The Lets Read Podcast - 227: WHAT WAS IN THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS? | 29 True Scary Stories | EP 215

Episode Date: February 20, 2024

This episode includes narrations of true creepy encounters submitted by normal folks just like yourself. Today you'll experience horrifying stories about the Winter, Adirondacks, & the World Ending...  HAVE A STORY TO SUBMIT?► www.Reddit.com/r/LetsReadOfficial FOLLOW ME ON - ►YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/letsreadofficial ► Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsread.official/ ► Twitter - https://twitter.com/LetsRead ♫ Background Music & Audio Remastering: INEKT https://www.instagram.com/_inekt/

A A few years back, me and my brother Tim inherited our parents' vacation home in the Adirondacks. The house was seldom used because as their parents got older, the harder it was for them to travel up to visit the home. Tim doesn't live very far from the property, so he's been assigned the job of checking on everything to make sure that there aren't any major issues. We recently made the decision to list the house in the market. Tim was very much on board initially but recently had been dragging his feet with providing the necessary signatures to move forward to the next steps. I understood and didn't push the issue because it was something our parents left to us and maybe he was having trouble letting go. But after one late night conversation, Tim said he couldn't wait to be rid of it and was sick of checking up on the property every so often. However, even after that conversation, Tim didn't show any motivation in assisting with the next steps to get the house listed and

sort of began ignoring me. This isn't very surprising as Tim has always been go with the flow and I have always been more structured and regimented. After a few months of back and forth, excuses and feet dragging, I told my wife that I was going to drive up to the house to see what potential work needed to be done prior to putting the place on the market. She agreed and thought it would be good to see Tim face to face and talk about some of the issues we'd been having recently. I requested some PTO from work as I was already partially retired at the time, packed a bag and began the long slow drive up to the Adirondacks. On my way I couldn't shake this negative feeling. I don't know if it was just because I was anxious

or if something was weighing on my mind. I'm generally an anxious person and having to talk to Tim and work through some of our issues was most likely what was weighing on my mind though. The closer I got, the more uneasy that I felt. After what seemed like an eternity, I arrived. The property looked very unkempt. The lawn, trees and accompanying vegetation was mostly overgrown. There was also trash spread out through the area. Not like fresh trash or a ton of it, but old crushed soda bottles or candy wrappers that looked like they were ripped through by a squirrel.

Like trash that was imprinted into the ground and wasn't blown away with the wind. The closer I got to the house, the worse it got. Not with the trash, but with the overall state of the house and property. The deck had a fire pit that had cans inside of it that looked like it was attempted to be burned during a previous fire. The firewood was all over and the grill was uncovered. There were also several pairs of shoes and boots on the deck, which seemed really odd. The locks were still the same, which was a welcome relief when trying to get in. As soon as I walked in, I was met with a punch to the nostrils. It smelled like a gym bag or wet socks. I moved around to try and find the lights as it had been forever since I had been to the

house. Once I flipped the lights on, I saw stuff all over the place. Stuff like someone was living there. There were plastic plates and utensils, sleeping bags, blankets, pizza boxes, and all sorts of other things. I began to move carefully throughout the house watching my step with adrenaline and anxiety pumping through my body. I pulled out my phone to call Tim, but no answer. The kitchen was a freaking mess, with what I assumed was spaghetti or pizza sauce all over the back of the stove and wall. I didn't find anything else on the second floor outside of, again, some blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and clothes, which were not in the dresser but

sprawled out in beds and floors. Once I confirmed that no one was actually in the house, I stepped outside and tried Tim's cell phone two more times. No answer but within about five minutes he was calling back. As soon as I answered I unloaded and asked why he was lying about going to check on the house all this time and that now due to his negligence we had squatters who were living here and destroying the place. I went up and down for about five minutes, really venting out my frustrations and how angry I was at him and how he never ever assumes any responsibility for anything. I probably said one or two things I shouldn't have in the heat of the

moment. Tim didn't interrupt. He waited until I was finished and came out with a confession. Apparently, Tim was allowing people to rent the house, and was charging them weekly to make some extra cash since work had been slow. The same group of people had been living there on and off for years without my knowledge. I was floored. One, I couldn't believe he did this for so long without even discussing it with me, and two, no wonder he was stalling on any potential sale. He was getting steady income week after week. I let Tim know that this was ending now, and that he should contact whoever he needed to get their stuff out of the house so I could begin preparing it to be listed as soon as

possible. Tim tried to go on with some excuse of needing more time, but I cut him off and told him to just do it and I hung up. I went and found a local hotel to stay at for a few days before I returned to the house and I used that time to fill my wife in and vent and do some much needed shopping for supplies and other items I would need to fix up and clean the house. Once I got back to the house, all the personal belongings were gone, but the mess remained and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon just cleaning and making some minor repairs. By the time it was around 3 o'clock I decided to take a break and have a bite to eat on the couch and read for a little bit.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up and it was already dark out. I had fallen asleep on the couch, which in all honesty wasn't that surprising given what I had done all day and the lousy sleep I had since I had been up here. I decided I would take the garbage out then come back in and do some more work inside before I called it a night. When I went outside, I noticed that the motion light in the garage was on. It didn't seem particularly windy but went off shortly after I noticed it. While I was on my way back to the house, I saw the light flash on again. This time my head whipped around and it looked like a shadow darted quickly out of sight to

the edge of the garage. I thought maybe I was seeing things or maybe it was an animal. It looked too small to be a bear. I decided to go down and check it out. There was nothing inside or outside of the garage, but the small pond did seem like the water had been disturbed. It had ripples, like someone skipped a rock across it. I went back to the house and put on some music and went back to cleaning and repairing some molding. After another few hours, I was bushed and decided to call it a night I got into bed in one of the recently cleaned second floor rooms and started to drift asleep And suddenly, I heard a tapping noise on the metal roof

It sounded like rain, but I didn't think it had been raining outside I checked and it wasn't raining, and it sounded like water was hitting the roof I sat there for a minute, seeing if it would stop, and it sounded like water was hitting the roof. I sat there for a minute seeing if it would stop and it didn't. I went outside to see if I could see anything on the roof, maybe it was a tree branch or something. There was nothing on the roof but I did notice that the ground was wet. The deck was soaked and the dirt on the deck was wet as well. I followed the trail back to the garage where the water had stopped, right outside the pond, which again had ripples. I had my cell phone out for light and began to scan it across the

garage and over the pond. As I was looking in the small pond, I saw a reflection of the top of a head and two eyes. I froze for a second, and then let out a groan, yell or gasp. I don't really know what it was, but I just ran back to the house as fast as I could. I called Tim in a panic to let him know what was going on. He said he was on his way. I turned off all the lights in the house so I could try and see if whoever was down there was making their way towards the house. As I hid behind the curtains, trying to look outside without being seen, I saw someone crawling up the dirt path towards the house. Yes, they were down on pretty much all fours, slowly crawling towards the house. I ran and made sure

all the doors and windows were locked and when I got back, I didn't see anyone there anymore. I checked the other windows to see if I could see a trail of water or any sign of movement. Then, once I made my way back to the kitchen, out of the two small windows, I saw someone standing right in front of the window. They were absolutely still. I have no idea if they could see me so I just froze in place And after what felt like eternity but was probably only 10 minutes I heard a car pull up to the driveway which I assumed was Tim The figure suddenly darted out of my vision And then I went outside to meet Tim and let him know what was going on After all that insanity

All we could deduce was that someone was making their way from the pond to the roof and everywhere in between for the last several hours. I questioned if it was someone Tim had to kick out of the house, and he had no idea. The next morning, I made the decision to hire someone for the remaining cleanup and repairs, and I never went back to that house in the Adirondacks before we, thank God, eventually sold it. Let me first say, I hate nature. I'm sorry if saying that bothers anybody, but it's true. I hate the smell, I hate bugs, I hate getting lost. I just hate it all. I know that makes me sound like some pessimistic person, but I have my reasons. My family used to go camping

every year and I always hated it. My parents would force my sister and me to hike whenever we went on these trips. When I got older, I would stay in the car and listen to music because I wanted no part of the outdoors. When I was finally 18, I moved away from my family, far away from nature, and I spent nearly five years in Chicago until I got one dreaded phone call that I'll never forget. My dad called me and told me that my sister was missing. Again, not to sound pessimistic, but it didn't surprise me, unfortunately. You see, my sister had some issues when she got older. She got involved in things and with people that were less than ideal.

I basically dismissed my dad, claiming I had more important things to worry about than hiling up the phone. A minute later, he called back in tears, and I'd never heard my father cry. He told me this time was different. Whenever my sister went off the grid in the past, they could always track her down but this time they couldn't. He knew something was wrong and he begged for my help since my sister was disabled and really couldn't do much. I just flew home right away and my dad gave me all the information. The last they talked to her was in some small town in the Adirondack mountains and she sounded scared and nervous, almost like she was being forced to say

that she was okay on the phone. Me, my dad, and my family friend who was a retired detective from the police departments in our hometown made the trip to the mountainous region. Of course, why wouldn't it be in a mountain town like this, I thought to myself. After we arrived in town, we started kind of asking around, asking if people had seen my sister, showing them pictures and whatnot. And this seemed like just some futile task until some random guy claimed not only did he see her, but he knew who she was. This was the kind of guy that you wouldn't want to talk to. He was dirty and smelled like sewer water. His teeth were yellow and we could

barely understand this guy. And he said in this just gruff voice, uh, yeah, with Mike That's Mike's girl Why uh, why uh You need Mike's girl? Our family friend very calmly talked to the guy He put his arm around him and they talked for a few minutes I couldn't hear anything they were saying I saw him give the dirty guy 20 bucks and he pointed to the distance and was explaining some type of direction. We said thank you and all ran to the car and drove to where this guy was describing. There was a beat up old sawmill about two miles down the road. Behind the mill was a path. There

appeared to be footprints in the mud that led down the path. It was still bright out at this point and we made our way down the trail for a few minutes until we came up to a garage of some type. It had the same siding as the sawmill so I figured this was some sort of storage building at one time. The doors of the building were shackled shut and all three of us wouldn't be able to break them down. At this point I wasn't even thinking about how that dirty guy knew exactly where to go and I probably should have. I was just so focused on getting to my sister. I made my way to the rear of the building to a small window, and I peeked through the window, and I was disgusted and enraged at what I saw.

The building was a mess on the inside, and even more horrifying was I could see my sister lying there on the hard floor. I started to yell and bang on the window, trying to get my sister to budge, and she wouldn't. Not caring at all about this building, I broke the window and climbed in. When I finally got to my sister, I was briefly relieved that she was still breathing. I tried to get her attention, but she was completely unconscious. Then I realized I never thought about a way out of the building. The window was just high enough that I wouldn't be able to get us both out without cutting myself and the door was shackled tight. My dad ran over to the window and started to bang on it. I turned and looked and he said in a frantic

voice that someone was coming up the path and to hide. I put my sister down and hid behind a curtain that hung in the back of the building. The door opened and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the dirty man from the street. He went over and picked my sister up and sat her on the couch. You, uh, have some friends looking for you. Have they been here? He stopped speaking when he noticed that the window was broken. He got up and looked intently at the broken window, and I used that as my chance.

