Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - A Stormy Night, a Screaming Woman, and a Gunman Arizona Trips Gone Horribly Wrong PART1 #75

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #stormynight #gunmanencounter #arizonastories #truecrimehorror #nightterror  This first part sets the stage for a terrifying experience on an Arizona trip gone horribly wrong. The narrator describes a stormy night filled with fear and chaos when a woman’s scream cuts through the darkness and a dangerous gunman emerges. Tension builds as the story unfolds, hinting at the horrors that lie ahead in the coming chapters.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, arizonastory, truecrime, nightterror, survivalstory, stormynight, gunmanencounter, scaryexperience, realhorror, terrorinthedark, wildernessfear, unexpecteddanger, travelnightmare, frighteningencounter, darknight

My husband and I decided to go camping for the first time in Arizona during our long trip through the western U.S. I had picked out this epic little spot way up in the mountains, totally remote, tucked on the edge of a cliff that gave this insane view of the valley below. It was deep in a national forest, about 20 miles from even the nearest gravel road. Exactly the kind of place you'd expect a horror movie to kick off. We got there, set up the tent, and spent the afternoon hiking, snapping shot. of the gorgeous views. At one point we passed a couple cars and figured, hey, let's talk to these folks, might be smart in case something happens, especially since a few of them were locals. There were four guys, seemed chill. We brought up the storm rumor we heard about and they brushed

it off, said it wasn't going to be anything major. They told us they wouldn't be camping if they thought it'd be bad. Good enough for us. We stayed. Later, we bumped into the a young woman with her dog and what looked like her mom, maybe grandma. We all smiled and waved as we passed each other on the trail. They headed deeper into the woods, and we made our way back to our cliffside home for the night. We caught the sunset, it was killer. Then we double-checked the car, parked just a few yards from the tent. Everything seemed peaceful. No stars out that night, though. Storm clouds were rolling in. It hadn't started raining yet, so we decided to hit the sack early. We figured we'd just ride it out and sleep

through whatever storm came our way. Fast forward to around 10.30 p.m. and I'm up. Thunder's echoing through the valley, and now it's pouring. I'm not going to lie, I started to get freaked. This wasn't just a light drizzle like those guys made it sound. Arizona gets bad flash floods, especially in the mountains. Plus, I couldn't shake this fear of us. sliding off the edge of the cliff in the middle of the night. I told myself I was being paranoid. Eventually I drifted back to sleep. Midnight. I wake up again. This time, it's because something keeps hitting the side of our tent. At first, it sounds like little slaps or taps. Then this weird dragging noise. I couldn't see anything, total darkness. The sound came back every few minutes.

It was like someone was slowly dragging a hand down the fabric of our tent. And suddenly, all I could think about was that old urban legend, the one where the couple's car breaks down, the guy goes off for help, and the girl wakes up to hear a scraping sound, you know the one. It ends badly. I glanced at my husband. Still asleep. Then, footsteps.

Right next to the tent. Not rushing. Just, slow, steady-futable. footsteps. Right next to my side. I froze. Completely paralyzed with fear. My heart was pounding so loud I thought whoever was out there could probably hear it thudding away. Then I heard it, this deep sigh, like someone exhaling heavily right on the other side of the tent. Not a bear. A person. I panicked and grabbed my husband's hand. Hard. Tried to wake him without making noise. He didn't get the memo. He sits up and goes, what's wrong? Why are you squeezing my hand?

Of course, the second he spoke, everything outside went dead quiet. Silence. Like whatever was out there froze too. Once I unfroze myself, I whispered what I heard. He tried to play it cool, maybe it was a deer or something, but every few minutes, that tent kept getting smacked. Not hard, just, enough to mess with you. We told ourselves it was pine cones or ice falling. Something natural. Because no one just stands out there tapping your tent at midnight unless they're unhinged. We tried to sleep again.

Tried to convince ourselves it was nothing. We almost succeeded. Then something slammed into the tent. Right on my husband's side. Like, full on collapsed the tent wall on top of him. I damn near lost my mind, thought it was a bear attacking. He pushed back, and we heard that same weird sliding noise again. That's when we realized, the whole tent was coated in ice.

Thick, cold sheets of it. And when he pushed it, it slid off in one big layer. Turns out, yeah, it snows in Arizona. especially up in the high elevations like where we were. It was just ice. Falling from the trees. Nothing evil or alive. We felt a bit dumb but also kind of relieved.

We laughed a little. Still, I had this tight knot in my gut. We lay back down. Maybe 3 a.m. now. Just as we were finally dozing off again, screaming. Not just yelling. Not someone mad or shouting for fun. A woman.

Screaming like her soul was being torn out. Pure, unfiltered terror. We bolted upright. Looked at each other. Frozen again. She screamed again. Then the roar of a car engine. Tires spinning.

Someone was speeding away. She kept screaming. It didn't sound like she was in the car, though. More like she was chasing it. Calling after it. Begging. Screaming. I was sobbing now.

Totally done. I could take the weather, the possible animals, even the freaky noises. But this? A woman screaming in the middle of the dark woods at 3 o'clock in the morning while someone peels off into the night. Nope. We started throwing stuff into bags. Didn't even bother packing my. neatly. Left half our gear behind. Just grabbed the valuables and sprinted to the car.

We kept the lights off. Didn't want to announce our presence. While my husband folded the tent as fast as he could, I got in a car and called 911, told them what we heard and where we were. Dispatcher said they'd send someone out to check. But it would take over an hour. The roads were jacked from the storm, and we were seriously off the grid. We didn't wait. Started driving. At about 3.30 a.m., just as we were leaving the area, my husband noticed something weird. The four local guys from earlier. Their cars were gone. But their tents were still there. Three tents. Sitting there like ghosts. No sign of life. They just vanished. And suddenly, remembered that girl with the dog and the older lady. We never saw them come back. What if the

footsteps we heard weren't an animal at all? What if someone was checking tents, seeing who was inside? What if they targeted her instead of us? We never found out what happened. Never got a follow-up from the Rangers. But that night, it burned into my brain forever. Something wasn't right up on that mountain. And I really hope whoever that woman was made it out alive. Okay, now let's time jump to 2002 for a minute. The world was simpler. Tom Brady had just won his first Super Bowl ring, W.W.E was still fun, and every car had a fat stack of burned CDs under the seat or in a sleeve on the visor if you were fancy. I was in high school, attending this strict private school in Tucson. I got invited to spend the weekend with a buddy up in Phoenix. Our families knew each other,

so it was all cool. His parents were rich, golf club rich. They dipped out the second we got there. No rules, no supervision. We did what dumb teens do, wandered off to hang out with his friends. Five of us total. One guy borrowed his mom's Toyota Camry and we just drove around Phoenix at drinking, smoking, blasting music, and feeling like kings of the world. It was one of those nights where you just cruise until you run out of gas or ideas. Eventually, things slowed down. We decided to call it a night. Stopped at a red light. That's when this black SUV pulled up next to us. Tinted windows. Couldn't see inside. To be continued.