Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 15x11: Why I Have a Fear of Windows

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

Upcoming Live Shows: 11/17 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge - TICKETS 11/19 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club - TICKETS 11/20 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen - TICKETS Stories in this episode: "If You Died Toni...ght, Do You Think You'd See God?" | Kyroko (1:02) My Friendly Neighbor Made My Hair Stand On End | Sarahk615 (7:48) I think my mom's instincts saved us | Pleasant_Struggle607 (14:48) Man Walked Into My Apartment | ArtofPoetry (24:00) He Told Me He Followed Me Home. | Adventurous-Lamb74 (28:15) Chased out of Capitol State Forest in Olympia, WA | Dissolvyx (37:14) Why I Have a Fear of Windows | TroubledWaves (43:54) Extended Patreon Content: His Mugshot Was Everywhere | Savanna A Near Miss | NamasteAway He Was Still Looking For Us | Sofia The Lawnmower Blade | Alice Due to periodic changes in ad placement, time stamps are estimates and are not always accurate. Send your stories to letsnotmeetstories@gmail.com.    Want Bonus Weekly Stories? Hate Ads? Join our Patreon for only $5 a month for over 100 hours of bonus content, and it's all ad-free! For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code MEET. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/notmeet. Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/84WXQud4gE Follow: - Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty - Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ - Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/ - TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@crypticcounty 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.

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Starting point is 00:00:17 Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connix Ontario at 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. But MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. We're taking Let's Not Meet on the road again this year, Phoenix, Arizona, I'll be at Rebel Lounge on November 17th, St. Paul, Minnesota at Turf Club on November 19th, and Chicago, Illinois at Beat Kitchen on November 20th. Get your tickets at let's not meetpodcast.com slash tour or follow the link in the show notes. I'll see you there. This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to Let's Not Meet Stories at GM. Enjoy the show.
Starting point is 00:01:30 This happened to me several years back. I was living with a friend at the time and was on route back to my apartment from a night with my family. I was in kind of a foul mood and was out of cigarettes, so I stopped at a gas station on my way back home. The gas station was dingy. I mean, it was just absolutely run down. The sad thing is that it was built that way. It was built to be barely functioned. The lights outside didn't always work, and the place always had a smell of burnt rubber.
Starting point is 00:02:06 It was kind of sketchy during the day, but at 10 at night, it had a whole different vibe. But I was in serious need of cigarettes, so I stopped. I got out of my car, went inside, grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, and made my way to the counter, only to notice that nobody was at the register. I had stopped by this gas station before and had the same thing happened, and so I figured whoever was working was either in the bathroom or at their house.
Starting point is 00:02:35 All the employees who worked there were related and they all lived on the premises. So I hung around for a few minutes and soon enough, the door to the restroom flew open and outlumbered a rather angry-looking female. She rang me up for my Gatorade and gave me attitude when I said I wanted cigarettes.
Starting point is 00:02:55 I didn't understand this, especially since this place rarely had any business. Anyway, I was in the store for a total of five minutes, and then I was on my way. I walked over to my car and noticed that the overhanging light that had been off when I got out of my car was now on. I didn't think anything of this, but then I went to open my door and noticed that the car was unlocked. I rarely leave it unlocked.
Starting point is 00:03:23 I was certain that it had been locked, but then again, I was kind of in a hurry, so it was possible I forgot in this instance. So I got in and started my car. The interior light dimmed to darkness as I lit a cigarette. Then I blindly reversed out of there while opening my Gatorade. I took a sip, recapped the bottle, and put it in the seat next to me. I was about to pull out onto the road when a hand reached out from my back seat. Panicked, my immediate thought was to turn around.
Starting point is 00:03:56 but as I started to a man said don't fucking turn around if you know it's good for you I continued facing forward as I asked him what he wanted he said that he wanted a ride somewhere my phone was in my
Starting point is 00:04:12 book sack on the floor of my passenger seat it was too far for me to grab discreetly so I asked him where he wanted to go he then gave me directions to a well-known crack alley about four miles from where we were
Starting point is 00:04:26 I had been to the area before I used to deliver pizzas to that part of town before I switched to a safer delivery area so finding it was no trouble for me as I drove I kept trying to sneak glances at him in my rearview mirror but it seemed like every time I did his face was engulfed by shadows
Starting point is 00:04:45 when we got to the place where he wanted to go he rolled down the window and yelled out some guy's name that guy came over to my car and sold the intrusive passenger in my back seat some drugs through my back window. They talked about how scared I was this whole time, and after 15 minutes, they were finally done. Once the dealer walked away, the man in the back seat told me to bring him back to the gas station
Starting point is 00:05:13 where he had gotten into my car. Now, the stretch of road to get back there is not very well lit or well-traveled after dark, but I went anyway. I just wanted him out of my car. As we drove back, he started trying to talk me up. I thought this was strange, but I gave him reasonable answers to his questions
Starting point is 00:05:34 without revealing anything personal about myself. We were about halfway through our trip when he asked me to pull over to the side of the road. This stretch of road went over some man-made concrete ditches, and there was a significant paved shoulder over that ditch. He had me pull over there and turn the car off. He then asked me, Do you believe in God?