I sprang from the curtain, tackled the man, I screamed for my dad to grab my sister as I held the dirty man down, and once I saw them grab my sister as I held the dirty man down, and once I saw them grab my sister, I ran out with them. As the sun was finally setting, this nightmare was also finally almost over. A few hundred feet from the sawmill, I got struck by something that knocked me off my feet. As I tried to regain my footing, I noticed that whatever he used on me severely damaged my ankle. I couldn't stand up and extreme pain started to set in. While I grimaced in pain, I was then jumped on by this deranged man, and we struggled in the dirt for a minute, but I couldn't overpower the guy. The pain I was in was too much, and this guy knew it. He started to beat on my ankle,

and I was starting to black out. I looked up one last time to see the man go into his waistband for something, and thankfully, from the path came my family friend who tackled the guy again, and then threw an incredibly hard punch that kept the guy down for the moment. He picked me up and carried me back to the car, and then we fled to the nearest hospital for me and my sister. We reported everything to the proper people, me and my sister. We reported everything to the proper people and if you can believe it, they were able to apprehend the guy. His name was really Mike and I don't know if he was on something but this idiot gave his real

name and exactly where he was keeping my sister. Thankfully my sister was alright after a few days and it's a sad reality. She had actually made a full recovery when I was living in Chicago, and this guy was angry about it. So we kidnapped her, and brought her to that small town. Thankfully, he never physically did anything to her. He was putting something in her water to just basically make her a vegetable. I have no idea what his endgame was with her, but she was not in a good state when we showed up. I'm just thankful we showed up when we did, and I'm so thankful that my sister ended up being alright. And thank god that that guy was an idiot, because

at least now I know that he can't hurt anyone anymore. A friend of mine told me to write down my story and share it with you. He said it could be therapeutic for me, so here's my best effort to share the worst experience of my life. I'm also going to change the names of the people involved in this story for privacy reasons, and I hope you understand. One of my best friends from college was getting married and asked me to be a groomsman. Of course, I accepted and looked forward to the opportunity to spend some time with my old friends from school. I had graduated two years prior to getting the offer to be a part of his wedding and it had been just about that long since I saw most of these guys. Not too long after I got a call from my friend Josh who was to be the best

man. He told me all about the bachelor party and it sounded amazing. He rented a cabin out in the Adirondacks. I noticed some that may seem like a lame bachelor party, but this was ideal for us. We weren't the party type of people and we didn't enjoy going out. Back in our senior year of college, we took a weekend trip to the Adirondacks to hike and play Dungeons and Dragons in the cabin that we rented. We all attended Syracuse University, which was only a few hours away from the Adirondacks. It was one of our hours away from the Adirondacks. It was one of our favorite weekends from college. So Josh figured that we could recreate the memory for

the bachelor party and I thought that was pretty cool. The weekend finally came and I was thrilled. I got on a plane and flew to meet Josh at the Syracuse airport. From Syracuse we would head to the cabin together. I was so excited to hike the beautiful trails in that area of New York, but more importantly, I was so excited to see all my old friends and play some D&D for the first time since graduation. When Josh and I were driving out to the cabin, we spent the first hour or so catching up on life. Eventually, we started to talk about the weekend, and he started to tell me everything that he had planned. It seemed like what I expected, except for one detail. Josh claimed that he had a surprise for all of us, but he couldn't tell me. He said the only hint

that he could give me was that it was exciting and that he had been planning it for a long time. I just figured that he had some special D&D campaign or something planned but I would soon find out that I was very wrong. We got there at around 3pm on Friday and set up the entire house. The cabin was nice but nothing special. We all had our own rooms and that was awesome. The selling point was the view. Every room had a stunning view of the mountains in the background. Josh told me not to say anything about the surprise until Saturday so I kept my mouth shut all day and night on Friday. We spent Friday just hanging out and playing some D&D and talking about our lives. And on Saturday, we all woke up early and went hiking around the area

where the cabin was located. From our front door, there were miles of trails that were able to be hiked, and we most assuredly took advantage. I took tons of pictures, and I was so excited to go through all the pictures that evening when we got back to the cabin. That evening, Josh made burgers on the grill, and we sat on the patio drinking beer and eating burgers. I was going through my pictures from the day, and that's when I noticed two very strange and unusual things. In one of my photos, I could swear that I could see a person in the background that didn't belong to our group. I didn't mention it to my friends just yet as I was really studying the photo myself. A few photos later, I noticed that Josh was in the

background and he appeared to be talking to someone that was just out of the frame of the camera. The reason why that's a bit strange is that all my other friends could be clearly seen in the photo. My mind started to wander a bit. I started to wonder if there really was someone else in the woods with us and if Josh knew about it. Then I remembered Josh's surprise that he still hadn't shared with the group and I wondered if this had something to do with that. I didn't share any of this with the group because I was worried that if it did have to do with a surprise, I didn't want to ruin it. Not long after noticing the pictures, Josh decided to make an announcement. He walked to the center of the patio where we were all sitting and said, Okay my friends, it's been a great weekend so far, but it's not over. I have one more final surprise for everybody. We spent four years playing video games and D&D and not

experiencing life outside of our comfort zones. I thought what better time to live a little than at this bachelor party. We all looked a bit confused and interested in what Josh was going to say. Martin, who was the one getting married soon, looked especially nervous. He made it clear that he didn't want any adult entertainment at this party and it seemed like some sort of weird setup for that. Remember, at this point, we were all sitting outside on the patio. Well, Josh opened up the back door to the cabin and from the cabin emerged two very strange-looking men. Josh held up his hands in a presenting fashion and said, Allow me to introduce Albert and Teddy.

These are... well, these are friends of mine, I suppose. Albert and Teddy are going to help us liven up this party a little bit. I looked around, and everybody seemed uncomfortable. These two guys didn't look friendly. They were old, significantly older than my friends. They both stood about six feet and they both had thick, burly gray beards. Albert was wearing a camo hat and a red flannel and Teddy was wearing a black hood tightly stretched over his

head. Martin stood up and said, Hey guys, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but what is this? Without hesitation, the man who was introduced as Teddy stormed onto the patio and slapped Martin across the face. I mean, he really slapped him. Martin got hit so hard that he fell to the ground holding his cheek in agony. Teddy stood over his body with menacing eyes that were bulging out of his head, and we all stood in amazement except for Josh, who looked almost sadistic like he enjoyed what just happened. Before we could leap into action, Albert, who was the stalker of the two, spoke up in his deep and rugged voice. Before any of you think you could do anything, you better think about what I'm about to say to all of you. Your friend called us.

This ain't no home invasion, and we're not doing anything that we're not paid to do. Here are the rules. We're going to give you two minutes exactly to run and hide in the woods. If we find you, well, you lose. If we can't find you in two hours, then you win. And we'll leave. Your friend Josh will remain here and radio me if one of you returns. This is an automatic disqualification.

And you don't want that to happen. Martin was still rubbing his cheek and said, dude, I don't want any part of this. Josh, what the hell, man? While Martin was looking at Josh, Teddy struck Martin again, and this time it was much harder, and this is where I became scared for my life. Martin rolled on the ground in pain. Albert then said, Participation is mandatory and if you decline, the consequences will be much worse

than the baby slaps your friend just sustained. Does anyone else want to speak? As he said that last line, he gripped the holster on his belt. We all looked at each other in utter disbelief it was happening. Oh, one last thing. My advice to all of you fine young men is don't let us find you. You won't like that outcome, and don't head towards the road. We got an entire group up there in case

you decide you want to leave the game. On that note, your two minutes starts... now. We all slowly started to move, and I helped Martin get to his feet. Teddy just stared at me while I was helping Martin. As we hesitantly made our way into the woods, Albert shouted from the porch, You know, you might want to run because I don't think you're understanding the gravity of the situation. He then revealed what he had hidden in his holster and fired a shot into the sky. The loud reverberation made us all jump and that was the catalyst that got us to run as fast as we could into the woods as the sun was setting over the Adirondack area. What they didn't account for was that I ran track in college and I was extremely fast. Even to this day I run 10 miles every day. And we ran. And I told them to

hide and be safe and I was going to make a run to the road somehow. The trails on the land where the cabin was located were all well maintained and thankfully I had brought my drone with me. The day before I used the drone to see the entire extended area and got some amazing photos and as a result I knew exactly where to run to try to find my way to the road. I doubted that these two insane individuals had backup miles down the road and if they did I was just going to have to take that chance. Just as I expected I found the road after quite some time of running through some densely forested land. When I got to the road I ran in the direction of the town, which was still miles away.

After only about five minutes of being on the road, I got service and I called the police and gave them all the information. They showed up quickly and I stayed on the side of the road where I was just in case I needed my phone again. When the police showed up, there was no backup guys there, which I had expected was a bluff. Josh surrendered right away and gave them all his information on Albert and Teddy, which ended up all being fake information. Because of the potential severity of the situation, the police showed up with a bunch of reinforcements. The cops intently searched the woods but never found Albert or Teddy. They did find all my friends unharmed, thankfully. Josh found these two maniacs on some shady corner

of the internet and paid them to play the sadistic adult version of hide and seek. In his communications with Albert, they kept referring to it as a real-life version of The Most Dangerous Game, which is a story written by Richard Connell. When Josh was questioned why he did this, with no remorse, he responded, I hate those guys, and I wanted them to suffer. It was hard to hear, and it was heartbreaking. Since that horrible night, I haven't seen any of my friends. I never attended Martin's wedding because I couldn't bring myself to fly back to New York. I know I was physically unharmed in this incident, but the mental anguish from that night still gives me night terrors. It's just hard to believe that people out there just enjoy hurting and causing pain to others. Have you ever liked somebody so much that you throw logic out the window? If you have, then you may have found yourself in a situation that you regretted.

I found myself in one of these situations and not only did I regret it, but I also left with one of the worst memories of my life, and I'm lucky to have gotten out without even more serious consequences. A couple of years ago, I finally started hanging out with a girl that I've always liked. She was a bartender at a restaurant that my friends and I often visited. Her name was Carla, and she was completely my type. She was covered in tattoos, red hair, and had the most beautiful piercing green eyes. For years I would always tell my friends in an ironic way that I was in love with this girl. It became an inside joke

with all of us. I never asked her out or anything along those lines, just always appeared friendly toward each other. She knew me by name because I was a regular, but that was the extent of our relationship. Eventually we exchanged numbers, but not for the reason you may think. I am somewhat tech savvy, so she called me to fix her computer one day. This was our relationship for many years, and I would say the better part of the decade. We'd talk at the bar, talk about our interests, and maybe a few times a year I would help her with her tech stuff. Then the year 2020 came and the world shut down for the most part. I tried to take advantage of the time off to get stuff done that I was neglecting but

before long I missed human interaction, especially at the bar. I'm not sure what led me to do what I did next but for some reason I decided to text Carla. This is what the text message from me said. Hey, I know this is random but how would you feel about hanging out for a little while? Nothing weird, just miss our conversations, lol. And then I ended the text with some silly emojis. She responded almost right away. She said, hey, I'd love that. Maybe we can go for a hike or something.

