Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 8x21: Why Did I Answer The Door? - Let's Not Meet

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Starting point is 00:00:25 Visit enterprise.spectrum.com slash iHeart to speak with a technology expert. Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Let's not meet is coming to you for two very special performances. I'll be there to share a collection of brand new, exclusive and terrifying tales all live. First, at the Neptune Theater in Seattle on August 25th, followed by a second show at the Polaris Hall in Portland on August 26th. Don't miss out on getting your tickets today. These are my first really big live shows and I can't wait to see you all there. Tickets are on sale right now.

Starting point is 00:01:01 You just have to head over to Let's Not Meet Podcast.com forward slash tour or Just follow the links in the show notes to get your tickets while supplies still last Also, if you have any stories you want to send in to be considered for the live show to be read in person Make sure you send those to Let's Not Meet stories at gmail.com as soon as you can so I can get them on the list Again, that's August 25 in Seattle and Portland on the 26th. See there. This happened to me about five years ago when I was in graduate school, but it still haunts me to this day. At that time, I lived in an off-campus student living apartment complex.

Starting point is 00:02:22 I also worked there part time. One evening I was home alone in my small two bedroom apartment. My randomly assigned roommate was not at home. I can't remember exactly what I was doing, but I was interrupted by a knock at the door. Now, quick backstory here. I had gotten out of a very abusive and dangerous relationship about two years prior to this event. That relationship took place at this same apartment complex. Luckily the guy had moved away, but I was always worried that one day he may come back, and he would find me. Ever since that relationship, I've always been on high alert. When I would hear a knock at the front door, when I wasn't expecting any visitors, so I

Starting point is 00:03:16 immediately planned not to open the door and first check through the people. I quietly walked to the door and peered through the people. I quietly walked to the door and peered through the people. There before me was a large shadow that appeared to be a male figure. I couldn't see his face or make out any details of his body, just his large shadow. It was too dark. He wore a baseball cap, making it even harder to see his face. I called out through the wooden door. Hello? And he said, pizza delivery, and a calm and matter-of-fact tone. Now I didn't recognize the voice, so I was partially relieved that it wasn't my ex-boyfriend. But I was still quite scared because I knew in that moment, looking at his shadow, that

Starting point is 00:04:13 this couldn't be just some apartment mix-up. There was very clearly no box of any kind in this man's hands. I continued to keep the door closed and locked. I quickly replied, no pizza here you got the wrong apartment. His tone changed and suddenly sounded sinister. Are you sure? A chill ran down my spine. Yes, now get out of here I'm going to call the cops. a chill ran down my spine. Yes, now get out of here, I'm going to call the cops. Surprisingly he listened. He said nothing and retreated. I peered out the people for some time but saw nothing. Later my roommate came home and I told her what had happened. I also told my co-workers and my manager

Starting point is 00:05:05 about it when I worked the next day. My manager told me that similar things were being reported around the complex. She even said one girl called the front office yesterday morning, very frightened, because a man followed her to her car and banged on her window, trying to get her to open the door. My manager then window, trying to get her to open the door. A manager then said that she didn't plan to alert the complex just yet because she didn't want to scare anyone. That really pissed me off. But I was also a naive 23 year old at the time so I stupidly didn't report anything on

Starting point is 00:05:43 my own. I continued to be on the lookout for this creep, though. I saw and heard nothing more, until about a week later when a resident complained to the manager. They filed a police report regarding a man sneaking into their home. She told us that she was home alone and had been taking a shower when she heard a rustling in the apartment. She peaked out carefully out of her shower curtain and she saw this figure pass by the reflection in the mirror. She stood there

Starting point is 00:06:19 quiet in the shower paralyzed with fear, and, until eventually a hand emerged from the other side of the shower curtain, ripping the shower curtain open. She screamed and began to yell, get the fuck out, get out!" She said that he just stood there for a couple of moments silent, just staring at her naked body. Eventually he ran off at the front door. She said that she must have left the front door unlocked. After this occurred, a full police report was written up about her account. But the police didn't seem to do anything else after that. No patrols or additional security. But our manager did conveniently send out a warning email to the residents after. But again, nothing happened.