Starting point is 00:05:59 Is my heart raced? I replied. I'm not sure. If you died tonight, he continued. Do you think you'd see God? I don't know. I'd like to think so, I said apprehensively. Close your eyes. Put your hands on the steering well and rest your head on it.
Starting point is 00:06:21 He instructed. Trembling I did as he commanded. Now count, he said. What? I asked. Are you fucking deaf? I said count, he repeated. So I did. I started counting slowly. My counting pace matched the seconds as they ticked by. As I counted these seconds, I couldn't help but wonder how many more I had left.
Starting point is 00:06:48 Then I felt his body weight, as he shed. shifted in the back seat. I figured this was probably it for me. He then simply got out of the car and ran off into the darkness. Even after he had taken off, I kept counting. I counted to at least a thousand before I felt like it might be okay to look up. The last thing I wanted to do was look up and see him standing in front of my car waiting for me to disobey. When I finally did look up, he wasn't there. After confirming that the coast was clear I sped to my apartment, grabbed my phone, and called the cops. Of course, they said there was nothing that they could do since I didn't have a description of the guy other than he was male.
Starting point is 00:07:33 He didn't take anything out of my car. He didn't leave anything either. So honestly, there was no way to identify him. I did learn a few things that day. Number one, I never, ever, ever leave my car unlocked, and two, I always check my car before I get into it. Oh, and three, I'm never stopping at that run-down gas station ever again. I no longer live around there, so that helps. This happened recently. I had just gotten off of work and went to my moms to help her and my dad set up the new Alexa TV they just got. I ended up taking a while because we had to run to the store to grab an adapter, so I didn't leave their house until about 8 p.m.
Starting point is 00:08:35 I had recently moved into a new place a few weeks before, so by the time I got home, it was close to 9 p.m. and pitch black. It's always a little unnerving to go home to these conditions when you live alone. As I was getting out of my car, I had my hands full of a few things that I forgot at my parents since I was staying with them for about a month before I found this new place. So I was walking up the sidewalk to my apartment when I heard a man calling out to me. Hey, they called out. Excuse me. Hello?
Starting point is 00:09:07 Hey. He was politely persistent. I had one earphone and listening to some YouTube stories, so I was trying to pretend that I didn't hear him. I didn't want to be rude, but it was pitch black outside, and it had been a long day. I had been up since six, so I was dead tired. Also, I don't like small talk, and I'm bad at it.
Starting point is 00:09:31 But eventually I went ahead and turned around, as we introduced ourselves. The hair on my arms immediately started to prickle. I got this feeling in my gut. I could tell that this guy was sizing me up. I could tell that he wanted to know which apartment I was living in and I can't explain this at all
Starting point is 00:09:52 but I felt like he wanted to see if he could break into my place and rob me or worse. I don't even want to say that this was a feeling. I just knew all of this as a fact. The entire time we were talking, maybe ten minutes, he had his hands in his pockets
Starting point is 00:10:10 and his hood pulled up. He also kept looking around like he was expecting to see someone, one. To be fair, it was a little cold, but this happened in Arizona, so it wasn't that cold. This put me on edge, and he began asking questions. He asked how long ago I moved in, which unit I was in, etc. I knew he was going to see which unit I was in when I walked to it, so I just told him. He continued to make small talk for a few minutes, and then he asked if it was just me living there. Oh, no, I explained. I've got two dogs.
Starting point is 00:10:45 I went on to say how big and protective they were of me. I also said that they roam freely in my apartment while I'm away. Luckily, all of this was true. He asked if I took them on walks often, and then he ominously asked, How often do you leave your apartment empty? Now, I didn't specify. I just told him I had to be careful when taking them out,
Starting point is 00:11:10 since it's a challenge because of how protective they are of me. Then I turned the conversation around on him And I asked him which unit he was in How long he had been there And I asked who he lived with He seemed uncomfortable and gave me vague answers Regarding which apartment he lived in He waved his hand behind him and said
Starting point is 00:11:30 Oh that one over there He seemed uncomfortable when I tried to get clarification On which apartment was his So he let the conversation fizzle out And we said our goodbyes Then I walked up to my place and unlocked the door. When I stepped inside, I gave my dogs a command to bark, and they did. They sounded loud and vicious.
Starting point is 00:11:54 I immediately gave them love and called my mom. I let her know what happened and gave her the man's name. I told her what he looked like and how vague he was about which apartment he was living in. I reminded her of our panic phrase and told her that if I ever said it, she needed to calmly call the police and send them over to me. After I hung up with her, I couldn't help but freak out at every little second. I also called the non-emergency line for the police and asked them if they could do a drive-by. A few weeks later, I went out and was picked up.
Starting point is 00:12:30 When I got home, I noticed a light was on in my car. The windows were up, the passenger side was locked, and the driver's side door could only be opened in a certain way. So I don't understand how that happened. After I approached my car, I saw that he had left his number on a piece of paper and stuck it to my window along with a message that said, Text me.
