be getting home. Then I remembered four of my roommates were gone for the weekend, and the fifth was staying with her boyfriend. My eyes spring open, and I felt the adrenaline overpower the liquor in my blood. Someone was in my apartment. That's when the door to my room opened. The hallway
Starting point is 00:28:29 light was on, and I could only see a man's silhouette. He stood in the doorway and stared at me. I clutched the duvet around myself, and I realized I was trapped, naked, and alone in my apartment. The window was too small to climb out of, and this guy was much bigger than me. I decided, if I was alone, I was going to be loud, so I sat up and shouted, no! I saw him flinch and then stepped back. He said something that I couldn't understand, and I shouted over him. No, this is my room." He tried to talk again, but I shouted louder over him. Get out! He stumbled back into the hall a bit where I could see him clearer. It was the creepy neighbor. I screamed shrill and loud. Get out!
Starting point is 00:29:25 I screamed, shrill, and loud, get out! He grabbed the door handle and shut the door. I was sitting up in bed, alone again, in the dark of my room. I heard him walk down the hallway outside my door, and then I listened to the apartment door open and close again. In a moment, I was up and throwing on a sweatshirt. I whipped open my bedroom door, turned all of the apartment lights on, checking every corner. No one was there. He was gone. I checked the apartment's front door which I found alarmingly unlocked. I snapped the deadbolt and put the chain on realizing my drunk self must have forgotten
Starting point is 00:30:05 to lock the front door. Somehow this creepy guy interpreted that as an invitation. I spent the rest of the night in my bed waiting for daylight in any of my roommates to return. I told my roommates when they returned and we all agreed to double check the locks from then on. The semester ended soon after, and a few friends and I left Ireland to spend a few weeks traveling year up before going home. I never saw that creepy guy again.
Starting point is 00:30:36 I hope he finally got the hint, but just in case he didn't, creepy guy who lived in my Irish apartment building, let's not meet ever again. This happened in the spring of 2021. It started out just like any other typical day. My husband left for work, and I went into the kitchen to make some eggs for breakfast. I started listening to a podcast as I chopped my veggies and started the stove. I remember glancing at the microwave clock and reading the time as 8.37am. The sun was shining and the weather was predicted to be a beautiful spring day in upstate New York. As I cracked two eggs into the skillet, I was surprised to hear the sound of my doorbell.
Starting point is 00:31:38 Since COVID, we've been getting a lot of packages delivered, so I thought the mailman was early that day. We've been getting a lot of packages delivered, so I thought the mailman was early that day. My two small dogs, both Paul Moranian mixes, were going nuts, barking. I grabbed my mask and opened the door a crack to see out. I had expected to see our mailman, or even one of the neighbors, however, it was a young man, probably in his late 20s or early 30s. Right away, I got a strange vibe from him. He seemed a bit nervous or anxious as he explained that he didn't have his cell phone on him and wasn't feeling well.
Starting point is 00:32:18 He asked if he could borrow my phone to call a family member. My knee jerk reaction was to say no. I wish I had listened to my gut and just shut the door. My husband and I live in one of the nicest neighborhoods in our small town and our house is located at the end of a dead end street. Despite my gut feeling, I had a moment of guilt so I decided to be nice. I told him to wait a second as I shut and locked the door. Then I went and grabbed my cordless phone from our landline.
Starting point is 00:32:53 I opened the door just enough to hand him the phone. I told him I'd give him some privacy before shutting the door again. I didn't lock it this time. I just stood by the door with my back against it. I remember thinking I didn't want to give him my cell phone because what if he stole it? I had distorted glass around my door so I could generally see what he was doing. It had maybe been 15 to 20 seconds since I had given him the phone, but one of my dogs would not stop barking.
Starting point is 00:33:25 So I turned slightly to shush him, then I heard the sound of the door handle on the front door. The stranger was attempting to open my door. Now this handle can be tricky to open, so he couldn't open it too easily. I had just enough time to firmly plant my hand on the door pressing it closed just as he successfully opened it. I grabbed the lock and turned it as I shouted in panic. What are you doing? He stammered that his friend didn't answer the call. He hurriedly set the
Starting point is 00:33:59 phone down on the front porch and took off. I waited for his car to fully drive away before I opened the door to retrieve the phone. I immediately texted my husband, who suggested that I call the police. I called, and they sent out an officer. I showed him the ring doorbell footage, and he took the report. The officer thought that there was something up with this guy. I didn't notice it when it happened, but the guy had his hand in his sweatpants pocket the entire time he talked to me. The officer lectured me about never opening the door to strangers. He suggested that we check the phone number he called, so I hit redial. I had the phone on speaker so that the officer could hear as well.