Starting point is 00:07:12 For weeks, then months. Several months went by and one day I got a text message from a coworker with a link to an article. I clicked on the article. I began to describe how a man in his early 30s was recently caught right by our campus and admitted to sexually assaulting multiple women and breaking into their homes. In the article, he blamed his behavior on addiction to porn. Some of the victims reported that they were choked. The police also said that they had reason to

Starting point is 00:07:43 believe that he could be connected to a slew of other assaults throughout the area, including sexual assault of several female college students and two sexual assaults of prostitutes. Turns out, he was a custodian at our local college. Luckily, he was charged and put away. Hopefully for a very long time, but I'm skeptical. I can't help but think about what may have happened if I would have opened the door. I'm also very glad that my roommate wasn't home. If she would have been, I may have thought that she ordered a pizza and opened the door. I'll never say that I'm glad I have a history of abuse, but I do like to think that it made me more cognizant of my surroundings.

Starting point is 00:08:33 So to the deceptive shadow that appeared at my door that night, let's not meet. It was the last Saturday in May of 1998. The day of my senior prom, I grew up in a very small town in the Midwest and went to a very poor high school, compiled of kids from several local rural towns and farms. We didn't have enough money to have our prom at any type of country club or anywhere fancy. So, my senior classmates and I all gathered together at our high school to decorate the cafeteria, which was the location of our big dance. Everyone was abuzz with excitement as we all blew up balloons. We talked about what we were wearing, our escorts, how we would wear our hair, and everything else that was the

Starting point is 00:09:37 most important thing in our lives at that moment. As we did our best to transform our lunchroom into a magical ballroom for this one special night, we began to realize that our minuscule budget had not provided enough decorations, and we were swiftly running out of decor supplies. Most of my group of friends had part-time jobs. Some of them had generous parents, so we pulled all of the money that we had on hand to purchase more ornamental bobbles to make our night as special as we could. As we were on a time limit, my friend

Starting point is 00:10:11 who I'll call Guy, and I volunteered to head two towns over to the nearest superstore to purchase our supplies while the rest of the group stayed behind to continue. Guy and I hopped into my convertible, but the top-down cranked the music and drove off without a care in the world. It was the perfect Midwestern spring afternoon with warm sunshine beaming down, a slight breeze, and everyone in the area was out and about enjoying it since the winter chill had finally gone. All the way to the store we talked about our plans for the night and the fact that the next weekend we were graduating.

Starting point is 00:10:51 Guy and I went into the store and purchased the last minute violet, silver, and black decor with our pulled money. As we were leaving, I told Guy that I wanted to stop at the store's gas station to fill up my car since we had already lost time having to make this unexpected drive to the store. This would mean that I wouldn't have to stop before the dance. He agreed and we drove over to the pumps. Guy, who was always a gentleman, offered to go into the store to get us a couple of sodas while I pumped the gas. As I stood next to my car while the gas pumped, I was watching everyone at the busy station wondering what they were doing on this very special evening of my prom.

Starting point is 00:11:36 As my eyes scanned the lot, they landed on a man with the hood of his van up. It was your typical white van. It was a little rusty, and it looked like it may have been used for work, with the back windows panelled over having never been installed. He was an average looking man baseball caps on glasses mid-40s and dressed in plain clothes. The man was fiddling around under his hood with the driver's door open when he looked in my direction. He began to wave me over to him, and it took me a moment to realize that he may have been motioning to me. I looked to either side of me expecting someone else to be there, but no one was.

Starting point is 00:12:21 I looked back at the man and pointed to myself to which he nodded yes and waved me over again. Now I didn't think anything of it, I began to walk over to the van. It was the middle of a busy Saturday afternoon and there were people everywhere. The man stopped what he was doing and faced me. I asked him, �Did you need me for something?� He replied with a slight smile and in a soft tone that he wanted me to sit in the driver's seat. The man explained that he would tell me to do certain things behind the wheel while he watched under the hood to help him get the van running.