For the first time since I was a young kid, I felt butterflies. Sure, it was a joke about how I felt about this girl, but deep down, I really did have some sort of feelings for her. If she would have said jump, I would respond with how high. We texted for a little while and then went on a short hike in our hometown, nothing too crazy. It was surreal to see Carla out of her element. To be with her alone and actually have conversations that aren't either tech-related or bar small talk felt amazing. We hung out a bunch of times in the next few months, basically just hikes or hanging out in the woods. One night, she invited me back to her place and, of course, my mind wandered a bit. Nothing happened, but we stayed up all night and talked about everything.

I'm sure it was some sort of unhealthy infatuation, but at the time I felt like I loved this girl, and I know how that sounds, but the heart is weak sometimes. The next day she asked if I wanted to go hiking in the Adirondacks. If anybody reading this isn't familiar with the Adirondacks, it's a massive area in New York that ranges over 12,000 square miles. Tons of towns and regions make up the Adirondack area, and the idea sounded amazing, but I had some concerns. I live in New York, but the closest Adirondack town to me was about an hour and a half away. By the time we drove up there, hiked wherever she wanted and drove home, it would be extremely late.

Carla, however, wasn't worried. She said that one of her good friends has a small cabin up that way and we could stay there for the night. And this is where my heart exploded. No red flags at all. I was more intrigued at the prospect of staying overnight at a cabin with Carla. My mind was racing, wondering if she felt a certain way towards me or if I was truly implanted in the friend zone. We made our way to the small town. I asked if we should stop at the cabin first and drop off our bags but she told me to wait,

claiming that her friend wouldn't be back until later that night. I drove and she guided me to an area that didn't appear on any of the map guides. I pulled over on the side of the road and she told me that this is where we needed to hike. She told me that this is where all the real action happens and we don't want to hike the trails that everyone else hikes. I just shrugged and just went along with her because I had no reason not to trust her. The first stretch of the hike was tough. It wasn't any type of designated trail, so the wooded area was miserable to traverse. Eventually, we made it to a cliffside,

and you could see nothing but trees and mountains. It was beautiful. I was taking in the beauty of my surroundings, and when I turned around, Carla kissed me. I nearly fell off the cliff. She pulled away, smiled, and said, I'm sure you liked it. Let's keep going if you can focus. She knew she had me hooked. I didn't say anything for a few minutes other than a couple of times when I barely uttered the word whoa and she just giggled. After a few minutes, we started talking as normal. I couldn't get her or that first kiss out of my mind. I was tripping mentally and literally and I kept falling over branches and roots.

The sun started to get lower in the sky and I kept asking when we were going to start heading back. We'd been walking for a long time and my car was at the beginning of our walk. She kept saying not to worry because she knew where we were. We made our way through a thick patch of trees and then she shouted, Surprise! Here's the cabin! This entire time she'd been guiding us to the cabin. I was thrilled, mainly because there was no other car at this cabin. I figured she and I were going to be completely alone.

We got inside and to my joy she said, Don't worry about your car. My friend will be back in the she said, don't worry about your car, my friend will be back in the morning and she will drive us to your car. But tonight, it's just you and I. I felt my heart racing with excitement. I was giddy as can be and even shaking a little bit. And the night started off amazing. We made a fire and cuddled up next to it. We kissed again and at this moment, in the cabin with her, in front of the fire, I was as happy as I'd ever been in my life. But unfortunately, that happiness would be brief. We were lying on the couch together in front of the fire when I noticed headlights shining through the window. She said, don't worry about that,

it's probably just my friend back early. She won't bother us. I tried to ignore the lights, but they weren't shutting off. I felt so uncomfortable and this was the first time that something just didn't feel right. I started to hear a creaking noise coming from down the hall where the bedroom was. Carla kept grabbing my head, trying to keep the focus on her. I looked up again and saw that the lights were still on from the car outside. I looked over to the left, where I had heard the creaking sound, and now the bedroom door was closed and I knew it was open only a minute ago. I jumped off Carla and told her that something wasn't right.

She seemed annoyed but told me to check it out if it would make me feel better. I walked by the window and tried to investigate the car windows but the headlights were so bright I couldn't make out if anybody was in the car. I walked slowly down the hall until I was about two feet from the bedroom. I leaned in close to see if I could focus on my hearing. I could hear what sounded like soft footsteps coming from the other side of the door. And my heart started racing, but not for the reason as before. I slowly grabbed the doorknob and opened it, and I felt a wave of relief as I scanned the room. It seemed to be empty. This was a legitimate wood cabin, so it probably did make

all kinds of creaks and noises. As I was about to turn and walk back to Carla, I noticed one thing. My bag from our hike was open and it looked like it had been gone through. I bent over to examine the bag and at that moment, the closet door flung open and two people ran out and smashed me in the head with what I think was some sort of stick or cane. Whatever it was, it had cut me because I felt a small amount of blood trickle from my forehead. I screamed in pain out of instinct and Carla ran in. I was terrified that Carla was in danger. I rushed to my feet as quick as I could, even though I was disoriented from the headshot. Carla wasn't scared at all. Instead of screaming, she looked at my attackers and said, hey beautiful.

One of the attackers went over to Carla and gave her a very long, loving embrace. And this is when I noticed the two attackers. They were both smaller women, all covered in tattoos just like her. The other woman went over to Carla after the first one walked away and she also lovingly embraced Carla. I tried to ask what was happening but the pain in my head started to get worse. I fell to my knee and I heard Carla say, is he still outside in the car? One of the girls must have nodded because then Carla followed up by saying, okay, let's tell him to take care of this. I started to get an even worse feeling than I already had. One of the girls left the room and must have opened the front door because I heard her

shout, Okay, he's down. Come in now. I looked to my side and noticed that the window was open. That was probably how the women got inside. And without thinking, I got up and jumped out the window. I heard Carla scream that he's running and she was right. I just ran into the pitch black woods. It was a cloudy night so the moon

wasn't giving off any type of light at all. My phone was still in my bag which was in the cabin so I didn't have any light or anybody to call even though I didn't have service anyway. I felt dizzy so I decided to stop running and hid where I was, figuring that they would assume that I'd be running in the direction of my car or maybe I would just keep running. I was laying on the cold, dirt ground, just hoping that the night would end soon. At one point I could hear footsteps. I didn't want to move and give my position away,

and from where my head was lying I could see a beam of light shining right above me, accompanied by footsteps getting louder. One of these attackers, maybe Carla, was right next to me but opted to go the other way. Thankfully they didn't see me, and that was the only close call I had for the rest of the night. I stayed in that position until dawn and saw the faint signs of light shining through the trees. I thought about heading back to the cabin but figured someone would probably be waiting there so I started walking in the direction I ran. I'm not sure how long it was but it felt like hours and I was lucky enough to eventually find the road. I flagged down a car. Thank god they stopped. He saw the blood on my head and called the police

right away. They showed up and I was able to tell them everything and get treated for my injuries. I told them about Carla and gave them the best descriptions I could as to what her friends looked like. I sustained some minor head injuries but thankfully nothing serious. As of writing the story, Carla has yet to be caught and seemingly fell off the face of the earth. Nobody in my town has seen her since the bar shut down at the beginning of 2020 and I don't know who was in that car that night and more importantly, I have no idea what they intended. Friends that are familiar with the Adirondacks told me that I'm extremely lucky that I made it to the road because I could have easily wandered in another direction and been walking in nothing but forests until I either died or were attacked by an animal or something.

I still can't believe that the police can't find this Carla, even with all the information I was able to give them. This may be the last time I listen to my heart, and more importantly, the last time I visit the Adirondacks. To be continued... Forge, which is a small little village in the Adirondacks. It's a happening little spot in the summer months, but in the winter it's a ghost town. The locals keep the town running, but it's small to say the least. I'm not much of a people person and I love quiet and desolate places. The main reason for moving there though is that I'm a painter and I love the quiet atmosphere for my work. For my hobby I paint nature scenes from all over the area where I live but professionally I get commissioned to paint all sorts of things. I have had jobs as

small as painting a portrait of someone's cat to as big as painting variation covers for films in Hollywood. It's an amazing life and a dream scenario for me. Shortly after moving there I met my husband who got me into hiking. Nothing extreme, but enough to take in the beauty of the area. Now sidebar, if you ever have a chance to visit Old Forge, do it. It's amazing. Just be kind to the locals because they aren't the fondest of tourists. So why am I writing this story? Well, mainly because my husband told me to. I don't know how scary it may be to you, but it was surely creepy and in hindsight, it is strangely unnerving. Like I said before, he got me into hiking.

Behind my house, I have a small network of trails that offer up a lot of great sights. We would often walk these trails in the morning to start our days. Old Forge is home to several lakes and if you take one of the trails to the end, you approach a small cliff that overlooks the lake. It's beautiful. One day we took the trail as we often did and about ten minutes in, he stopped abruptly and told me to shush. That wasn't like him at all so I looked up in bewilderment. I couldn't believe my eyes.

There was something up ahead on the trail. It's not unlikely to see wildlife like deer or even a bear, but this looked like a human lying on the ground. We didn't take any steps closer. Instead, my husband shouted, Hey, you okay over there? Whatever was lying on the ground started to move ever so slightly. I was more confused than anything else and my husband looked tense. Again, he shouted, you know this is private property, right? That was true, but I didn't really care if people hiked or walked back there. There wasn't much crime in this town and this was in the middle of winter so I wasn't worried about people walking. Besides, my property had tons of land attached so many times people would

be walking in the woods behind my house not realizing that it was private property. I think my husband was just trying to get this person to move. I suggested that maybe they were in trouble and we should get closer. He was hesitant but agreed with me. We walked slowly and it started to become more visible. It was clearly a person. I was pretty sure that it was a man and he was wearing a long black coat.

He was lying on his stomach on the freezing ground and as we got closer, we could clearly see him moving which made me feel better that he wasn't dead. Now standing only about five feet away, my husband tried once again to communicate with the person. Hey buddy, you need me to call anyone? Finally, the person moved, and it was an erratic movement. He sort of barrel rolled and

jumped to his feet. He looked terrified about us, when honestly it should have been us being terrified of this strange man on our trail. It was not what we expected. The man was indeed wearing a long black coat, but underneath the coat appeared to be a suit. A very nice and well-tailored suit, I may add. It was very clean cut, other than some dirt on his face from lying on the ground. He had short blonde hair, with a nice edge up, slightly parted on the top. He had these piercing blue eyes and appeared to have really nice teeth. My husband stood with his arms up in sort of a defensive position indicating that it was alright and I stood behind him. The man, still looking horrified, finally spoke.

What are you guys doing here? You shouldn't be here. He sounded like he was going to cry or faint. He was clearly not right in the head or doing okay. My husband tried to calm the man down and said, Hey friend, it's okay. This is our property. We're okay and so are you. Is there anybody we can call for you?