Starting point is 00:12:56 The back of the paper had information about a court date, so I called the non-emergency line to report it and add the information to my report. I've also updated everyone who's keeping an eye on me, but I'm still freaking out. Let's be honest, the internet is full of products claiming to help with hair thinning and shedding. But from what I've seen, most of them feel like a shot in the dark. I've got friends who have tried all kinds of supplements, and most just end up on a shelf. But a few of them found Nutrafol, and they stuck with it for a reason.
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Starting point is 00:15:06 Nutraful.com, spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L dot com, promo code meat. That's Nutraful.com, promo code meat. This happened about seven or so years ago. My family and I visited a lake and a state far away from our own for our first and last family reunion. spoiler alert it did not go well it's safe to say that the lack of ac during the hot summer month of july along with having conflicting personalities from three families staying in one Airbnb caused a lot of tension it all blew up on the fourth of july that night after midnight my mom was fed up
Starting point is 00:15:51 so she took me to stay with her at a hotel i was ten years old and sick at the time my siblings who was eight, stayed in the Airbnb with our dad since they were enjoying themselves. As I mentioned, we were out of state so we didn't have a car. Even if we rented a car for the trip, it most likely would have been blocked in by other family members' cars. After squabbling about our means of transportation, my grandparents, who lived in the same state as us,
Starting point is 00:16:21 let my mom drive their car to stay at an air-conditioned hotel away from the family drama. My mother and I drove through the dark empty streets for a little while before we came across a motel. It was a familiar chain motel that we recognized, so we went ahead and stopped there on the side of the road. Since it was very late, and my mother had a sick kid in the car, she settled on staying there for the night. We pulled into the circular drive, and we saw movement beneath the trees on an island in the middle of the asphalt. As my mom pulled into a spot, a man dressed in head-to-to-to-camiflage
Starting point is 00:16:59 emerged from the shadows smoking a cigarette. Once we got out of the car, he asked, Do y'all want a room? My mom found it a little odd, but she went ahead and responded, yes. She figured she had to assume this was an employee, even though he was wearing full camo instead of a uniform. So, we then walked into the little lobby of sorts,
Starting point is 00:17:23 which was honestly just a small room with a computer, a front desk, and a few armchairs. The man walked behind the desk, clacking away on the keyboard at the computer as my mom described the type of room that we wanted. She requested a queen bed in a non-smoking room. The man nodded before remarking, Are you two alone? I can't remember how my mom replied to that, but he then handed us the room key. It wasn't a key card but an actual key on a keychain. I remember thinking this was odd, but I just brushed it off,
Starting point is 00:17:57 and I thought that maybe things were different in this part of the country. The town we were in didn't have many travelers coming through, at least not as much as the other popular cities around, so I figured maybe they didn't have the budget, or a need for key cards. This was when things started to get unsettling. The man tried to make small talk, asking about what we were doing here, how we were liking the fireworks, etc. and then he insisted that he would lead us to the room on the first floor.
Starting point is 00:18:27 As if that weren't sketchy enough, he then opened the door and led us into the room while trying to show us around. The moment he opened the door, this sickening stench of residual cigarette smoke hit us, even though we specifically asked for a non-smoking room. Then he twisted the knob on the air conditioner, turned on the bathroom light, and opened the closet door to show us where everything was. This room was tiny, but it was big enough for one bed, a thin closet on the wall, and two little nightstands.
Starting point is 00:19:02 The tour was unnecessary. My mom stood outside of the room, arms crossed, almost on guard. I, being exhausted, stepped into the room, holding my stuffy and blanket, ready to get into bed and knock out. as the man walked into the bathroom my mom finally spoke up and told me to come to her her tone was stern one that sounded like the pursed lips warning many kids get
Starting point is 00:19:30 when they're in trouble but there was a dangerous edge to it the man came back out still milling around the room so she repeated herself under her breath and said come here eventually I gave in rolling my eyes and annoyance as I walked out of the room and back into the hall with her.
Starting point is 00:19:49 She grabbed me the second I crossed the threshold and moved me behind her. Then we walked back to the lobby and requested to be put in a room that was truly non-smoking. As we walked back to the lobby, my mom made sure to stay between me and the man. Once we were there, the man made a comment that wound up being the straw that broke the camel's back. You two sure are quite far away from home, he ominously observed. Even though I was young, this comet made my stomach twist, but I didn't understand why. Then suddenly, the lobby filled with the sound of my mom's ringtone echoing off the pale walls. Oh, one minute it's my husband, she said, holding up a finger to me as I prodded at her.
Starting point is 00:20:38 Then my mom picked up the phone and said, Hi, honey. Oh, what was that? Mom, what is it? Why is dad calling? I asked. My mom shushed me and continued. Oh, yeah, we found a place. Oh, okay. Yeah, we'll do that instead. Got it. We'll see you there.
Starting point is 00:20:56 Love you. Being the annoying kid I was, I was practically tugging on my mom's sleeve asking her where my sibling and dad were. My mom brushed me off and gestured for me to grab her card as she informed the man. My husband and kid are down the road.