Starting point is 00:12:58 I hesitated but then agreed to help as I didn't want to be rude, and I knew that I had done the same thing for my dad before. Just as I turned to move towards the driver's door, I felt a hand grip down on my elbow. It was Guy. He had a concerned look of alarm on his face and said, what are you doing, Amanda? I began to tell him that I was going to assist the man, to which guy replied, no, you're not, we're leaving right now. Guy guided me away from the van into the passenger side of my car.

Starting point is 00:13:36 I got in, slightly surprised by guy's actions, and he began telling me how crazy I was to think of getting in a stranger's car. I told him that it was so busy at the gas station. It was broad daylight. No danger would have occurred. Essentially he scolded me saying that something could happen anywhere anytime. I didn't disagree with him, however, my mind was a bit doubtful. I'm a five'9 athletic female and did not consider myself an easy target. Guy was telling me how he couldn't wait to tell my mom about how careless I had been and he knew she was going to be pissed off. As he continued to rant about the mistake I almost

Starting point is 00:14:19 made while we were pulling out, I turned to look over to the man with the van. Just then, he put the hood down, got into the driver's seat, and shut the door. When he did this, a man crawled out of the back of the van, and got into the passenger's seat, and they drove away. I stared in disbelief, and became instantly sick as my body turned cold and my skin broke out in goose bumps. I sat there in silence for the rest of the way back to our school, and I was very quiet, as Guy unabashedly told our group of friends what I had almost done. Afterward, he came back to my house and told my mom, she was livid just as we both knew that she would be.

Starting point is 00:15:07 I'm now forty-two years old, and I can still see my reflection in that man's sunglasses, and I think about what would have inevitably happened, had Guy not been there to block my blind stupidity. block my blind stupidity. To guy I'm forever grateful, and to the men in that van, I hope no one ever fell for your trap. Let's never meet. Las comunidades negras e ispanas se vende especcionalmente afectadas por la enfermedad de las células falsiformes, una enfermedad devastadora que puede provocar anemia, fatiga, crisis de dolor, insuficiencia en diversos órganos y muerte prematura. Un nuevo estudio de investigación ofrece el potencial para luchar contra la enfermedad de células

Starting point is 00:16:07 falsiformas. Visite Ruby-SECD-Stary.com para obtener más información sobre una opción de tratamiento en investigación para la enfermedad de células falsiformes. El estudio ahora está recrutando personas de 18 a 50 años en Dallas. Visite Ruby-SECD-Stary.com. I honestly have no idea where to start. This is my first time ever publicly talking about what happened. For a little backstory, it occurred in April of 2017. I was an 18-year-old female, 5'4", 120 lbs, and I lived in the Midwest. This was the first big outside party of the year. The party was out in the woods at the edge

Starting point is 00:16:47 of a field with a huge bonfire to keep everyone warm since it was the middle of April, and there was still snow on the ground. But it was warm enough out that the snow was melting. So it was very muddy. We party like this often, being most of us under the legal drinking age. So everyone parked on the dirt road and walked about a quarter of a mile into the woods until we hit the edge of the field where 50 plus people were huddled around this huge fire. Music was blaring, everyone was having a great time, drinks were flowing, and all of a sudden, I see a guy who I'll call Sam.

Starting point is 00:17:28 Now, I had met Sam a few days prior, and I knew he was going to be giving me problems when I had to tell him multiple times that I wasn't interested in him, and had to constantly pull myself away from him, trying to hug me, and even kiss me. I mean, what the fuck? I instantly pull myself away from him, trying to hug me, and even kiss me. I mean, what the fuck? Can you not take a hint? Anyways, I see Sam at the party, and we make small talk, and then I go on my way and try my best to avoid eye contact.