The man was inconsolable. He continued to be erratic and tense and shouted, You shouldn't be here. He looked around and then just sprinted through the trees. We both looked at each other and tried to process what had just happened. He didn't look like anybody that would be in town during these months. He wasn't dressed right and he was clearly hallucinating on something. We walked back to my house, a little tense but more just shocked at what happened. We didn't think it was totally necessary to alert the authorities, my husband is very close to one of the deputies in town so he just texted him and told him what

had happened. That way he could at least be aware of what was happening without going through all the paperwork for something that could have been harmless. The rest of the day progressed and I consistently looked out the windows for anything out of the ordinary but nothing strange ever occurred. That night at around midnight we were lying in bed watching a movie and the doorbell rang. That alone is a terrifying experience for anybody who's ever had someone ring the doorbell that late at night when they aren't expecting anyone out in the middle of nowhere. My husband walked into the living room and shouted to the door, Who is it?

And no response. But the doorbell rang again. My husband approached the door and looked out the peephole. He said it was the man from the trail, still wearing that same outfit. My husband said he kept looking over his shoulder back into the woods, almost like he was looking at someone. My husband shouted through the door, What do you want?

My friend's a police officer who can help you. What do you want? The man didn't answer right away. He just stood there nervously. He kept pacing on the front steps and mumbling something under his breath. I went into the living room and was standing right next to my husband. He told me to call the deputy and I did without hesitation just in case. My husband said to the man,

Alright buddy, I called the police. You just sit tight. You'll be alright. The man continued to pace around and he looked completely terrified about something. Even though my husband was trying to communicate with him, he rang the doorbell again, this time accompanied with something to say. You shouldn't be here. You need to leave before it's too late. Why won't you listen? Why won't you listen? He started to cry and we didn't know what to do.

Our police friend said that he was only a few minutes away, so we didn't dare let this guy inside our house. The man screamed as if he were in physical pain, then shouted, No! No! Not now! Not now! And then, he ran into the woods again. The cop showed up a few minutes after that, and we told him everything. He called some backup, and then went into the woods looking for this guy but wasn't able to find him. The only thing they found was his black coat which was folded over some type of tree branch. We spent the next few days just nervous, walking on eggshells thinking that this man would show back up but he never did.

The cops never found any answers either. There were no missing persons reports that matched this guy's description, and it would be easy to say that it was just some deranged person that wandered onto my property, but it was the appearance of this man that made this story so unnerving. Whenever I hear any sort of sound outside, I fear that it's him coming back, but it's always followed by nothing. One night a few nights after this incident we woke up to footprints in the snow on our front steps that led into the woods, but nothing ever again. We invested in cameras on our property and have never seen anything other than wildlife since. Does anyone have any theories

as to what this man wanted or what he was doing? Or was he truly just someone that sadly had lost his mind and was having a bad night? I apologize in advance for the long story, and I'll do my best to try and explain this horrible night the best I can. I'm from a small town in New York where not much happens. We have a big Walmart that serves as the central hub of my town. When I was in college in another state, I would tell people that I was from New York, and people often assumed New York City, but where I lived was the polar opposite of New York City. I was about to start my senior year of college, and after graduating from college, I planned on moving anywhere that wasn't my small town. Prior to going back to school, my friend Alicia asked if I wanted to go to an end-of-the-summer party. Of course, without hesitation, I was down. Alicia wasn't like most people in my town. She was

a professional model, and she lived in Miami, Florida. Once high school was over, she left and instantly became famous. She was home for several months in the summer mainly because she could afford to do so. She kept claiming this party was going to be the party of the century. Her words, of course, not mine. I was a little confused because honestly, I didn't know how we were going to have a party like that in my small little town. When I asked Alicia about the details, she just laughed at me and said, Dude, the party isn't in this stupid town. One of my connections from down south is having a massive party at this mountain house up in the Adirondacks.

There's going to be a lot of prominent people there. The idea of this party intrigued me and made me a little nervous. Alicia was beautiful, and this party was hosted by one of her colleagues in the modeling world. I assumed that there would be people at the party that were all on Alicia's level. I, on the other hand, did not stack up to Alicia. I'm short for a man, one of the shortest in my graduating class. I don't stack up to the normal objective standards for beauty and men. And for years, people have always made jokes as to why Alicia even wastes her time with me, considering how I look and how she looks, and the answer is that she's an amazing person.

We've been friends since second grade, and she's family to me now. She doesn't see me as an awkward looking man, and I respect her so much for that that but she also doesn't realize what people say to me and do to me when they see me with her. One time we went to a bar together when I went to visit her in Miami and some guy knocked me out because he thought I was some creep stalking her just because I don't look like I belong. I know it's sad but I'm used to insane stuff like that. So, all I kept thinking about when I would think about the party was, are the people there going to judge me for being there with Alicia? I wrestled with the idea for a while, but ultimately I decided to go because I'd never been to the Adirondack area before. We lived about two hours away from where the party was being held.

She showed me pictures of the house on Facebook and it looked incredible. It had a huge wraparound porch in the back that overlooked a small lake. The house was way up in the mountains and surrounded by trees. The deck had a bar, tables, and a hot tub. The pictures made it look like it was big enough to fit 20-30 people on this back deck. The inside of the house was gigantic. It looked like it had those cathedral ceilings and windows that overlooked the lake. If I was hesitant to go before, after looking at the pictures, I was for sure down to go now. The night finally came and we made our way to the Adirondack house. The drive itself was scary

enough and about an hour into the drive, we got into the mountain area and once we got off our exit, it was pitch black and the GPS service was hit or miss. There were no lights anywhere and it was just a narrow road with houses every hundred yards. We found the street eventually and it was just a long road of nothing but trees and dirt. We finally came across the house at the end of the road and wow is all I can say. The house was infinitely more beautiful than the pictures could ever show. It was massive on the inside, like something out of Lord of the Rings or something. We parked and I was immediately intimidated. There was a ton of cars there and the house looked like it was alive because of all the lights and music coming out of it. It was loud techno or some type of synth and lots of purple, pink, and blue neon lights

dancing to the beats of the music. We approached and Alicia went right in and started dancing immediately. I never understood how she could just walk into a party or bar and just talk to anyone and act like she knows everybody. I stood there awkwardly, still in awe of this house. I made my way to the back deck and stared at the moon. I would like to tell you it was peaceful, but it was just as loud out there. People everywhere, drinking, smoking, jumping in the hot tub, dancing, you name it. I was completely lost and out of place. I found Alicia and told her that I was going to sit outside, drink my beer and just enjoy the view. I told her to have fun and we could leave whenever she was ready and most importantly not to worry about me.

She felt bad and tried to get me to dance and stuff but I was happy to sit outside and stare at the view. It really was an amazing view. This place was completely nestled in the mountains and secluded from everything. I ended up getting so caught up in the sights that I eventually tuned the music out and I dozed off for a little while actually. I ended up waking up and noticed that the party had calmed down a little bit. Probably 20 people just sitting around talking now and the music was at an appropriate level. I looked at my phone and I almost fell off the deck when I realized that I had been asleep for four hours. It was almost three in the morning, but even more horrifying was that I had 28 missed calls from Alicia. She had texted me, but I didn't look at the text yet,

and I tried to call back first and it went right to voicemail. The first text was simple. Hey Dan, I saw you taking a nap. I'm just letting you know I still need a ride, but if you wake up and I'm not here, don't worry. I went with a group of people down to the trail to get closer to the water. Don't worry, I'll see you soon. Ten minutes after that message, I received two more messages. The first one said, Dan, please answer the phone. I need help. Then even worse, the next message said, please follow the path. Please. Then I received one last message from Alicia two hours after that last message that said, hello, Dan. My name is Adriana. I'm one of Alicia's friends. I just

wanted to let you know that I have Alicia. She's not coming back with you, so you can head home whenever. Have a good night. The message came after all 28 missed calls and that last text from Alicia. Something fell off and I didn't want to leave until I got a better answer. I remained calm and asked everyone on the deck if they knew Adriana and all of them said no. I asked about a trail that leads to the water and that's when one of the men spoke up and said Hey, what's this about? I don't recognize you and now you're asking all these questions about my house and these trails

And my eyes lit up This is your house? I shouted The man got up and stepped over to me in a defensive way and said Yeah, it is If you don't tell me what's going on, we're gonna have a problem, alright? I took a step back and tried to explain everything to the guy, who was a giant and built like some professional wrestler. When I mentioned Alicia, he instantly perked up. Wait, you're Alicia's friend? Tell me again what happened.

Once he realized what was going on, he looked tense and nervous. I was terrified that something was wrong. We made our way down the trail that led to the water. It took about ten minutes for us two to get down. I felt sick when I saw the scene at the shoreline. It looked like some sort of struggle had taken place. The dirt was all kicked up and there were broken bottles laying around. There were flip-flops and shoes and what looked like blood but it was dark so I couldn't be sure. We started to shout her name and from the woods, a skinny woman appeared. She was smiling and looked all too calm. Can I help you fine gentleman?

She said with a haunting grin on her face. The man who owned the house, whose name I still don't know, said, Yeah, we're looking for a friend, Alicia. I want to know who made this mess down here. The woman giggled and ran back into the woods. He started after her and as soon as he got to the tree line I heard one of the most unnerving sounds I'd ever heard. The woman emerged from behind the tree with a metal baseball bat and struck the guy in the forehead. It sounded like a bat hitting a ball and it made my skin crawl. The man was hurt but was able to get to his feet. He was not right though as he started to wobble when he tried

walking. I shined my flashlight into the woods only to get a quick glimpse of the woman running away further into the darkness. I was too scared to chase her, not knowing if there were more people hiding in the woods. Thankfully, two more guys came down right at this moment and one of them was able to help the owner back up and call for him to get some medical attention as well as the authorities and let them know what was happening here. I don't know what came over me next, but I decided to run into those woods. I chased the woman the best I could before I lost her, and before long I was lost in the woods too. Even with the bad service, I somehow received a text from Alicia that said, I see you. I looked around, shining my light, and saw nothing. Instead of moving, I called her phone because whoever had the phone must have turned it on now. I heard it ringing, and I could see the light

from the incoming call and was only about 10 feet away from me. As the light from the call was blinking, the small woman ran at me with the bat. Thankfully, I was able to move out of the way, and luck was on my side as well because she dropped the phone when she tried to strike me. Without thinking, I picked up the phone and ran as fast as I could out of those woods. The other man was still there waiting for me and we could hear multiple footsteps in the woods running. We ran back to the house and locked the doors, figuring that the police would be there at any moment. I looked back at some of the texts on the phone, and the conversation before mine was with a contact, all one word, that was named Jace or Amy, with a question mark after the names. And the text read as follows, Please let me just go back up and get Dan.