Starting point is 00:34:45 It rang a couple of times then went to voicemail. It turns out, it happened to be the phone number of a restaurant I called the night before. I froze. He did not attempt to make a call. This restaurant was one hour away. There was no way he'd be trying to call anyone there to help him. I was so freaked out. The officer told me that I was lucky, and then went on his way, reminding me to keep my alarm on even when I was home and always locked my doors. I immediately locked all
Starting point is 00:35:18 the doors and set the alarm. So many questions raced through my mind. Who was he? Why did he pick my house? Was this guy on drugs? Was he after my cell phone? Did he plan to rob me? Was he just casing the house or is he coming back? So to the person who made me feel unsafe in my home, let's never meet again. Hey you sexy, looking for hot, saucy fun that'll have you all f***ing stop censoring me. That's a player based burger loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato,
Starting point is 00:36:11 and signature sluts sauce. It's so good. Okay, that one was fair. Get slottedfired, it's sluddyvegan. sluddyveganatl.com. Leave me up to Fargear! Woo! This happened this past November while my mom and I were traveling back to the California Central Coast from Arizona.
Starting point is 00:36:33 She lived on the California Central Coast for a year. I live in Arizona and I haven't been able to visit in a while. She asked me to return to California with her for a few days as she was participating as a vendor at a local holiday bazaar and needed help as a big turnout was expected. I agreed and we headed off the evening of Thanksgiving. I spent most of the seven hour drive in and out of sleep due to us leaving late. Once we arrived at my mom's house around midnight, I forced myself to wake up and sat in my seat. I looked around momentarily and noticed a particularly dark area directly
Starting point is 00:37:13 next to my mom's house. I wasn't sure what it was. I wasn't sure if it was part of the house, yard, or carport, but it gave me a pretty unsettling feeling. My mom got out and began unloading the bags. She left the hatch and the rear passenger door of the car open. She said that she'd be right back and was going inside her house to get bins that she would use to house her inventory and some other items that she needed for the event. I waited for her outside still in the car, where I could keep an eye on things
Starting point is 00:37:48 and help arrange everything in the car once everything was out. I was still groggy and sleepy as I sat there, but I was alert to my surroundings. I heard what sounded like light footsteps on gravel. I looked around through the front windshield, the driver's side window, and then through the back of the open hatch,
Starting point is 00:38:10 but I didn't see anything. I figured it was probably just a cat or a dog moving around outside. I got a strange feeling and felt like I needed to put my shoes on. Due to the long drive, I didn't even have my shoes on. Once I slipped them on, I heard the sound of footsteps on gravel again, but it was a little louder this time.
Starting point is 00:38:34 I looked around the same way that I did before. This time I looked through the open, rear passenger side door and I saw a man with a hood on. He had a bandana concealing his face. He was standing behind a tree in the alleyway, staring directly at me. This man was only about 15 feet away from me. I turned around and faced forward in my seat. I began to panic and thought, what do I do? I looked back at him and I noticed that he was inching closer. Then I thought to myself, the horn,
Starting point is 00:39:11 my mom or somebody will hear me and they'll come outside. I reached over and honked the horn for about five seconds and then released it. I waited for somebody to come outside, but nobody did. I turned around once more to look at the man. I was hoping that the noise and the potential of getting caught would have scared him away, but there he was, unmoved, still standing beside the tree. I saw that he was trying to peek around the tree trunk to see if anyone had come out,
Starting point is 00:39:43 then he inched a little bit forward from beside the tree. This scared me even more, so I reached over, lay on the horn, and didn't stop until I saw someone. Finally, my mom came out of the house and shouted, are you okay? I yelled, no, there's somebody standing over there. The man still stood there, unmoved from his spot. Then my mom walked towards the car. I opened my door and got out. My mom whispered, get out your spray.
Starting point is 00:40:15 Referring to the pepper spray that I kept on my keychain. I grabbed it after I saw my mom exit the house. I replied, I have it in my hand already. My mom walked in the man's direction instead about 10 feet from him. She turned to me and said, call the fucking police. Followed by, you know what? Let's get the stuff back in the car
Starting point is 00:40:37 and let's get out of here. Then we threw all of our things back into the car. As we were doing this, the man was still standing there, just watching us. At that moment, I felt this huge wave of anger wash over me and thought, why bother us? We weren't bothering anybody. We were minding our own business,
Starting point is 00:40:59 and here comes this man trying to intimidate us. I faced him and watched him as he did this to us. I was ready to fight or pepper spray him if he dared come closer. He didn't move forward, but his body language looked like he was contemplating something sinister. Once we had everything back in the car, my mom said, get back in the car. I'm going to lock you in so I can go back and lock the front door of the house. I climbed back in the car, still watching the men. When my mom locked the car, he turned and walked down the alleyway away from us.