Starting point is 00:17:58 I continue socializing and drinking. I'm standing basically at the edge of the fire with my back to the woods, talking with a group of friends when all of a sudden I fill a tap on my right shoulder. So I turned around to see who it was. When all of a sudden, the next thing I know I'm on the ground being picked up by my jacket, and there are a lot more people around me than I remembered. And there are a lot more people around me than I remembered. People are grabbing at me, asking if I'm okay. I said, did I just get fucking punched? Someone took their hoodie off and put it over my eye.

Starting point is 00:18:36 At this point, I'm still in complete shock. I reached for my face and touched my eyebrow and looked at my hand. It was covered with blood. It was everywhere. I could feel it running down my face and touched my eyebrow and looked at my hand, it was covered with blood, it was everywhere. I could feel it running down my face. I said again, did I just get fucking punched?" At this point Sam ran off because he knew that my friends would murder him. I got up and at this point I'm so full of adrenaline, I start screaming, where is he? I'm gonna curb stomp him. No everyone who knows me knows that I'm very spunky and outgoing. You really gotta piss me off to hear me talk like this.

Starting point is 00:19:13 I just keep screaming, where is he? Where is he? The driver of the friends that I wrote to the party with comes up to me and has to literally carry me over his shoulders out of the party because I'm so fired up. You need to go to the hospital, your face is bleeding too much." They said. I didn't care at that point. I did have to get eight stitches on my eyebrow and ended up with a fractured cheekbone because

Starting point is 00:19:40 that stupid fuck decided that he wanted a punch of female in the face. I still to this day don't know what I did that made him so mad that he felt the urge to punch me. Maybe he can't take rejection either way. Sam, I have a 100 pound chocolate lab who will rip your face off and a family who fights MMA. They'll all go to the end of the world to protect me, so let's not meet again.

Starting point is 00:20:19 When I was about 19 years old, I babysat twins almost full time. To break up the monotony of the day I would sometimes bring the four-year-old twins to my house, where I lived with my sister and her husband. We would play there for a little bit. I was on my phone with my mother one day when I heard a knock at the door. Putting the phone down, it wasn't a cordless phone. I answered the door to find a man in Jean Shorts, a ratty shirt, and speckles of what looked like blood on his face.

Starting point is 00:20:57 He looked like he shaved in his car or something. He told me that he was here with the fence company that recently installed a new fence at our house and needed to check on the job. Our old fence was stacked up on the curb waiting to be taken away at some point. I told him that we could go around back and I closed the door as he walked away. I found it odd that he was from the fence company but didn't know how to pull the ring to open the gate. I picked up the phone. I told my mom what this creep looked like, and not a minute later I hear a knock at the front door again. Once again I put the phone down and stupidly answer the door. But this time, he had opened the screen door and had one foot on the door step.

Starting point is 00:21:52 Why the fuck would he open the door? The best way to describe it is we were face to face, no door in between us now. He tells me he's having trouble opening the gate. While he was talking, he eerily looked down at the kids that were playing on the floor. He looked at them for a while as if he were thinking about something. Then slowly our eyes met again. He asked if he could go out the back doors. I told him how to open the gate, and he stepped back out of the doorway. I closed and locked the door. I looked at the back French doors to see the man on the pool deck, playing with some straight cat now. I told my mother that I was

Starting point is 00:22:39 going to call our neighbor, Mike, and thank goodness my sister entered her numbers into her address book by first name. I called, and Mike answered, telling me that he did take notice of the guy walking around outside of our house. He told me that this creepy man was now sitting in his car, and he was going to go out and approach him. As soon as Mike went outside, the man saw him and sped off. It was odd the way that he parked his car as well. See, we live on a dead end street, so if you pull in from the main street, the front of the car would be facing the dead end. The man had made sure that he did a U-turn in parked at the corner of the main road. An easier getaway, I guess. parked at the corner of the main road. An easier getaway, I guess. I know that man definitely had bad intentions, but thought twice when he saw the kids. I knew it by the look in his eyes, and the way that he had opened the screen door, putting his foot in, so if I tried to close the door,