The response was, No, Dan can't come, Alicia said. Everyone will worry, please let me get him. And the last response from this contact was, go sit by the rock and we'll talk after. Nobody who was left at the mountain house has any idea what that meant. The cops arrived and we searched the woods with the police. When we got down to the area where the woman attacked me, we heard several footsteps escape into the woods. Several yards from that spot, I heard the sound of sticks breaking. I went to investigate and I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was Alicia, lying there with two other guys. All three of them were completely unconscious and wearing black sunglasses for some reason. We got them safely out of the woods and brought them to a local medical facility and before long, Alicia finally came to, having no memory of anything happening that night. She remembers walking down to the lake and seeing a skinny blonde woman and that sounded like the same woman that tried to attack me. She said that after seeing the woman, she can't remember much. She doesn't know who that contact was that she was texting, and she can't remember calling or texting me all those times. Thankfully, no harm came to Alicia or the two people we found lying in the woods. After running tests in the hospital, all three

were okay other than a few scrapes and bruises, but I have no idea what happened that night, and who those people were. There were definitely more than just one woman, and she was the only one I saw, though. I still have no answers to that mysterious contact on Alicia's phone, and no idea what the endgame of this event was. As for Alicia and the two other men, they don't remember a thing, so they pretty much moved on with their lives, but for me, I must endure those memories and pain I felt that evening, and I have to continue to move on without knowing why this happened. The simple answer is

some people are just terrible humans. Be careful at parties, especially weird ones out in the mountains. Don't trust strangers. Ever. My girlfriend and I decided to go camping in the Adirondacks last year. We're fortunate enough to have considerable time off in the summer from our jobs, and we usually spend that time going hiking and camping. My girlfriend is the nature expert out of the two of us. She is one of those people that can navigate the forest with minimal effort. She guides us through harsh conditions all the time and if I didn't have her to guide me I would for sure be dead by now

probably. Her survival instincts and nature prowess are truly incredible to watch. And throughout our time together we have hiked the Rocky Mountains over 10 times and we wanted to do something different this year. Her uncle lives in a small town in New York State called Lake George, which is in the large Adirondack region. He said that we could come visit him, and from there we could explore and hike many of the sites the Adirondacks had to offer. In preparation, my girlfriend did all her homework and prepared the path that we were to hike. The week finally came, and we made our voyage to Lake George, New York. The town was a cute little place.

The main strip was filled with shops and restaurants. Because it was summer, there were a lot of people here walking around and taking in the sights. When we got to her uncle's house, he told us that in the summer months, the area is flooded with tourists. He informed us not to worry though because where we were going was not somewhere that tourists go. It was made for people like us that wanted to hike and camp in the woods. Her uncle drove about 15 minutes from his house to where my girlfriend had marked as our starting location. And we said goodbye and started our three-day

expedition into the mountain woods. The hike started like many of our other trips. We hiked until late afternoon and set up our camp for the night. She found a great spot where we were nestled in the woods. That night, I didn't sleep very well. It sounded like there was someone outside the tent the entire night. I went out a few times to get some air, but every time I went out there, I didn't see or hear anything. I figured my anxious nature was just getting the better of me at this point. The next day, we started early and covered a lot of ground. We were hiking upward, and before long, we were gazing off a massive cliff that overlooked nothing but forests and mountains as far as the eye could see. We stayed close to this ridge and set up our camp for the night. Around 7pm, it was still light outside and we were approached by three people. It scared us quite a bit. The guy in front was

doing the talking and appeared seemingly out of thin air by saying, Hey there, friends. He talked slowly and steadily, like he was leaning on every one of his words. I jumped at the sound of his voice and the emergence of these people, not because they did anything bad, just the way they came out of nowhere and approached us like we were old friends. It was jarring to me, and I was still anxious from the night before, which didn't help. After a brief awkward moment of silence I finally answered the guy by saying in a soft tentative voice, hey what's up? Can I help you with something? They didn't answer right away. Instead they

kind of just wandered our campsite. Then he said after a moment, I like your tents. This is some good stuff. What if I look inside? I looked at my girlfriend who looked visibly uncomfortable in the back of the stranger group and said, Hey, listen guys, I don't mean to be rude, but we're actually headed to bed here in a minute. Maybe next time. The guy started laughing and nodded as he made ridiculous facial expressions. Maybe reading that doesn't sound scary, but when you're sitting in the middle of the woods and three people just come out of nowhere

and start making strange faces, you'd be terrified too. The guy finally said, still chuckling a little, okay brother, well take it easy. It was nice to see someone out here. It's been a long time. And the three of them just turned around and headed back into the forest. That night after my girlfriend fell asleep, I lay there wide awake thinking about that weird invasion of privacy. I tried to justify it and tell myself it was alright. Maybe people in the area are just so nice that it wasn't that unlikely to have people walk up to you. Although something in my gut told me that this wasn't the case. These folks were a bit on the wild side.

All three of them were wearing tie-dye shirts. The two men had massive beards and both had very long dreadlocks. The one doing the talking had his wrapped around the top of his head in a giant bun. The third member of the group was a woman. She had a massive bird tattoo on her neck that went down to her chest. She had short buzzed hair. She was the most unsettling of the group. While the two guys were laughing and acting strange, she stood there like a statue and her face didn't move a muscle. She maintained a scowl the entire time the group was standing there, but the main thing my mind kept going back to was when he said, It's been a long time.

What did that mean? I would assume it was around midnight when I was awoken by that heinous laughter from earlier in the evening. I knew right away who was outside the tent. I wanted to cry but remained strong for my girlfriend who was starting to wake up as the laughter got louder. When she opened her eyes, I looked at her and motioned with my hand not to say anything. The man was now right outside the tent whistling loudly. Then he started to speak again in the same drawn out voice. Hello again friends. You know we were thinking after we left that you kind of treated us kind of rude earlier.

I just wanted to see your tent, man. Why don't you come on out and we'll take a look inside. The woman in the group started to laugh uncontrollably. The first time I heard anything from her and the memory of that laughter still haunts me. I started to quietly grab my belongings and put them in my bag and my girlfriend did the same. I looked at her and mouthed the plan that she thankfully seemed to understand. When they attempted to come into the tent, we would run as fast as we could in the direction of the closest town. Of course, plans never go as follows. I figured that he would

unzip the tent, but I was wrong. All three of them started to dive into the walls outside the tent and jump on us from the outside, all while they were laughing. He was saying something at this point, but I couldn't understand him during all the chaos. When I finally noticed the zipper coming down, I looked at my girlfriend and we both bolted through the tent opening. My girlfriend was first and got through. As I ran, the man grabbed my bag that was around my back. I shook my bag off out of instinct and made a run for it without it. I turned back to see the man holding the bag in his hand and he had something else in his left hand but I wasn't sure what it was. I just kept following my girlfriend in the pitch black darkness just hoping that she didn't know where she was going.

I turned around a couple of times and I could see what looked like a cell phone light in the distance following us. I ran until I couldn't see the lights anymore and we were breathing and huffing and puffing and we just started to kind of walk briskly at that point. And the whole night until morning it sounded like people were on our tail, but you couldn't see anyone because of the thick foliage. We were planning on hiking all morning arriving back in the early afternoon, but since we left in the middle of the night and ran, we made it back early in the morning. We made our way to a local coffee shop that was in town,

and we told them to call the police. We also called her uncle and had him pick us up. The most horrifying part about the entire story was while we were sitting at the coffee shop waiting for the police, a car drove by and in the passenger seat was what I thought was the man from the woods who had just terrorized us. I was in awe of what I was seeing. He didn't see me and I was surprised when I saw him that I didn't even notice what type of car he was in awe of what I was seeing. He didn't see me and I was surprised when I saw him that I didn't even notice what type of car he was in. It was so disturbing that these folks were in the same town as us and somehow found us in the woods.

They had to have followed us because there is no way that they would have just found us out in the middle of the woods like that. We gave our statements but there was never really any follow-up. We never retrieved our gear in the woods either, and sadly we never even seen her uncle after this event either. My girlfriend thinks she may be paranoid, but part of me thinks her uncle may have had something to do with that nightmare. I still cringe thinking about what could have happened that night, and I'm so lucky neither of us were seriously hurt. I'm not one for going on hikes. I'd much rather spend my days inside,

cozied up with a good book and a cup of coffee. But when my boyfriend, Greg, suggested that we go on a winter hike, I reluctantly agreed. He'd always been the adventurous type, while I was content to stay in my comfort zone. I just wanted to make him happy and, if this was how, I'd do my best to act excited about it. The drive up the mountain was gorgeous and I was relieved that there were other cars parked at the trailhead. We grabbed our backpacks from the trunk and headed onto the trail. The hike was only supposed to take a few hours there and back, and it was so early by the time we started,

so I wasn't too worried about it getting dark while we were out there. The hike was beautiful. The snow was like a blanket of soft white coating everything around us. The crisp air was invigorating, and we took turns leading the way, crunching through the snow, making our way deeper into the woods. We were having an amazing time, and I was actually really glad that I'd agreed to go. I felt free and alive, despite the air getting colder and colder around us as time went on. But then, something went wrong. Possibly the only thing I hadn't even thought would be a possibility. We got separated.

I had stopped to tie my shoe and drink some water and thought that Greg noticed me stop, but I guess he hadn't because when I looked up, he was gone. I couldn't see him anywhere, and I called out for Greg, but he didn't because when I looked up, he was gone. I couldn't see him anywhere, and I called out for Greg but he didn't respond, and I started to panic, wondering how I could have gotten so turned around. I started following his tracks, but the snow started coming down heavier and eventually I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me. I tried retracing my steps, but it was no use. I was completely lost. The fear settled in, like a heavy weight on my chest.

I didn't know what to do. I was dressed in a thin coat and jeans, and I knew I wouldn't last long in the harsh winter conditions. The weather app said that it was going to be clear and a sunny day, and since I knew nothing about hiking or going out into the wilderness, I hadn't prepared for the possibility of the weather suddenly changing. I tried to calm myself, telling myself that Greg would come back for me. The same thoughts raced through my mind over and over again. But what if he was lost too? What if we were both stuck out here in the middle of nowhere?

What if he still hadn't realized that I wasn't behind him anymore? I pushed through thoughts aside and decided that I had to keep moving. I hoped that if I kept going, I would come across something familiar or even catch up to Greg. I had to have hope, and walking helped me stay warmer than just standing still. I trudged through the snow, my legs growing tired with each step. My fingers and toes were beginning to feel this certain tingling and numbness, and my head was pounding from the cold. The snow was whipping me in the face, and I had started to consider just giving up. And then I heard it.

The snow crunched behind me, followed by a loud, snapping sound of twigs. Something was following me. I thought for a second that maybe it was Greg and that he'd found me, but unfortunately, I was very, very wrong. I turned, and there it was. A bear. It was massive, its fur a shaggy mess of brown, and it looked angry. We both just stared at each other for what felt like forever. I was trying to remember the saying I had learned in school about what you should do if you come across a specific kind of bear, but the fear was getting to me and my mind went completely blank. Its eyes were fixated on me, and I felt a jolt of fear rip through me. Fight or flight is pretty serious, and I guessed my body felt flight,

and that was the correct solution. I started to run, my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear the bear behind me, its growls echoing through the woods. I didn't dare look back and I just kept moving, hoping to put as much distance between us as possible. But the bear was faster than I was, and I cried out for help when I heard it get closer. I knew that I was no match for some wild animal like this, but I couldn't just give up. I had to keep moving. I spotted a tree and climbed up as fast as I could. I was shaking, my fingers slipping on the rough bark.