Starting point is 00:41:36 My mom locked the front door and then got back in her car. As we drove away, I broke down, feeling fear, relief, and anger all at once. Looking back, I believe he stood in that dark area when we first pulled up to the house. This was, single-handedly, the scariest encounter of my life. I have no idea what that man had planned, or if he had any weapons on him, but thank God we got away unharmed. Hooded man with the bandana covering his face, planning God knows what? Let's never meet again. This story happened around three years ago.
Starting point is 00:42:29 I was 25 and I had just broken up with my boyfriend. We didn't end on great terms. He was emotionally and physically abusive. Our breakup was less than civil. So following the breakup, I immediately downloaded Tinder and decided the best way to get over him would be to occupy my time with new people. I checked my messages one day after work, and I got a message from a guy who lived in nearby town. I live in a suburban area around Houston, and the guy that I was messaging was a little
Starting point is 00:43:00 way out in a small town outside of Rosenberg. This isn't where the story gets scary, though. I met this guy and I got in his car with him and his cousin to smoke weed. Was this the smartest choice? No, absolutely not, but I was 25 and I felt untouchable. Our time together started to wind down and I needed to head home before my parents started questioning where I was. It was around six in the evening and since it was late summer, and I needed to head home before my parents started questioning where I was. It was around 6 in the evening, and since it was late summer, I still had a good amount
Starting point is 00:43:30 of time to get home before sundown. I was driving home, and I was going down this long, and I mean long road. Other cars were on the road, but they were few and far between. Suddenly, I felt one of my tires start shaking like it was about to fall off, so I pulled over. Now, I was high and in a slight state of panic. A little backstory about seven months before this, I had a nasty blow out in the middle of rush hour. This was on one of the busiest freeways in Houston, since then anything involving my tires has stressed me out. After pulling
Starting point is 00:44:05 over, I pulled out my little spare tire and I moved stuff around to change the tire that was shaking. While I was doing this, a man in a pickup truck pulled over and asked, hey, do you need help? I told him, if you would like to help, it would be appreciated, but I also have an under control. He looked at the tire that I was trying to change and told me that it looked fine, and he said that I didn't need to change it. I replied, look, I know my car, and I know that this needs to happen. If you don't want to help, that's fine.
Starting point is 00:44:39 He told me that he could help me change the tire and asked me to pull onto a dirt road about 20 feet away. I agreed because I was high and didn't think about the possible dangers. So I pulled onto the dirt road and stayed close to the main road because I had at least a little sense. I pulled everything that he would need to change the tire out of the car. He started to change it, and I tried to make small talk to ease the awkwardness that I was feeling. He interpreted my small talk as jitters and said, you don't have to be scared, it's not like I'm going to do anything. He flashed this weird smile. I brushed it off because I wasn't sure if this situation was weird, or if maybe I was being paranoid.
Starting point is 00:45:25 Then he told me, it's a good thing you don't have kids in the car. Stuff like this can freak little kids out sometimes. I quickly told him, yeah, I'm so lucky. I was on my way to pick up my son, and I'm glad this didn't happen after I got him. No, I have no kids, but something in my gut told me that this was the best move. He looked at me like he didn't happen after I got him. No, I have no kids, but something in my gut told me that
Starting point is 00:45:45 this was the best move. He looked at me like he didn't believe me and inquired, oh, you have a son. What's his name?" I immediately replied, Logan, and tried to drop it. He took the hint, and we were silent for just a few minutes. Then he asked if I had a boyfriend. and we were silent for just a few minutes. Then he asked if I had a boyfriend. I have a fiancé. My son's father and I are getting married next year. I replied. Meanwhile, there's no real fiancé.