Starting point is 00:23:40 his foot would prevent me from doing so. To this day, 25 years later I have never opened the door for a stranger again. Oh, and I keep my address book sorted by first name. To the creepy man pretending to be from the fence company, let's not meet. meat. When I was 18, I spent a lot of time in the wilderness. My favorite spot was a set of waterfalls several miles from the nearest parking area. Most visitors just parked in the RV area and swam in the creek right along this gravel road. Now in the two years I hiked those trails, I never saw anyone further in than half a mile into the trail. Anyway Anyway one Saturday I took my girlfriend to see the waterfalls since she had never seen

Starting point is 00:24:48 one in person. We set off on the trail and nod 15 minutes into the walk, she grabbed my arm and got very quiet. She said that she felt like we were being watched. She had the quote unquote, heebie-jeebies. I assured her everything was safe. The only thing I ever worried about in this part of the woods was the occasional bear, or maybe a copperhead. We continued on, but she could never shake that feeling of being watched. I just figured

Starting point is 00:25:21 she wasn't used to the wilderness and was having trouble adjusting. A couple of hours later, we finally reached the end of the trail and had a picnic at the bottom of the falls. After we finish eating, she tries to check her cell phone for messages and starts to panic when she realizes we have no service. I explained to her that there was no cell reception anywhere around for miles, that were finally alone and we can enjoy some peace and solitude, which of course made her panic. We started heading back almost immediately because she was clearly scared, and I couldn't

Starting point is 00:26:04 help but smile thinking that it was just kind of silly. On the way back I explained her how many times I had been out there, all alone, and I had never had any problems, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. We were about a mile from the falls on the only trail around when we finally hear someone call from behind. I jumped nearly out of my skin and I turned to see a man walking towards us. He had a rifle slung over his shoulder and a heavy beard with his hat tipped low. She took a small step behind me. What can I do for you?" I asked, trying to sound friendly.

Starting point is 00:26:51 You guys, you left your cell phone back at the falls, he said. I saw this slight grin behind his beard as he looked at my girlfriend. "'Oh, thanks for the assistance,' I said, extending my hand. He shook his head and told me that he didn't bring it, and that it was still sitting up there. Maybe we should follow him back up there and get at ourselves. We politely declined and made our way back down the trail as quickly as possible, but we were being followed by him, several feet behind. He followed us all the way back out to our car, and that's when she showed me that she had her cell phone. I haven't been back to that particular

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Starting point is 00:28:30 I've worked in maintenance for six years and I service buildings throughout multiple different cities. I'll do general cleaning and building maintenance. The perks are working alone and getting to listen to podcasts and music all night. I work late hours, so I'm always out at night. I'm a female, and I've worked this job since my mid-twenties. I've had many unpleasant experiences throughout the years in this job. I've had many people banging on doors of the buildings, following me to my car, hiding behind dumpsters, too many other experiences to mention right now, but one instance will

Starting point is 00:29:12 always stick out among the others. I don't follow a strict time schedule, and I rarely repeat my route exactly the same each night, so it would be hard to find out where I am at one exact time. I feel that's important to mention. At around 1 a.m. on this specific night, I pulled up to the building like normal and parked in a large parking lot. It's a very large brick building with a large historic cemetery directly next door. I got my keys ready, exited the vehicle, and walked about 25 feet towards the corridor in the back of the building

Starting point is 00:29:54 towards a maintenance door. This being my only available entrance and exit. With my back turned to all other surroundings, I unlock the door and enter the building which is now pitch black. The door closes behind me and locks automatically. From there I go down a stairway to a basement and hit a breaker box for the lights and to disarm the alarms. I then immediately go back up the stairs. All of this only takes about 20 to 30 seconds. Now as I approached the top of the stairs, I glanced back out