I finally made it to a branch and I pulled myself up, panting and sweating. I looked down at the bear and prayed to God that it wouldn't come up that tree after me. I knew that bears were skilled climbers. I was just hoping that this one wouldn't put in the effort to actually get me. The bear seemed to be about 10 to 15 feet below me. It paced back and forth. I knew I couldn't stay up there forever, but I didn't know what else to do. I was stuck with what felt like no escape. Hours began to pass, it felt like, and the bear showed no sign of leaving. I was starting to lose hope. I felt like I would never get out of there alive. I was so cold and hungry and scared.

And I was also worried about Greg. Alone out there, not aware of bears lurking in the distance. And then I heard a shout. Far away at first, and I called out, my voice hoarse from the cold. And it was him, rushing through the trees and snow to get to me. I saw the relief on his face when he noticed me in the tree. I yelled for him to stop and made him aware that there was a bear.

Thankfully, it didn't seem to notice him yet. It still had its full attention on me. Greg gave me this look, like he was about to do something I wouldn't like. I was telling him not to do anything, but I knew he'd do it anyway. He always helped me out of trouble, and I guess that day was not any different.

He called to the bear, waving his arms, trying to scare it away. The bear growled, but then, surprisingly, turned and just disappeared into the woods in the opposite direction of Greg. I climbed down from the tree very carefully and Greg wrapped me in his arms. I was safe, but I was still scared. We still had to get out of the woods, and there was no telling when that bear might actually come back. We started walking and tried to find our way back to the trailhead. We were both exhausted and on an edge, but we pushed forward.

I was grateful for Greg's presence, but I was scared of the thought that something would happen to him and I'd be alone again. Everything seemed normal, but suddenly Greg screamed, and I turned to see him on the ground, writhing in pain. I rushed over to him. My heart was beating quickly when I looked down and saw what happened. His foot had gotten caught in a tree root that had been hidden in the snow, and his ankle was very much broken, like his foot was flopping around when I lifted his leg. I thought I was going to pass out just from the sheer brutality of it. I tried to lift him, but he was too heavy. His body had collapsed from exhaustion, so hopping on one foot wasn't an option.

I grabbed the emergency blanket from his back and spread it out across the snow. I rolled him out onto it and tied two of the ends together and dragged him through the snow, my own exhaustion making it nearly impossible. I was determined though. I had to save him just like I knew he'd do the same for me. I couldn't let him die out there in the middle of nowhere. The snow had finally calmed down and the wind was howling through the trees. I was freezing.

My clothes and hair were soaked through. But I pushed on, inch by inch, step by step. I was terrified of what other bad thing could happen, but I was determined to save Greg no matter what. The rush of adrenaline that was going through my body was enough to keep me going for at least a little while longer. Finally, after what felt like hours, I saw it. The trailhead. And I let out a scream of joy as tears streamed down my face. We made it. We were safe. I dragged Greg to the car and I drove him to the nearest hospital as quickly as I could. He had started to go in and out of consciousness by that point. He was treated for his broken ankle and had to

get the tips of a few of his fingers amputated after it was discovered that he had developed frostbite. I was treated for hypothermia and otherwise had escaped with only minor cuts and bruises. We were both okay, but we both changed that day. We were both scarred by what happened in the woods. And I still think about how we saw other cars at the trailhead but never saw a single person out on the trail. I wondered if they had gotten lost like us or maybe they were further on the trail than us and made it back safely. I hope so at least. I guess going out of your comfort zone isn't always a good thing, but I learned one thing really valuable that day.

I learned about my own strength, and that nothing could stop me. Greg was alive because of my determination to get us out of there, and I thank God every day for giving me the courage to keep going. I'm writing this because I want to warn others about what happened to my husband and I at an Airbnb last winter. We thought it would be a romantic getaway, just the two of us, in the middle of nowhere surrounded by snow and trees, but we never expected to be scared for our lives. It started on the second night of our stay. I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep when I heard a strange noise coming from outside. It was a crunching sound, like someone was walking the snow around the house.

The day before was completely normal. I was ready for another great day, but obviously that was never meant to happen. I immediately woke up my husband and asked him to go check it out. He didn't hear anything and begged me to just let him sleep, but I insisted. He reluctantly got out of bed, grabbed a flashlight and left the room. I listened as he made his way through the house. I stayed inside the bedroom, too scared to move. After what felt like an eternity, my husband came back into the room with a look of terror on his face.

He told me that there were multiple people outside, all wearing masks and trying to break into the house. I was about to scream, but he covered my mouth with his hand and told me to be quiet. I felt tears well up in my eyes and couldn't help but get the feeling that we were going to die and that night would be our last. We quickly gathered our things and tried to make a run for the car but when we jumped in and my husband put the key in the ignition, the car wouldn't start. We were stranded, with no means of escape and nowhere to hide. The masked people were getting closer and closer,

their footsteps getting louder, and it was obvious that they knew we were in the car. My husband was adamant that we had to run back in the house to hide in the bathroom. I wasn't sure about that. Somehow I felt safer in the locked car at that moment, but I trusted him so we did what he said and ran as fast as we could back to the house. The front door was still unlocked and from what we could tell, they hadn't made it inside yet. We decided to hide in the bathroom, hoping that they wouldn't find us or even attempt to look there. We locked the door and turned off the lights and tried to stay as quiet as possible. I was shaking with fear as tears began to fall

down my face, and my husband held me close, trying to reassure me that everything would be okay, but I knew it wasn't. The people were going to find us eventually, and we listened as they got closer to the bathroom. They tried the door handle, and it didn't take long for them to realize that it was locked for a reason. They started to pound on the door as they tried to break it down. We could hear their laughter, their taunting, and we knew that we were in serious trouble. There's no way these people were just going to give up. I didn't get that impression at least.

The only way out was through the bathroom window above the shower. It was small, but large enough that my husband and I would be able to squeeze through. We were just hoping that we had enough time to both get out of there. I went first and then watched as my husband fell to the ground after he made his way out of the window. He closed behind him to make it look like we were never in there, and we ran as fast as we could through the woods, our feet sinking into the snow. We were both only wearing slippers, and the snow and ice was so cold that it felt like it was burning my feet. We were exhausted, and our bodies were starting to get numb from the cold, but we kept running. We wanted to stop and rest, but my husband motivated me as best he could to keep going. We eventually stumbled

upon a cabin and we were relieved to find that it was abandoned. We took refuge there. There was a fireplace and wood and my husband managed to start a fire to keep us warm. Before we knew it, we had fallen asleep and the sun was rising in the distance. The light peeking into the windows woke us up and we decided that we would walk back towards the house to see if those people were still there. We slowly and quietly made our way back to the Airbnb, but there was no sign of the masked people. My husband popped the hood to the car and realized that the battery had been disconnected. He reconnected it and we drove to the nearest town and reported

what had happened. The police went to the house and didn't find any evidence of a break-in or any sign of the masked people. They told us that it was probably just our imagination, fueled by the alcohol that we had consumed the night before. There weren't even any footprints besides ours in the snow. We got in contact with the host of the Airbnb and asked if they had any security cameras they could back up our story, but conveniently that night they had not been working. There was no footage of anything. Part of me feels like we had been set up. Like the whole thing was a trap and maybe the hosts were even in on it.

The day after we left, the ad for the Airbnb was gone and there was no trace of the house or any vacation rentals. It was all just an incredibly sketchy situation. We even told our parents and after hearing the whole story and how the police had found nothing, they sided with the officers too and told us that we probably had too much to drink and heard and saw things that really weren't there. But the last time I checked, alcohol doesn't make you hallucinate. We were devastated to not be believed when we had experienced something incredibly traumatic the night before. But my husband and I both know what we saw and what we heard. I can't shake the feeling that we were being watched. We never went back to that

Airbnb and we never spoke of what happened there again. We both decided it was just something we wanted to forget. I'm sharing our story because I want others to be aware of the dangers of staying at a house that isn't your own out in the middle of the woods. You never know who or what could be lurking outside your door, waiting to harm you. So if you're thinking of booking an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere, be careful. Don't let your guard down, and always trust your instincts. And if you hear a strange noise outside, stay inside, and call for help if you're able to. It's better to be safe than sorry. I lived out here alone for the past ten years, surrounded by fields and forests, with only the occasional neighbor for company. It's a peaceful life, and I love the quiet,

but what happened that night three years ago shattered whatever peace was left. I was sitting in my living room, watching the snow fall outside through the large bay window in the front room, when my dog barked and ran out of the doggy door. I got up out of my chair as quickly as I could, but I was losing her. I chased after her, but she was fast and I lost her in the blizzard. I knew she had run over to my neighbor's property like she does often, so I went back to the house and put on my coat and boots and headed out to find her. The walkover was brutal. The wind was crazy and the snow was coming down so hard I could barely see my own hand in front of me. But I pressed on. I was determined to find my dog and bring her back

home. This was not the kind of weather that was suitable for a dog though. When I finally arrived at my neighbor's house I was exhausted and covered in snow. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I thought maybe he was out so I opened the door and called my dog's name. I didn't know if he'd gone through his doggy door or not and I figured it wouldn't hurt to peek in for just a second. That's when my neighbor appeared with his shotgun in hand. What do you want? He snarled. He was standing so close to me I could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. I'm just looking for my dog, I said as I tried to stay calm.

She ran over here during the storm. I thought maybe she came into your house. Get out of my house, he said, waving the gun at me. You're not welcome here. I took a step back as my heart raced. Please, man, I just want my dog. I'll leave as soon as I find her. He spit at me before saying, you're not leaving until I say so. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen. My dog came running out of the snow and I grabbed her by her collar and held her next to me. The man continued to hold me at gunpoint. He kept talking about how I was trespassing and how I had no right to be on his property.

I started to feel like I was trapped and I didn't know how to escape. I tried to make a break for it, but he immediately grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back inside. He locked the door behind us and I realized that I was now completely at his mercy. He kept that gun trained on me as he led me into his living room. I saw my dog cowering in the corner and I was filled with fear for her safety. I love that dog more than anything else in the world. Please, sir, let us go. We won't come back here again, I promise.

It's an honest mistake. He just laughed. You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know what you're up to? I had no idea what he was talking about, but I knew I needed to keep him calm. I started talking to him, trying to find common ground. I told him about my life out here and about how I love the peace and quiet. He didn't seem interested, but also didn't pull the trigger, so I kept talking. Maybe I was distracting him from his own insane thoughts. Somehow, hours passed and I

started to feel hopeful. I was still sitting on the sofa, waiting for him to say something or let us go. Maybe he would let us go after all, I thought. But then, suddenly, he changed. He became violent, screaming and waving the gun around. I was sure that he was going to kill us both. He was saying how we were one of them, and he was being watched and we were part of it. He seemed like he was going completely crazy, and what he said made absolutely no sense at all. I asked him to better explain what he was saying, but he wouldn't. He just kept up with his mantra of how the government is evil and always

watching him. He was convinced that they wanted him dead and that he knew all of their secrets. I actually agreed about the government being evil part, but the rest of his radical ideas were just a little too insane for me to get behind. His ranting seemed to distract him even better than my talking so I let him go on as long as he wanted to. It turns out without interruption he would just go on forever. And that's when I heard a sound outside. It was the sound of a car and I knew someone was coming to help us. My neighbors stopped talking to listen and I called out for help, hoping that they could hear me and I could hear them calling back. They said it was the police. The man heard it too and he started to panic.