Starting point is 00:21:14 They already checked into a room elsewhere. So we're just going to go meet. them. I was still asking her what was going on since I was very confused. So, as we made our way back to the car, I flooded her with questions while she simply looked ahead, clasping my hand. I hopped into the backseat, and we reversed quickly to get out of there. Then, in a nearly cinematic moment, my mom turned to me and finally answered my questions in the most jaw-dropping manner. I lied, she said. I was only 10, so hearing her say this made me feel like my world exploded.
Starting point is 00:21:53 I had always known about stranger danger and kidnappers, but actually being in a potentially dangerous situation was completely new territory for me. She explained everything in further detail as we drove, winding through the roads into town. While I was too busy thinking about falling asleep in a smoky, dingy bed, my mom was in full-on panic mode. She said that her motherly instincts flared up the moment that he opened the door for us. My mom realized that the man most likely brought us to this room since he likely had a spare key for it, so she devised a plan.
Starting point is 00:22:31 While we made our way back to the lobby, blabbing about the new room, she had been texting my dad telling him where we were, and she told him that he needed to call her. My mom also explained that her worries were further confirmed when the man started asking us questions that were strange and overly personal. Listening to her explain everything made the reality of the situation set in for me.
Starting point is 00:22:55 In the end, we found a safer hotel further down the road. As a bonus, it had a pull. So we stayed there for the rest of the trip, and we were later joined by my dad and sibling. Now, onto an update that freaked me out even more. My sibling and I recently revisited this town with our grandparents. This was just for a quick family trip. We stayed at a house at the same lake where we had the reunion.
Starting point is 00:23:23 On our way to the house, our car passed the charred remains of a building with caution tape surrounding the area. My grandma pointed it out and informed me that it was the motel my mom and I went to that night. It had mysteriously burned down in October of 2020. and having scoured the internet for answers as to what could have happened, I found nothing. I feel like the fact that it burned down under mysterious circumstances adds to the unsettling experience my mom and I had there. After looking back at this moment with more mature eyes,
Starting point is 00:23:59 I am very, very glad that my mom got us out of there. She hasn't had that sort of feeling like she had that night ever since, and honestly, I've gained even more admiration for her. I'll never know what would have happened if we stayed, but to the hotel employee and head-to-to-camiflage, let's not meet again. I'm a 32-year-old woman living in Texas with my fiancé. We live in a two-story apartment complex on the second floor, outside the apartment gate, We never had any issues before, even though our unit wasn't inside the gate.
Starting point is 00:24:46 We have two cats who like to roam outside for an hour or two each day, so I usually let them out while my fiancé is at work. On this particular day, I can't remember if I locked the bottom lock on our door or just forgot to lock it all together. In any case, I was sitting at the table painting and didn't notice the door had quietly been pushed open. When I saw daylight reflecting on the back wall of the sun outside, my attention finally snapped to the door, where I saw a man who already had one foot in my apartment.
Starting point is 00:25:20 I froze for a moment and just stared at him as he grinned back at me while he took another step, and then another. I finally snapped out of it and thought, I can't let this man close the door, he's going to kill me. so I jumped up and grabbed the closest thing to me which happened to be an umbrella with a long sharp metal tip I hit him with it repeatedly
Starting point is 00:25:44 until I cut his arm he kept trying to approach me so I hit him in the face while screaming at him telling him to leave my apartment I wasn't going down without a fight the sharp tip of the umbrella finally made contact with his eye area and cut him right under his eye
Starting point is 00:26:00 and that's when he gave up and left the apartment I reported it to the police, so they came and took statements. But so far, I haven't heard anything back, and it's been over three months. I also reported it to my apartment complex as management, and they sent a letter to the residence. The other day I was talking to my fiancé, and I said, The man who stepped into our apartment looked like the man who was stalking me when I was working at the mall. The one who kept waiting in the dark empty parking lot until I got off. Now I swear it was the same person.
Starting point is 00:26:36 It had been a couple of years since I had seen him, but I still remember him. I'm not sure how he found out where I live, but we can't afford to move right now. I'm scared, but if this man decides to come for me again, I'm prepared. I've already proven it, but it bears repeating that I won't go down without a fight.
Starting point is 00:26:55 I will not let this guy win. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We've all done it, spilled our problems to the bartender, our barber, the dog groomer, or maybe just a stranger in the gas station. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone, but let's be honest, not everyone is the right someone, especially when it comes to things like relationships, stress, or mental health. That's why BetterHelp exists, to connect you with a licensed therapist who actually knows how to help. Someone trained, certified, and ready to help you work through what's on your mind,
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Starting point is 00:28:17 It's all online, flexible, and designed to fit around your real life, even the messy parts. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Find the one with BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com slash not meet. That's betterhelp.com slash not meet. I'm very fortunate to live somewhere with beautiful walking routes nearby, so I like to get out and walk nearly every day.