Starting point is 00:30:32 the door that I had entered, and there stood a man in a large coat and hat. He was staring straight into the building at me. Extremely startled, I audibly gasped, then dipped back into the side hallway out of view of him. I settled against the wall, letting my mind relax and try to comprehend the situation. He had to have been somewhere right behind me as I was initially entering the building and I just hadn't noticed. As I stood against this wall, I pulled out my phone and I used the camera to peek around the corner to see what was going on, or what he was doing. He just stood there and stared. His face almost against the glass he was so close. He was grunting very loudly, and speaking in mumbled words. He was flicking this lighter over and over, fumbling in his

Starting point is 00:31:35 jacket with the other hand. It was all very, very unsettling. I tried to rationalize things and told myself, I always fine. I'm locked in a building. No one else can get in. I just want to do my job. So, I headed to the front of the building to get on with it. There are so many different ways around this building from front to back and through the basement, but only the one entrance and exit from me and my key. So I tried to avoid this area for now thinking that the man would go away. Also, this building is quite like being in a giant fishbowl at night. Many windows all around.

Starting point is 00:32:23 I can't see out very well, but anyone can see in. I worked the front of the building for a bit, occasionally running back for supplies as my supply room is right by this specific door. My first trip back, he was gone and this was a huge relief. The next trip back, he was again standing there, staring me dead in the eyes, grunting and seeming to get a bit more irritated. I remained in the building for about an hour and a half, knowing I had to eventually get out of that door and make it to my car. Once I set the alarms for the building, I have to hurry out. I have no choice.

Starting point is 00:33:10 He spent most of his time in this small corridor right outside of the door, disappearing on and off for only a few minutes. I decided that I needed to make a decision to call the police about this situation. I turned off the lights and headed back upstairs, with the man still standing there, I hid in the hallway and called. It took down my report and said they'd be sending someone out to me soon. Time just continued to pass and after 30 minutes, still no sign of any police. I got frustrated, I had to make a decision and

Starting point is 00:33:45 looking back it was a very stupid decision. I saw that he had stepped away again so I quickly set the alarms, took a deep breath and ran out the door to my car. Not even glancing around I just ran full speed. I got in and drove out of the parking lot. I headed to my next location about 45 minutes away. The police ended up calling me back to ask if I was still there, almost an entire hour later. So much for the help. I told them that I had left and I was no longer there.

Starting point is 00:34:21 I finished the rest of my work shit and then went home. Rushing this experience off for the most part. Like I said before, strange instances happen often on the job. The next night, I wasn't too worried because of how random my times and places are with these buildings. No one could follow my schedule. When I did get to this specific location, this time around 11pm I pulled in and scanned the parking lot and surrounding areas. No sign of anyone else anywhere. I parked and sat around further scoping out the area, looking in my rear view mirror towards the door that I needed to get into.

Starting point is 00:35:05 Once I felt confident, I exited the vehicle, keys in hand, walking towards the door, my head on a swivel. About ten feet from the door, this same man came running out of a small crevice in the building towards me, towards the door. How long had he been hiding there? How would he know that I would be here again unless he had been watching me? Waiting for many, many nights. I'll never know. Shocked and stumbling on my feet, I turned as fast as I could and ran back to my car. I jumped in, locked the doors. I looked back at my rear-view mirror and the man was staring at me again. He then proceeds to sit down. Then he lies down. All the while still turning his head to

Starting point is 00:36:00 look at me. He grinned, laying flat on his back. He rolled over on to his side towards the door, facing away from me. Again, I could hear his mumbles and crazy groaning noises. I sat frozen in my car, never taking my eyes off the rearview mirror. A wall is in front of me, him at the building behind me. The only way for me to get out is to back up. My fear grew to anger and this anger was at this person for preventing me from doing my job. Anger that someone could make me feel so uneasy. It became apparent that he was purposefully messing with me. I once again vone the police telling the dispatcher about the same man. This time the police arrived and about two minutes tops. Or police cruisers pull into the

Starting point is 00:36:59 parking lot. The man doesn't move the muscle, he's just laying there. Two officers step out and approach him. I cracked the car window to here. Sir, what are you doing here? One officer says. I don't know. I don't know. Just walking around. Nothing.