He grabbed me by my arm and my dog by the collar and he pulled us toward the back of the house. I struggled and tried to get free from his grasp but he was too strong. He threw us into a small windowless room and locked the door behind us and I could hear him pacing outside muttering to himself. I was desperate to escape. I tried to break down the door but it was too solid and he yelled when I banged on the wood. I tried to find a way out through the walls, hoping that they were thin, but they were too thick and there were no windows. I was trapped with no way out.

I don't know how long we were in that room, but it felt like an eternity. I was cold and hungry, and my dog was curled up in a ball on my lap. I started to lose hope again when I heard the sound of the lock turning. The door opened, and a police officer stepped inside with his gun drawn and he had come to rescue us. The man was arrested on the spot and I was finally able to go home.

I was shaken and exhausted and I was grateful to be alive. And apparently, one of our other neighbors had heard him yelling, and he knew how mentally unstable he was, so they immediately went to just calling the police, just in case he was involved with anybody else. And thank God they did. I never found out what had set my neighbor off that night. Maybe he was just a crazy person, or maybe he had some sort of vendetta against me,

mixed with however much booze he had that night, I have no idea. Either way, I was glad to be out of his reach. I never went back to his house or on his property, and I never saw him again. But every time it snows, I can't help but think about that night, and I'll always be eternally grateful for the police officer who put his life on the line to save my life that snowy winter day. When this happened, I was around 25 and was obsessed with trying new things. I'd always been an avid fisherman, but this year I wanted to try something different. I wanted to venture out onto the lake and try ice fishing for the first time. I packed my gear, grabbed my fishing rod, and headed out to the lake early in the morning.

I had invited a few friends, but they had backed out at the last minute, and I had no intention of changing my plans just because of them. It was a quiet and still day day and it was perfect for fishing. I chose a spot near the middle of the lake where I had heard my friends say that they had the best luck. I carefully made my way out onto the ice, making sure to keep my weight evenly distributed like the guy in the YouTube video I watched said to do so. The sun was shining and the sky was clear, but I felt a chill run down my spine as I looked out at the vastness of the lake. I was completely alone. I had parked my car on the edge of the road about a quarter mile from the edge of the lake.

I knew that I had no cell phone reception, but my friends knew where I'd be so I wasn't too nervous about it. I drilled my holes and baited my hooks, and soon I was pulling in fish one after the other. It was awesome. I knew it would be fun but that feeling was unlike anything I'd ever felt when fishing. I was having a great time and was completely caught up in the moment. I hadn't realized the ice beginning to crack beneath the weight of my now completely filled cooler. The ice beneath me gave way, and I yelled as I fell into the freezing water.

I was thankfully able to take one gasp of air before being fully submerged, but panic set in the second that I was under and whatever air I had in my lungs was blown out from the shock of what was happening. I was able to make my way back to the surface, but getting up onto the ice again was what proved to be an almost impossible task. I scrambled to get back on the ice, but it was too slippery and I kept falling back in. I tried to calm myself down, but the cold water was quickly zapping the energy from my body. I realized that I needed to get out of the water as quickly zapping the energy from my body. I realized that I needed to get out of the water as quickly as possible if I wanted to survive. I remember hearing about a

method of getting out of the water and back onto the ice. I would need to lay flat on my stomach and kick my legs hard to propel myself back up onto the ice. I tried this several times, but I just kept slipping back into the water. To be fair, the guy in the YouTube video made it look a lot easier than it was in the moment that I was panicking. My clothes were heavy and my boots were filled with water, making it even harder than I thought to get back up onto the ice. I was getting weaker and my teeth were starting to chatter. I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and my face was going numb. I just kept thinking about how that was not how I'd imagined that I'd die.

I started to cry out for help, but my voice was lost in the emptiness of the lake. I was the only one there that day. Maybe I should have taken that as a red flag, but I was kind of stupid, and definitely very stubborn. So instead, there I was, completely alone, with no one to hear me. I realized that if I was going to get out of this, I would have to do it on my own. No one was going to come help me, and if they ever did, it would be too late. I had to get out of that freezing water as quickly as possible. And with a final burst of energy, I tried one more time to get back up onto the ice.

This time I managed to grab hold of the edge of the ice and slowly but surely pulled myself up. I was beyond exhausted. Most of my gear had fallen into the lake and at that point I wasn't concerned about any of it. I just wanted to get back to my truck and warm up. I was shivering uncontrollably, and my clothes were completely soaked through. I carefully slid across the ice on my butt. I was scared of falling through again,

and that seemed like the smartest idea. The only problem I had once getting to shore was the fact that I'd gotten completely turned around in the aftermath of it all and didn't remember where I'd come from. I had no idea what direction to go in to find my truck or the path I'd taken to the lake. I sat there on the edge of the lake for around 15 minutes. I knew that I needed to come up with a plan, but I was too weak and too scared to even think straight. As the sun started to set, I realized that I was running out of time. My wet clothes were weighing me down and I needed to get into something to try and warm up as quickly as

possible or I knew that I was going to die out there. I managed to get up and start walking in what I thought was the direction of the nearest town. I figured sitting there was doing me no good and at that point I had nothing else to lose. I walked for what felt like hours as my mind raced with thoughts of how I was going to make it through the night. I was scared, cold, and I knew that I was running out of time. I stumbled and fell along the way, but each time I managed to get back up and, through sheer force of will, keep walking. As the night grew darker, I started to feel like I was losing my mind. I was cold, hungry, and my body was starting to give out on me.

But then, just when I thought about sitting down and just giving up, I saw a light in the distance. I had no idea what it was or if my mind was playing tricks on me, but it gave me hope, and I guess that's all I needed. I used every last bit of energy I had left in me and stumbled towards the light. When I finally made it to the door, I was too exhausted to knock. I just collapsed onto the porch as my body finally gave out on me. When I woke up, I was in a warm bed with a fire burning in the fireplace across the room.

I was surrounded by strangers, but they took care of me. And I had learned that I had come across a remote hunting cabin, where a group of hunters had been spending the weekend. They had called for help when they had found me and had put me in dry clothes and tried to keep me warm until the rescuers came to get me. I was flown to the hospital in a helicopter and treated for hypothermia and several broken ribs. I guess all those falls that I'd taken weren't harmless after all. They said I was lucky they never punctured one of my lungs. I was lucky to have survived, and I was grateful for the kindness of these random strangers who saved me. From that day on, I knew that I would never take my life for granted again, and it showed me just how fragile and vulnerable I truly was, and I'm grateful for

every day I get to live in this amazing world. I still remember that night like it was yesterday. My group of friends and I decided to hit up a local bar to celebrate the end of the semester. We drank way too much and ended up doing things we never would have done sober. I don't really want to get into all the details, but I'll tell you what happened after. One of our friends, Alex, got especially wild. He was always the life of the party, but that night he took it to a whole new level. As we stumbled out of the bar, Alex stripped down completely nude and ran into the snow. We were all laughing at first, thinking it was just some silly drunken stunt.

But then he took off into the woods, still with no clothes on, and we started to get kind of worried. We were yelling for him to come back, but the sound of his footsteps got more and more quiet as we went further into the woods. The trees weren't dense, but we were all over the place. We tried to follow him, but he was too quick for us. We were drunk and stumbling everywhere, while he was moving with surprising speed and agility. I was confused because I thought he was drunk too. We searched the woods for hours, calling his name and trying to find any sign of him. It was freezing cold and started to snow heavily, making it difficult to see anything.

We were so drunk that we couldn't even remember where we had entered the woods. We were lost and scared, and our laughter was replaced with fear and worry that we'd never escape. We walked around for hours in the darkness as we held on to each other so no one else would be left out there alone. None of us were dressed for the weather, and we had only planned to go out drinking, not for an impromptu hike. One of my friends suggested that we walk in a straight line and we'd reach a road eventually. The forested area that we were in wasn't too large, only a couple of miles wide, so that's what we did. Walked in a straight line until we were finally out. None of us knew what to do about Alex. We considered calling the police, but my friends were able to talk me out of it. They were carrying some other illegal substances that I didn't want to be caught with

and they were worried that we'd all be suspected of something and I eventually agreed to keep my mouth shut. It's something I still feel guilty about to this day. So I went home and just slept off the drunkenness. The next morning I was called in for questioning by the police. They wouldn't tell me anything until I got to the station but I knew it wasn't good when all the guys were there too. I sat down with them and they all started whispering about how all of our stories should be the same and how we should say Alex left the bar early and we didn't know where he went or what happened. But I was done keeping it to myself. I told my friends my plan was to tell the truth.

They weren't having it at all. Some even started to threaten me. When they got me in the interview room, they told me why I was there. They had found Alex. They said they found him lying face down in the snow and his skin was pale and blue from the cold. He was still naked and had obviously frozen to death. I can only speak for myself when I say I was completely shocked and

devastated to hear the news. I knew he had run into the woods naked, but I really thought that he'd find his way out eventually. I should have known that it was too cold to let him stay out there all alone. I shouldn't have given up looking for him. I should have known that it was too cold to let him stay out there all alone. I shouldn't have given up looking for him. I should have called the police. The police investigation revealed that he had died from hypothermia. He had run too far in the woods, disoriented from the alcohol and couldn't find his way back. The snow had covered his tracks, making it even more difficult for us to find him that

night. When they asked me my version of last night's events I told them everything. They thanked me for my cooperation and sent me on my way. His death was rolled in accident and no blame was put on me or my friends, although I couldn't help but blame myself. I still have nightmares about that night. I see him running into the woods, laughing and carefree, and then I see him lying there in the snow, so cold and still. I can still hear the sound of our screams and the crunching of the snow underfoot as we ran to find him. The guilt of what happened that night haunts me. We were all so drunk that we didn't realize the danger that Alex was putting himself

in. We should have stopped him, or at least tried to follow him more closely. But instead, we were too caught up in the moment to think about the consequences. I don't know how to live with the guilt and the sadness that I feel. I try to tell myself that it wasn't our fault, that it was just a tragic accident. But deep down I know that we could have done more to help him. It's been years since that night, but I still think about Alex every day. I think about the laughter and the fun we had, and I also think about the fear and the guilt. I never thought that night of partying could end so horribly, but it did, and now I can never go back and change what happened.

I still go out with my friends, but I never let myself get too drunk again. I never want to feel that level of regret again. I never want to be a part of a situation where someone I love could be in danger. That night changed my life forever. It's a reminder of the dangers of too much alcohol and the importance of being responsible for each other. I hope that our story can serve as a warning to others and that they never have to experience the pain and loss that we did. I will carry those memories with me for the rest of my life as a constant reminder of what can happen when we let our guard down

and become too reckless. I was hitchhiking in the winter, trying to make my way back home after visiting my aunt who lived several hours away. I was in a rush, and my car had broken down unexpectedly, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere. Now for further context, I'm a chubby mid-twenties guy, but still was scared to get in the car with a stranger. Like anyone else would be, but it was mid-winter and I was grateful that it wasn't snowing. I got out of my car and stood on the edge of the road waiting for someone to come by and hopefully take me home, or as close as I could get. And that's when I saw the headlights of a large truck approaching in the distance. My heart sank.

