Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - Terrifying Rest Stop Encounters True Stories of Danger, Fear and Narrow Escapes PART1 #25

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #reststopnightmares #truecreepystories #realhorrors #dangerousencounters #narrowescapes  Terrifying rest stop encounters told through true stories of danger, fear, and close calls. From eerie strangers to unsettling situations, these chilling tales remind us why late-night stops can become nightmares. Part 1 of the series explores real experiences where survival was far from guaranteed.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, realhorrorstories, truecrimehorror, scarytrueencounters, creepyrealstories, paranormalhorror, internetcreepypasta, survivalstories, scaryencounters, darktales, nightterrors, unsettlingstories, truefear, chillingencounters, eerieexperiences

Horror. Back to 1995. This isn't exactly my story, but I was there, at least physically. I was only about two years old, way too young to understand anything beyond whether I was hungry, cranky, or needed a diaper change. The year was 1995, and my family was on the road. My younger brother hadn't been born yet. At that time, my parents were barely more than kids themselves. Dad was 22. Mom was 21. When I look back on pictures of them from that age, it's wild to think they were already trying to juggle raising me, paying bills, and chasing opportunities. The reason for this particular road trip was my dad's job. He had a shot at climbing the ladder in the company he was working for, and that meant traveling to Atlanta, Georgia. For two young parents from South Florida,

it was a big deal, maybe even life-changing. So they loaded up the car, buckled me into my car seat and hit the interstate. They drove all night. My dad's stubborn streak, which I definitely inherited, wouldn't let him stop for more than gas or the occasional bathroom break. By the time the sun hinted at rising, they'd already covered hundreds of miles of dark highway, headlights slicing through the quiet.

Now, being a two-year-old, I didn't really care about career opportunities or family goals. I just knew I was uncomfortable, strapped in for hours, cranky, and in need of a diaper change. I woke up fussing, squirming in my seat, and that was enough for Dad to pull into the next rest stop. This wasn't one of those busy highway plazas with glowing golden arches or 20 semis lined up in neat rows. No, this was one of those lonely rest areas you find in the middle of nowhere. A couple of bathrooms, some vending machines that probably ate more quarters than they gave back in snacks and an empty parking lot that felt just a

little too quiet. Dad pulled right up near the bathrooms. He parked, stretched, and lit up a cigarette outside while Mom unbuckled me. She carried me inside for a quick diaper change, probably thankful to get a break from my whining. Here's the thing about my dad. Paranoid might as well have been his middle name. Even at 22, he carried himself like someone who accepted. He was expected the worst but prepared for it anyway. And he was the type of guy who believed in being ready for anything, which is why he always carried a handgun when he traveled. That night was no exception. Before lighting his smoke, he reached under the driver's seat, pulled the gun out, and kept it close. At first, everything seemed normal. The night was dead quiet, no other cars,

no other people, just him leaning against the car, exhaling cigarette smoke into the cool, morning air. But then, something shifted. Out of the corner of his eye, Dad noticed a shadow. Not just any shadow, this one moved. It peeled itself away from the far wall near the bulletin board, plastered with faded posters and public announcements. From Dad's angle, hidden slightly behind the car, he had the advantage. He could see the man clearly, but the man hadn't seen him. The figure was tall, skinny, and pale, a white guy dressed in all dark clothes, black jeans, a black hoodie. He had that look about him, the kind of presence that makes your instincts whisper, this isn't good. He wasn't strolling casually, he wasn't stretching his legs like any other traveler might.

Instead, he was moving deliberately, scanning the parking lot, eyes fixed on the bathroom. The same bathroom my mom had just walked into. With me. Dad's stomach dropped. He wasn't the type to panic, but later he admitted that in that moment, every nerve in his body was on high alert. He stepped casually into the light, lifted his hand just enough to let the gun gleam under the fluorescent glow, and shook his head slowly. Not today, he said.