Starting point is 00:28:53 This place is also really safe, so it never crossed my mind that I'd be in the position I'm currently in. It all started last year. I don't keep a routine, but like I said, I like to get out and walk most days. It was a beautiful day, and the paths were very busy with dog walkers, locals, and so on. Everybody was out and enjoying the weather and scenery. I took my time and didn't pay too much attention to anyone because, as I said, I was in a very safe place. When I turned back to go home, I was aware someone was walking behind me. But then they weren't that close to me, so I assumed that they were just heading back the same way I was.
Starting point is 00:29:36 This didn't strike me as unusual whatsoever, as we were on a very popular path. When I got home, I took my shoes off in my usual spot, which is positioned so that I can see through the kitchen window, which faces the same direction as the front door. I noticed that there was a man looking through the kitchen window, and I mean really looking. he wasn't taking a glance he was having a thorough look and I could tell that he was taking in every detail
Starting point is 00:30:05 he then quickly moved away from the kitchen window and knocked on my front door I never opened my door unless I'm expecting someone even if a delivery person comes by just to drop a parcel there's a strong chance that I'll just let them leave it in a safe place
Starting point is 00:30:22 rather than opening the door to them I had planned on ignoring him but his knocking quickly became harder and he said something to the effect of I saw you go in there I know you're home that gave me the impression that he wasn't going away
Starting point is 00:30:41 so I opened the door just a crack and I wedged my foot behind it so that he wouldn't be able to open any further I'm a small woman and this man was over a foot taller than me he looked strong he gave me some serious vibes that told me I needed
Starting point is 00:30:57 to stay away from him. He was carrying this slow cooker box, and it struck me as odd, but I figured he was taking it to a neighbor. Then he said, I followed you home. He just came right out with it. He then gave me some story
Starting point is 00:31:16 about how his mother used to live right next door, and he wanted to know how long I had lived there. I told him that if he wanted info on the neighbors who were living where his mother supposedly lived, then my neighbors on the other side would be able to tell him everything, as they had lived there for over 50 years. He was irritated by that answer, so he switched tactics, and he kept trying to invite himself in for a cup of tea.
Starting point is 00:31:44 After talking in circles a few times, I politely but firmly told him that he needed to leave, and then I closed and locked the door. I didn't go anywhere by myself for a couple of weeks, and I kept an eye out for him, But after having no further sightings, I started to go out by myself again. Of course, during my first outing, there he was again. This time he was riding a bike.
Starting point is 00:32:10 I was wandering near my favorite spot, and he rode his bike around in a big circle three times. He just watched me as he circled. I gave him the best go-rodden hell glare that I could muster, and he finally left. He kept popping up, though. The next time I saw him after that was while I was on my way back from the shop.
Starting point is 00:32:33 He called me by my name and said, hi, it sure is a nice evening. I had never given him my name, so I was feeling deeply unsettled, but he carried right on. It was an uncomfortable exchange, but nothing too horrendous. I should note that he popped up
Starting point is 00:32:53 on all of the different paths that I took around there. And there were a few more instances like that, at least six or seven, I'd say. I was doing good about standing my ground and keeping him at bay, but then I naively went against my gut. It had been a long week,
Starting point is 00:33:11 and I was dying to go out for a walk to clear my head. It was winter, so it was pitch black outside. I needed something small from the shop, but my gut was saying, don't do it, don't go out. I had a horrible feeling before I, even got my shoes on, but I ignored it and told myself everything was fine. I remember thinking that I was in a beautiful and safe area, so I was sure that I was just being anxious. So I went out
Starting point is 00:33:38 anyway, and I got to the shop just fine. I hurried along and went to the place where this man had previously ridden circles around me, as it's the start of a loop that's short but beautiful, which was exactly what I needed. My gut was telling me that it was a bad idea and not to do it, so I knew I should have gone home, but I just hurried along. When I was at the very darkest point of this loop, completely alone, I saw a light coming towards me. It was a bike light, and of course, it was him. Now, I'd like to add at this point that I'm very unflappable. I've been in bars and the likes, where guys have gotten grabby, I've had guys much bigger than me
Starting point is 00:34:23 threatening violence and trying to steal from me Every time I've squared up to them I've given them strong Try it, I dare you, body language And they've always ended up just cursing me out And leaving me alone So I'm generally unfazed
Starting point is 00:34:39 By anyone who's trying to threaten or intimidate me On this night though I was seriously rattled The vibes coming off of this guy were bad, really bad I was cornered. I had nowhere to go. I had no choices but to proceed and finish the loop.
Starting point is 00:34:57 He rode around me and settled in to ride next to me. Then he mentioned my address, my legal name, and my pets. He also gave me some history of his life before segwaying into how lonely he was. He said he really, really wanted me to go to his place for a cup of tea. Then he casually mentioned how he watched me take my rubbish out to the bins, which was something that I had missed. I don't know how I didn't see him, but I didn't. I told him my husband was expecting me home,
Starting point is 00:35:35 but he didn't believe I had a husband. I was polite with minimal responses after that, and he eventually gave up and rode off, clearly irritated. I was so rattled after this conversation. I rushed home and told my husband, who was some of my husband, who was surprised it had bothered me so much. He has witnessed a lot of encounters that I've had with men, and he's always seen how unfazed I've been.