Starting point is 00:37:21 He says. They tell him to get out of here and the man stands up and just walks off into a nearby alley. As he's walking off, he keeps looking back and glaring at me. The police stayed in the parking lot while I went and finished my job. They told me to notify them again if he came back. All they did was tell him to leave and not to come back. That's all. He hadn't done anything to me besides trespassing and messing with me. No harm had

Starting point is 00:37:53 been done so far. I had to just hope that this wouldn't be a recurring thing. The next night I pull in, all is quiet and dark. I walk towards the door. I put my key in the lock and open the door. Something falls from the door to the ground. I pick up this object and, as I inspect it, I realize it's a flower. A small flower constructed out of dirty copper wire and paper. It seems he came back and left me a gift. I threw it to the ground and hurried into the building. I washed my hands over and over again. I tell some people this story and they think it's sweet. I find it highly disturbing. I still work this job. I still go to this place every night alone, but I do carry pepper spray. I always try to be on high alert, but some

Starting point is 00:38:54 nights it's easy to fall into routine and get comfortable again. I haven't seen him since. I know he could still be out there looking in, he could be anywhere. To the man outside, you may be watching me, but I'm always watching out for you, so let's not meet face to face again. 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.

Starting point is 00:39:45 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 I was living in Chicago at the time going to school to finish my bachelor's degree. My school was closer to the Loop area, which is basically right downtown. Like most downtown areas in major cities, it can be a melting pot for all kinds of different people.

Starting point is 00:40:20 You never know who or what you're going to see regardless of the time of day. On this particular night, I had just pulled up to park on the street pretty close to my apartment. This was my first week having a car after moving to the city. My car was older and always needed a lot of repairs, and as a broke college student, I was thinking of selling it. So, I left that at my parents' house in the suburbs until I decided what to do with it. I also wanted to try and completely rely on public transportation, as my school gave us a free public transit

Starting point is 00:40:59 pass, but I quickly learned that sometimes having a car was just a whole lot easier. After finding this pretty prime parking space, I began gathering up my things to take inside. In that moment, I was overcome with this weird feeling. A feeling that I needed to stay in my car. I needed to lock it. I should not get out. I thought maybe I was feeling this way because I needed to call my friend back and maybe sitting in my car and talking to her was better than going inside of my apartment and potentially waking up my roommates. So I put my

Starting point is 00:41:40 stuff down and called my friend. A few minutes after we started talking, I noticed someone walking on the sidewalk on the same side of the street that I was parked on. It's not uncommon to see people walking in this area at this time of the evening, but it is noticeable when people do because it's usually only like a person here or there. But this person, they were walking in the direction that I was parked, but we're facing the back of my car. What made this person stand out more than someone who might just be walking down the street was how he was walking.

Starting point is 00:42:20 The gate and manner in which he was walking was so rushed and kind of staggered. He kept looking around, like he was looking for somebody. But it was very obvious he was alone. I kept a close eye on this man, and as he came closer, I saw him holding something in his hand. It was long. He was trying to conceal it.

Starting point is 00:42:51 He approached the street light, and that's when I saw the silver gleam from the object, as he went to hide it closer to his body. It was a large knife. I immediately felt panicked. I started telling my friend what was going on. His pace was increasing, and he was about 10 feet from my car now. I told my friend to be quiet, and I slid down as far in my seat as I could without trying to make the car move. I closed my eyes and held my breath as I prayed that this man didn't decide to glance over inside my car. I had no idea how long it was before I decided to sit back up, but it was one of the scariest choices I had to make.