The man froze mid-step, eyes widening when he finally knew. noticed dad. He hadn't seen him there before, probably because he'd been too busy watching my mom. For a moment, everything went still. Then the stranger raised his hand slightly, a gesture of surrender, before backing away. Without a word, he turned and bolted into the darkness, disappearing faster than he'd appeared. Dad immediately shouted for my mom, his voice sharp that she hurried out of the bathroom with me in her arms. Without wasting another second, he ushered ushered us into the car, started the engine, and sped out of that rest stop like hell itself was on our heels. Later, when I was older, I asked him, what would you have done if that guy kept coming towards you?

Dad didn't hesitate. He gave me a grim smile and said, he would have had to kill me to get to your mom or you. Hi, I'm Darren Marler. Host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Sfreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record. host and distribute your show everywhere from apple podcasts to spotify but the real game changer for me was spreeker's monetization spreeker offers dynamic ad insert insert ads into your episodes no editing required and with spreeker's programmatic ads they'll bring the ads to you and you get paid for every download this turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career spreeker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access

adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Spreker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out Spreaker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. But I wouldn't have let that happen.

That story stuck with me. It became one of my favorites to hear Henry tell, not because it was heroic in the flashy Hollywood sense, but because it showed me exactly who my dad was. The kind of man who would face down a stranger in the night, no questions asked, if it meant protecting his family. And as for that would be creep, whoever he was, wherever he went, I hope he never tried that again. 2. The Van in Australia Fast forward years later, and the theme of creepy stuff happening at rest stops wasn't

limited to my family. This one wasn't me either, but it happened to someone I met while backpacking, and it stuck with me because it sounded like something straight out of a horror flick. So, picture this, Australia. Endless stretches of road that cut through wilderness, bushland, and wide open nothingness. Backpackers and travelers often buy or rent vans because it's cheaper than hotels and it gives you freedom to sleep pretty much wherever you can park. That's exactly what this is. That's exactly what this traveler was doing, living the nomad life in a van. Some nights they slept at gas stations, other nights rest areas, basically wherever exhaustion forced them to stop. One night, after hours of driving, the exhaustion hit hard. They pulled into a rest area in the middle of nowhere. In the

daytime, maybe it would have seemed peaceful, even beautiful. But at night, the place looked like a horror movie set, pitch black, silent, and eerily empty. Not a single other car in sight. They knew it wasn't the safest idea. Any season traveler will tell you, park where other people are. They're safety in numbers. But when your eyelids weigh more than your sense of caution, logic doesn't always win. They turned off the engine, closed the curtains in the van, and tried to get some rest.

Hours later, sometime before dawn, they were jolted awake by heavy pounding on the side of the van. Open up, it's the police. If you've ever been woken up like that, you know how fast your heart can go from zero to sprinting. Adrenaline dumped straight into their bloodstream, and before they even had time to think, the pounding came again. Police, open up. At first, they thought maybe they'd parked somewhere illegally, but then their brain caught up. This was the middle of nowhere. It was a rest stop, and something about the voice didn't sound right.

Instead of opening the door, they crept to the window and peeked through a tiny gap in the curtain. What they saw made their blood run cold. A man standing there, no uniform, no badge, no flashing lights. Just a shadowy figure beside a car with its headlights off. Definitely not a cop. Gathering whatever courage they had left, they shouted through the van. Get the FF away. I've got a gun and I'm calling the cops right now. Total bluff. They had no gun, no radio, nothing but fear and a shaky voice. But apparently that was

enough. The guy backed off. They watched as he got into his car, and then, just when they thought it was over, someone else emerged from the bushes and climbed into the car with him. Two of them. Together they drove away into the night. It didn't take long for the traveler to start their van and drive in the opposite direction. Wide awake now. Hi, I'm Darren Marler. Host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt.

Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreeker's monetization. Spreaker offers dynamic ad insertion. That means you can automatically insert ads into your episodes. No editing required. And with Spreker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you. and you get paid for every download.

This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network,

Spreaker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out Spreaker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. Every nerve buzzing. Safe to say, they never slept alone at a deserted rest stop again.

Australia has its fair share of creepy stories, including infamous serial killers who preyed on backpackers. And while no one can ever know what those guys wanted that night, the traveler is pretty damn certain it wasn't anything good. And honestly, they're lucky they live to tell the story. To be continued