Starting point is 00:35:58 Nevertheless, we then agreed that I wasn't going anywhere alone for a while. After a few months without incident, I told my husband it had been a while since I had gone out. I told him that I knew paths were getting more populated again and said that it might be safer for me to walk alone during peak season since it's the busy period for the area. I ended up going out there with my husband, and we were sitting on a bench enjoying the scenery
Starting point is 00:36:25 when I noticed the guy. He was nearby, and he stood up. He was about 20 feet away from us, and he just stood there and stared for a solid five minutes. We didn't acknowledge him at all, but we felt that it was better that way. My husband is around 6'2, and he looks rough and ready for a brawl.
Starting point is 00:36:48 He'd take down anyone who made me worrisome without a second thought, so I'm lucky that he was there with me. When the stalker guy rode off, my husband told me that he understood what I had been talking about. He agreed that the vibes from this guy were seriously creepy.
Starting point is 00:37:05 He even set my husband on edge. So, now we're back to our plan of me never leaving home alone. There's nothing that I can do about it, because the police aren't going to act on vibes. And my husband's not trying to get in a fight with him and risk legal action. So for now, it is what it is.
Starting point is 00:37:44 This happened years ago. pops into my head a lot, so I'm hoping that throwing it out into the ether will help me get over it. In October of 2019, I had just moved to Washington. I had made a friend out there who was stationed at Fort Lewis, aka JBLM. He was also not native to the state. He and I had been working on altering the back of his pickup so that it could be something we could camp in. Once we completed this, one day on a whim, we decided that we should leave at midnight and go to a nearby national park for the night. As we made the drive out there, I remember noting that it was kind of strange that the road was lined with residential homes. At some point, the road turned to dirt, which made me
Starting point is 00:38:33 think that we were in the park. This was about a month or two after Snowmageddon, so the parks were out of season, and the road was pretty rough. But we still made it through. since I wasn't from around there I had an eerie feeling right off the bat my eyes immediately gravitated toward the trees I think they were Douglas trees but it was very hard to tell since they were bald from the heavy snow
Starting point is 00:38:58 except for the very tops of them I'm not sure what it was but I remember thinking they felt unnatural and foreboding to me and they still do after all these years later initially we pulled off into a little hill facing some tall grass that had a board set up for archery practice. We hung out there for maybe 15 to 20 minutes.
Starting point is 00:39:22 I was still feeling creeped out by the trees, so I decided to tell my friend that I didn't want to stay in that spot. I explained that I didn't like that there was only one narrow path to drive in and out of, and I didn't love the idea of potentially getting blocked in there. He agreed, so we pulled out and headed further down the road for a few minutes in search. of a proper parking area at a camping trailhead. We were using a portable battery that we had just gotten, and it made this wild sound the first time that he turned it on.
Starting point is 00:39:55 So he stepped out of the truck to mess with it while I tried to relax. But I just couldn't shake this weird feeling that I still had. Since I was feeling anxious, I stood outside for a minute just looking around and listening. I remember focusing on trying to listen out for bears since those were a new thing for me that I would have to worry about but I was surprised when I heard tires I told my buddy to stop messing with the portable battery
Starting point is 00:40:25 and listen with me and then we saw lights in the distance so we closed the cabin of the truck and hopped in to leave as we were heading out the lights were at the top of the hill and I told my friend to slow down and pull off to the side of the road.
Starting point is 00:40:42 I assumed the other vehicle was probably some sort of park official. I figured they were just making their rounds to make sure no one was causing any trouble. The other vehicle caught up, and as it went to pass, my friend rolled down the window. I then looked at the truck and noticed that it wasn't marked. Inside, two men were sitting in the front, and it quickly became clear that they were not park officials. They made direct eye contact with us and did not slow down.
Starting point is 00:41:15 The second I saw their faces, I told my friend, absolutely not, and told him to gun it. The truck continued towards the parking lot, so I felt a bit of relief, but then I noticed they turned around and were now driving behind us. We were probably going about
Starting point is 00:41:32 45 to 50 miles per hour down some rugged road with them directly behind us. Once we made it back to the residential street, we picked up our speed to about 60. These guys hadn't backed off from us, and they were now shining their brights at us. I remember looking out the window and noticing a house
Starting point is 00:41:52 had flicked its porch lights on, so I spun around to look, just as someone was beginning to step out of the house. I finally thought to glance at them, and it was around 3 a.m. Whoever stepped out of that house was probably unrelated to the incident, but it was still weird.
Starting point is 00:42:08 But it made me realize what time it was, and I remember thinking how insane it was that the people in the truck were behind us and chasing us. Anyway, we eventually reached a stop sign on this residential road. Luckily, no one else was out on the road since we didn't even slightly slow down.