Starting point is 00:43:34 To my relief, he was just continuing down the street very far away from me now. I called 911 to report what I had saw, and as soon as he was out of sight, I ran into my apartment. I looked in the news to see if anything came of it, like him stabbing anyone, and in my relief, there was nothing. I kept thinking if I chose to sell my car sooner than I eventually did, or even if I decided to take public transportation that night home. Would he and I have crossed paths on the sidewalk? A few days later I bought

Starting point is 00:44:14 a tazer to carry with me, which to be honest I should have done a while ago, being a woman and especially living in a large city means that danger can find you a lot quicker. But to the man on that dimly lit street carrying the knife, let's not meet. Don't let the summer heat bake in road grime any longer, head to your nearby Zips Car Wash to clean up and cool off. And listen to this, now when you buy your next car wash online at zipscarwash.com, you pay even less. That's right, we save you money off our amazing washes plus you also get to skip the line and use our Express Lane service. When you're ready to shine, skip the line and save time and money with your online wash

Starting point is 00:45:11 code. Find your nearest location at zipscarwash.com. Then drive and shine today. Thanks for listening and make sure you grab your tickets for the live shows in August. Again, I'll be in Seattle, Washington on August 25th, then head down to Portland for another show on the 26th tickets at Let's Not Meet Podcast.com slash tour or the links in the show notes. I'm going to be telling some brand new stories, including some right from your hometown. I know it's going to be a very creepy and very special evening. I'm terrified and excited already, and bring some

Starting point is 00:45:43 friends and family and show them a good time. Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Let's Not Meet, this week you have heard. He was at my front door by K. Dragon, almost kidnapped by Amanda. I was just standing there by a listener that asked to remain anonymous. Why did I answer the door by Jesse B? The follower in the state park by Renegade 2366. He's still out there by Corey. And finally, let's not meet again, Guy with a knife by Melissa. All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of the respective authors. Let's not meet a true horror podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. As always, if you have a story to share, make sure you send it to Let's Not Meet Stories

Starting point is 00:46:32 at gmail.com. If you'd like to help fund the Let's Not Meet TV pilot, head over to Let's Not Meet TV.com to donate today and get access to a bunch of great perks, like personal shout outs, video greetings, and even a chance to name one of the characters in the episode. We're a long way from the goal, but every little bit helps, and we'll be shooting whatever we can afford, even if we have to use our own pocket change to make it happen. Also make sure you check out the new episodes of my other podcasts, Odd Trails, and the All Time Radiocast this week at crypticcountypodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:47:06 And I apologize and I'm full of announcements this week. I just have a lot going on. I've been super busy. Don't forget to check out the recent episode of Drinking the Cool Aid featuring myself. I went on there to talk about some out-of-body experiences and some of their gross hilarious topics. Definitely out of the realm of your usual, let's not meet podcast episode, but it was a ton of fun. So if you are ready to laugh, get a little creeped out, and learn a thing or two about astral projection. Make sure you check out that episode of drinking the cool aid wherever you get your podcasts. And finally, if you're a patron,

Starting point is 00:47:46 don't forget to stick around after the music for your extended, ad-free version of this week's episode. If you'd like to get access to those episodes and other bonus content and merch, just go to patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcasts to sign up and support the show today. See you next week for a brand new episode of Let's Not Meet, and I'll be on the lookout for those Seattle important submissions for the live shows. Stay safe! It's morbid, but in a way comforting to hear these stories from other people, mostly women. Don't let the summer heat bake in road grime any longer, hand to your nearby Zips Car Wash to clean up and cool off.

Starting point is 00:48:50 And listen to this, now when you buy your next car wash online at zipscarwash.com, you pay even less. That's right, we save you money off our amazing washes plus you also get to skip the line and use our Express Lane service. When you're ready to shine, skip the line and save time and money with your online washcode. Find your nearest location at zipscarwash.com. Then drive and shine today. professionals, from courses to help you attain or retain certification to individualize coaching services, to programs that hone your leadership skills and business acumen.

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Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 8x21: Why Did I Answer The Door? - Let's Not Meet

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