Starting point is 00:46:14 He then asked me where I lived. I lied and I told him I lived down the street from the local high school, which was on the exact opposite side of town from where I actually lived." He replied, "'Oh cool, I live in that area too. Maybe we'll see each other around some time." "'Yeah, maybe,' I said half-heartedly. He was almost done changing my tire, so I rolled the messed-up tire into my trunk. The man got extremely close to me, grabbed my arm and sternly said,
Starting point is 00:46:45 no, I've got it. It made me a little more panicked. My high transformed into full-on paranoia, an alarm bells buzzed in my mind. I backed away, laughed it off and said, okay, sure. I made sure to keep a distance between the two of us. Once the tire was in my trunk, he closed it, and I was all set to go. He said that he would wait by his truck, as I made a U-turn on the dirt road. He wanted to make sure that the tire was good. He asked me if I was sure I didn't need him to follow me to the gas station to fill the tire with air. He also offered to follow me home and asked for to fill the tire with air. He also offered to follow
Starting point is 00:47:25 me home and asked for my number to check up on me. I told him my fiance would not like that, but he insisted. I said, I'll take your number and I'll message you when I'm home. He accepted this, but appeared slightly annoyed. I got into my car and turned around while he stood outside of his truck. I decided to stop and thank him one more time. I got into my car and turned around while he stood outside of his truck. I decided to stop and thank him one more time. I stopped beside him and extended my arm out my driver's side window for a handshake. He pulled my arm towards him. He then leaned into my car and tried to kiss me. I recoiled immediately and jerked my arm away from him. What are you doing? I have a fiance." I held. He said that he didn't believe me.
Starting point is 00:48:12 I pealed out onto the main road. Thank God he wasn't in his truck yet. I flew down the road going 70 well above the 50 mile per hour speed limit, I maintained this speed until I saw the nearest public place, a hotel on the side of the road. I drove to the back of the building where my vehicle wouldn't be visible from the road. I sat there in fear for about an hour. I was scared that he would follow me home and find out that I lied about where I lived. At this point my high wore off entirely, and I could finally think rationally enough to be aware of my surroundings on my way home. Shortly after this incident, I had all four tires replaced and told myself I would never put myself in that type of situation again. So to the roadside guy who tried to kiss me after he changed my tire. Let's not meet again.
Starting point is 00:49:21 18T fiber presents a straightforward moment. You're wine. Thanks. I'll pretend I know what I'm doing before saying it's good. And I'll pretend I don't know you're pretending. Are you a Gagillionaire? Yeah, I have AT&T Fiber. The straightforward pricing has inspired me to be more straightforward. Me too. Ugh, this wine. I'll fetch you a better one.
Starting point is 00:49:38 Straight forward is better. No equipment fees, no data caps, no price increase at 12 months. Live like a Gagillionaire with AT&T Fiber. Limited availability in select areas, visit ATT.com slash Hypergate for details. Thanks everyone for listening and don't forget to stick around after the music for your extended ad reversion of this week's episode. You can join at patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast and get access to all kinds of bonus content.
Starting point is 00:50:02 This week you have heard beware the Carnie by Jess, Rural Highway Creeper by Anonymous. A drugged creep walked me home by Eustasia. Creepie guy who came into my apartment by Rachel Watkins, he didn't even make a call by Monica, stalked on the central coast by Ashley J and finally wrote side creep by Kelsey. All the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's not meet a true horror podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online.
Starting point is 00:50:34 As always, if you have a story to share, send it to let's not meet stories at gmail.com. And don't forget to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like Odd Trails, my true paranormal podcast. Welcome to Paradise, It Sucks, as well as the old time radio cast. We'll see you all next week for a brand new episode. Please stay safe. My old faithful finally took the plunge and her transmission and no one. AT&T Fiber presents a straightforward moment. Your wine?
Starting point is 00:51:29 Thanks. I'll pretend I know what I'm doing before saying it's good. And I'll pretend I don't know you're pretending. Are you a gigillionaire? Yeah, I have AT&T Fiber. The straightforward pricing has inspired me to be more straightforward. Me too. Ugh, this wine.
Starting point is 00:51:44 I'll fetch you a better one. Straight forward is better. No equipment fees, no data caps, no price increase at 12 months. Live like a Gagillionaire with AT&T fiber. Limited availability in select areas, visit AT&T.com slash hypergig for details. AT&T fiber presents a straightforward moment. Your wine? Thanks. I'll pretend I know what I'm doing before saying it's good.
Starting point is 00:52:03 And I'll pretend I don't know you're pretending. Are you a Gagillionaire? Yeah, I have AT&T Fiber. The straightforward pricing has inspired me to be more straightforward. Me too. Ugh, this one. I'll fetch you a better one. Straight forward is better. No equipment fees, no data caps, no price increase at 12 months.
Starting point is 00:52:20 Live like a Gagillionaire with AT&T Fiber. Limited availability in select areas, visit AT&T.com slash HyperGate for details. Live like a Gigillionaire with AT&T Fiber. Limited availability in select areas, visit ATT.com slash HyperGig for details.

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