Starting point is 00:42:27 We just blew through this stop sign as we pulled onto the main road. At that point, the truck passed us, easily going 100, and hastily turned, right down a side road. I was pissed off so I told my buddy that we should go get them. So, we turned down the same road that they went down about 15 seconds after they did, but they were gone. From this road, there was a dead-end neighborhood to the left, so they couldn't have
Starting point is 00:42:53 gone there. There was also a gas station about a minute or two up the road, but they weren't there either, and beyond that, was the interstate. We were so confused. How they had disappeared from that road without a trace and such a short amount of time was beyond me. After the fact, I did some research on that park since I didn't understand what was going on, and then I found out that we were not an Olympic National Park like we had thought. Instead, we were in capital state forest. The only weird thing I found out about that place was that a body was found there in a burned-out truck back in 2012.
Starting point is 00:43:32 There was only a single article about it, so I have no idea. if they ever figured that one out. Other than that, I only found various accounts of people being shot or being found shot as gun activity was allowed in the park. I think the men who were chasing us in their truck were likely some people who lived on the residential street
Starting point is 00:43:55 that we drove in on. I think they noticed us going out there in the middle of the night and figured that we were up to something, so they decided to freak us out. At least, I hope that's, as innocuous as it was, but I'll never know for sure. I live in a very small town. Seriously, if you blink, you might miss it. The only things we're boastful about around here are the single stop sign and the gas station.
Starting point is 00:44:36 both of which we only have because of a nearby highway. Any actual semblance of a town is 25 minutes away, so when things get scary out here, it feels amplified. The occasional transient tends to be the least of our problems, as they're often just drifting through. Drug addicts do run rampant, though, and they will steal everything that they can from your house. It becomes normal out here.
Starting point is 00:45:04 What happened a few years ago certainly wasn't, normal, though. When all of this started, I was fast asleep in my bed. I only woke up because it was burning hot in my room, but it was summertime, so there wasn't much that I could do about it. I just remember tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, when suddenly I got this creepy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glanced over at the bathroom door, since the door was open, and the light was on. Now this didn't strike me as strange because I left it on. I did this so that I wouldn't trip and die if I had to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Then I glanced at the window directly across from my bed. I didn't have any curtains on it,
Starting point is 00:45:50 but at least there was this shitty set of blinds covering the window. Part of the blinds were broken from wear and tear, and the AC output beneath the blinds would make them move back and forth, so I would get a glimpse of outside every so often. When I looked at the window, I saw that the yard light was still on. But what ultimately raised suspicion for me was the outline at my window. There was a figure standing directly at the window. It was almost like whoever this was, was waiting for the blinds to move, so that they could get a glimpse of me.
Starting point is 00:46:31 I didn't have much imagination as a child, but the sight of this was enough to make every horror film flood into my head at that exact moment. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled my blankets up over my head. I slept in a cloth oven that night. In the morning, the figure was gone. I remember running to my mom's room, on the verge of tears,
Starting point is 00:46:58 and telling her what happened. She laughed at me and told me that it was probably just a stray cat that had climbed up there for one reason or another. I almost believed her, since my window was pretty high off the ground, but something just wasn't sitting right. Later that day, when we were doing yard work, I glanced over at my window and saw that one of our metal patio chairs
Starting point is 00:47:23 had been pushed up to the side of the house, right under my window. I pointed this out to my mom, but she still just brushed me off. She said, that's probably how the cat got up there. You need to stop leaving furniture everywhere. I hadn't moved this chair, though. It was heavy. I struggled to move it, so I couldn't have put the chair there by myself. I wouldn't have. My mom and I moved the chair back where it belonged, and then the pattern officially began. At night, I would see the figure, then complained to my mom the next morning, and we always found the chair had been moved under my window every single morning.
Starting point is 00:48:11 This went on for at least three weeks. My mother wasn't concerned about this, at least not until one morning, when she saw the outside screen of my window had been sliced open. I remember her shaking her head and stating that it was one of those stray cats that we had yet to see. I could tell that she was unnerved by this development, though. However, she was trying to remain calm and logical. I couldn't handle it anymore myself,
Starting point is 00:48:43 so I opted to sleep in our living room that night. The only problem was that our kitchen and living room were connected, which meant there would be even more windows for me to be worried about. The first night of this new sleeping arrangement, Went well, despite my back hurting from sleeping on the couch. I needed to avoid my room like the plague, so I was happy with the change in my sleeping arrangement for about four days. And then we ran into an issue.
Starting point is 00:49:14 I woke up and glanced at the clock above the fireplace. It was a little past 3 a.m., and I couldn't find an immediate reason as to why I had been woken up. But then I saw that there was a beam of light, shining in from the kitchen window. It was almost like somebody had been shining a flashlight. The light proceeded to move as it traced along the walls until it landed on the love seat across from the couch that I was on.
Starting point is 00:49:42 I was terrified. When I told my mom, she was apprehensive about what I saw but suggested that I sleep elsewhere. I decided that I would then sleep in my dad's room, even though it had a gigantic window. He slept in his recliner in front of this huge TV, so I felt safer having him around. The yard light was directly outside the window,
Starting point is 00:50:08 so it seemed like a foolproof way to finally catch whoever was out there. Later that night, when I woke up out of habitual fear, I immediately looked over at the window across from the bed. Nothing was out of the ordinary, so I started to feel like I had been overreacting, and misunderstanding what was going on. Just as I was mulling everything over, I saw a lone figure emerging from the woods by the backyard shed.
Starting point is 00:50:38 They walked directly under the light and made their way over to the patio furniture, like they had been there plenty of times before. As I focused on the figure, I realized it was a man. I still remember the large build. This was partnered with confidence. He had this vibe like he was. the one who lived in our house. He was essentially acting like he wasn't creeping around our yard
Starting point is 00:51:03 in the dead of night. I remember listening to the TV until I fell asleep again, hoping to get another glimpse, even though I knew my dad would have been pissed off if I woke him up. My dad was grumpy, and that was on a good day, and terrifying on a bad, so I wasn't about to wake him up unless I had solid proof since I was scared of his reaction. The next morning my mom chewed me out again since the patio furniture had been moved. This had become routine as she scolded me for this almost daily for the past month. But this time something new happened. In addition to asking me not to move the patio furniture, she demanded that I stopped playing
Starting point is 00:51:45 in the toolboxes in the garage. Apparently the night before, a bunch of tools had been taken out and left on our doorstep. There were screwdrivers, a large hammer, flashlights, et cetera, and they were all just strewn across the porch. I hadn't done this. I then begged my mom and pleaded with her to just stay up with me one night. I knew this wasn't going to stop, and I knew that this man would keep coming into our garage since we couldn't close it.
Starting point is 00:52:13 It was an open carport. I wasn't trying to get punished for touching tools again, especially when I was certain about someone else doing it and it was driving me mad. It took me a while to convince her but she finally agreed and that night we stayed up in the living room.
Starting point is 00:52:33 I fell asleep before my mom but she woke me up in a panic. She pointed to the window that overlooked our garage we could see the top of someone's head as they walked back and forth this was followed by the sound of someone placing metal tools down on the brick steps.
Starting point is 00:52:53 The tools were being placed delicately, as if the man were trying to be quiet, but couldn't fully muffle the noise. Go wake up, Dad, my mom whispered, so I woke up my dad who was angry about being woken up in the middle of the night by his frantic daughter. He grabbed his pistol and headed out the back door.
Starting point is 00:53:13 He went towards the front of the house where the garage was located. We then heard my dad screaming and someone dropping tools. Then we heard the gun. Two shots. The sound of the man's frantic footsteps pounding their way away from our property
Starting point is 00:53:30 felt like they were coming from my chest. Then my mom peeked out the window before opening the door. As my dad stumbled in, he explained that he had missed both shots since his adrenaline was running and he couldn't really stabilize his aim. He told us that he caught the man crouching at our front door,
Starting point is 00:53:48 looking at the door handle. None of us slept that night, and the first thing in the morning, law enforcement from the closest town arrived to take a look around. They didn't do much. They asked for a description of the man and asked if anything had been stolen.
Starting point is 00:54:06 They concluded their visit by advertising us to install security cameras, and that was it. They said that the guy was probably just looking for something easy to steal for quick money. If that had been the case, why hadn't he stole the tools, the generator, or the welder? He also could have broken into any of our vehicles. They were just sitting out in the open in the carport. My parents finally set up hunting trail cameras around the property, but nothing has happened since.
Starting point is 00:54:36 I no longer live with my parents, but when I come home from college for the holidays, I still have nightmares about this situation. I don't know what that man was looking for or why he did the things that he did. Whatever the case may be, to the man at the window, let's not meet. If you'd like to hear your story on the show, send it to let's not meet stories at gmail.com. Be sure to get your tickets for the live let's not meet shows, November 17th in Phoenix, Arizona, November 19th, St. Paul, Minnesota, and November 20th, Chicago, Illinois, You can get tickets at let's not meetpodcast.com slash tour or follow the links in the show notes. If you're a patron, stick around after the music for your extended version of this week's episode.
Starting point is 00:55:26 If you want to get access, go to patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast. To sign up and support the show today, you'll get access to ad-free versions of all of the episodes had a higher bit rate, plus bonus content every single week with stories you won't hear anywhere else. Again, that's patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast. Finally, be sure to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like Let's Not Meet, Odd Trails, D-Grads, and the old-time radiocast, all at Crypticcountypodcasts.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week you have heard,
Starting point is 00:55:57 If you die tonight, do you think you'd see God by Kiroko? My friendly neighbor made my hair stand on end by Sarah K. 615. I think my mom's instincts saved us by Pleasant Struggle 607. Man walked into my apartment by Art of Poetry. He told me he followed me home by adventurous Lamb, 74, chased out of Capitol State Forest and Olympia, Washington by Dissolvix, and finally, why I have a fear of windows, by troubled waves. All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors.
Starting point is 00:56:34 Let's not meet a true horror podcast, is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. Again, if you have a story to share, send it to live. Let's Not Meet Stories at gmail.com. We'll see you all next week. Everybody, stay safe. I worked at Amazon during COVID on Vancouver Island.

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