I wasn't sure I was ready to trust a stranger on the road, especially at this time of night, but as the truck got closer I realized that I didn't have much choice. I threw my thumb out and hoped for the best. The truck actually pulled over, and the driver, a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties with a grizzled beard and cold, dead eyes, rolled down the window. Where are you headed? He asked me with a raspy voice. I told him I was just going a few towns over. Hop in, he said, pointing to the passenger seat. I hesitated for a moment but then climbed in, grateful for the warmth.

The gratitude didn't last long when I realized the truck was old and smelled musty with a layer of grime coating every surface. The driver pulled out a pack of cigarettes and smoked with the windows rolled completely up. I wasn't a smoker so I was pretty disgusted. The driver was silent as he drove and it really began to set in that I was alone in the cab with a stranger who could do anything he wanted to me. The snow was coming down even harder now and I started to worry about the road conditions. The truck was shaking and rattling and I could feel my heart racing. I tried to distract myself by asking the driver about his truck but he didn't seem interested in talking. In fact, he just ignored me completely.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the driver pulled off the main road and the truck suddenly lurched to a stop. I looked out the window and saw that we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles of fields and rolling hills. What's going on? I asked him as I tried to keep the nervousness I was feeling out of my voice. The driver turned to me, his dark eyes shining in the dim light of the cab. Don't worry, he said with a sly smile. I just need to make a quick stop. Be right back. And with that, he got out of the truck and disappeared into the darkness.

I was left alone, surrounded by dark, with every small sound scaring me to my core. I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. This wasn't a good idea. I wanted to get out and run, but I didn't know how far we were from the nearest town and I didn't want to be lost out in the middle of nowhere during winter. I didn't even know if any other person would come along that time of night anyway. But after what felt like an eternity, the driver returned, carrying a large, wrapped up package. He climbed back into the truck, threw it in the back seat and started

the engine, not bothering to explain what he'd been doing. It wasn't technically any of my business, and I certainly wasn't in any sort of position to ask, but I was curious. The rest of the drive was just as silent and uncomfortable as before. I tried to keep my eyes on the road ahead, but I couldn't help but steal a few glances at the driver. to keep my eyes on the road ahead, but I couldn't help but steal a few glances at the driver. His eyes were fixed on the road, his hands tight on the wheel, and his face lacked any kind of expression at all. As the truck continued down the road, it began to snow very hard. It made it harder and harder to even see the road ahead of us. The truck started to skid and slide, and I could feel my heart racing with fear.

I closed my eyes and prayed that we would make it to safety. Suddenly, the truck came to a stop and I opened my eyes. We were in a small clearing, surrounded by trees on all sides. I was about to ask what we were doing, but was cut off by the driver ordering me out of the truck. Get out, he said, his voice harsh and gruff. I hesitated for a moment, but then I realized that I didn't have a choice. I opened the door and stepped out into the snow, feeling the chill seep into my bones. The driver got out as well and I was really

confused. What are we doing here? I tried asking, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. I need your help, he said. I looked down at the package that he was holding and my heart sank. It was wrapped in plastic and seemed to be covered in some type of substance that I could only presume to be blood. I didn't understand what was going on, but I didn't like where that was headed. He was holding a shovel in one hand and a knife in the other. My brain was telling me to run, to get out of there. But when I finally tried, I realized my feet were stuck in the deep snow. The driver caught up to me quickly, and before I knew it, he had me by the neck.

I struggled and fought, but I couldn't break from his grip. Please! I begged. Let me go! I won't tell anyone about any of this! I promise. The driver didn't say a word.

He just tightened his grip, and I could feel my consciousness beginning to slip away. Just as I thought I was about to black out, I heard a loud noise in the distance. It was the sound of a car engine and it was getting closer. The noise must have spooked the driver because for a split second I was able to break free. I ran as fast as I could through the heavy snow, not stopping until I reached the road. A car pulled over and the man in the driver's seat asked if everything was okay. I yelled help me at him as soon as I reached the car. He saw the truck driver chasing after me and told me to get in.

I opened the door, jumped in the car and slammed it behind me. The man who saved me sped off and took me directly towards the police station like I'd asked him to. I got his contact info and went inside. I told the police everything. Unfortunately, I'd not thought to memorize the truck driver's license plate, and they told me that they would do everything they could to look into it, but unfortunately, with how transient some of these truck drivers are, they say the ones that commit crimes tend to get away with it. The last time I checked in with that station,

they told me that there was nothing else they could do unless I recognized the truck again and called in the plate number. Thankfully, I never saw the driver of the truck again, but I never forgot the look in his cold, dead eyes. I still have nightmares about that night, and I know that I'll never forget the fear and terror I felt as I was trapped in that snow-covered clearing with a man who I knew was about to end my life. To be continued... go fishing in the winter. Something about the cold and snow along the riverbanks seemed so peaceful to me. Only problem was I couldn't get anyone to come with me. I may be a strong woman, but hiking into the woods alone didn't seem like the brightest idea. But after about a month of trying to convince literally anyone to come with me, I realized going alone was my only option. I kept track of the weather and had a date set in early January. It's our

coldest month of the year, but there was about a week where we were supposed to get nothing but sun. Out of the ordinary weather, but I was grateful, and I told my family exactly where I was going and where I'd be parking my car. My mom slipped an air tag into the bag on my way out the door, and I was off. I parked my car along the side of the main road and followed the trail to the fishing spot a buddy of mine from work told me about. Something felt off though. My hair stood up on the back of my neck and I got goosebumps all over my body. I kept getting the feeling someone was watching me, even following me. I had underestimated how deep the snow could be. I thought that since the day before was sunny most of it may have actually been melted by then. But no, it may have been

sunny but it was still extremely cold so the snow turned to ice. My feet would break through the top layer of ice and fall into the still powdery snow beneath. I hadn't worn the tallest boots so a lot was able to make its way into my socks and even begin to soak my feet. I was considering turning around and going back to my car. It seemed like there were red flags going off everywhere. But my mom always tells me to not be so paranoid so I continued onward. The feeling of someone following me never went away though. Every now and again throughout the hike I'd hear a branch snap or snow crunch around me. When I looked around and saw nothing I tried to just chalk it up to a deer running by or something. The explanations I came up with were

to just try to make myself feel better about not turning back when I wasn't so deep into the woods. My feet were almost numb and my legs were sore when I finally reached the riverbank. I pulled out my gear and changed my socks, thanking my mom and my head for packing me an extra pair. I put on my waders and made my way into the water, grateful that I wasn't getting any more wet than I already was. I stood there for what felt like hours before finally catching a fish. I wasn't planning on keeping any, so I just let it go. It was starting to get dark before I knew it, so I decided to pack up and head back. As I was packing my gear, I heard a grunting sound

from across the river. I stood up quickly and took my gun from the holster and looked for the source of the sound, and that's when I saw him. A man, completely naked, standing on a fallen tree across the river staring at me. I didn't know what to think. I was in complete shock and I even thought about pinching myself because it felt like some weird dream. I noticed his fingers and toes seemed to be completely black, claimed by what looked to be frostbite. I wondered how he was surviving the cold wearing absolutely nothing, but I guess he wasn't. He stood there, and I swear to God he was growling, not making any movements.

I kneeled down and put the last of my things in my bag and looked back to see what the man was doing, but by that point, he was gone. I started to panic. Was he making his way over to me? I slung my backpack onto my back and kept a firm hold on my gun as I re-entered the woods, back on the trail towards my car. I didn't know what to think. The whole time I was rushing to get out of the forest, back on the trail towards my car. I didn't know what to think. The whole time I was rushing to get out of the forest, I just kept thinking the man was hiding behind every tree that I'd passed by. The hike takes about an hour walking, so I was almost completely sure that I'd be seeing him again. After walking around 20 minutes, I heard the same sounds as before. The branches snapping and the snow crunching.

I knew he was out there watching me. I felt like I was about to cry. The fear that I was feeling in that moment was unlike anything I'd ever felt in my life. The sounds of someone following me getting closer and closer. My heart was racing, my breath quickened. I was looking around in every direction until I stopped terrified there he was standing only ten feet in front of me on the trail he looked out of breath there was steam coming off of his nude body as I now stared at him I raised the gun and told him to leave me alone but instead of listening

he began to take a step forward I took a step back and screamed at the man to leave or I would shoot him. The expression on his face never changed. It was like he didn't even know what I was saying. He took another step forward, this time smirking as he did so. I took another step back and gave him one last warning that if he came any closer, I would shoot him. That didn't stop him. Instead, he lunged at me, and I shot. I chose to shoot at his legs, I didn't want to kill the man, just to make it so I could get away and call for help.

He stumbled to the ground. He began screaming in pain. I ran by him and screamed as he reached for my legs. I kicked him in the face and he fell unconscious. The tears began to roll down my face as I ran the last bit of the trail back to the main road where my car was parked. I unlocked it and threw all my stuff inside. I put the key in the ignition and was horrified when I realized that it wasn't going to start. The sun was setting. I took out my phone and I began to call 911. They told me it would be at least 30 minutes before an officer could be out there

and that I should lock the doors and stay in the car no matter what. That was already my plan though. After 10 minutes of waiting and getting more and more paranoid, there he was. The naked man, leaning against a tree on the edge of the forest just in front of my car. I screamed and pointed my gun at him yet again, this time aiming to kill. I didn't want to do it, but I absolutely would. He stumbled his way close to my car and leaned against the hood for support.

He began banging his fist against the hood of my car as I screamed. Then he came around the side and screamed loudly at me through the window. Just screamed. And no actual words came out. I was sobbing at this point, begging for him to stop, but he wouldn't. Finally, I saw flashing red and blue lights in the distance, and the naked man obviously saw them too because he limped his way back into the woods and disappeared. The officer parked beside me and asked me what happened and I spilled my guts,

telling them everything. They called for a search team to look for the man, and they followed his trail of blood, but they were never able to find him. I had nightmares for months of the naked man following me wherever I went. Thankfully, they were just nightmares, and I never did see him again. I am sure of one thing, though. I will never go into those woods alone again. I've been snowboarding for over a decade now, and I've always pushed the limits of what's considered safe. I've ridden down the steepest slopes, braved the harshest conditions, and lived to tell the tale. But today, I was reminded that no matter how experienced you are, Mother Nature always

has the upper hand. I was out on the slopes feeling confident and unstoppable. I was catching air and doing tricks and just feeling generally alive as I always do. I was so focused on the thrill of the ride that I didn't notice the signs of warning of a dangerous drop-off just ahead. Before I knew it, I was off the edge and falling down a cliff. At first, I legitimately thought that I was going to die. The wind was rushing past my face, the snow was whipping against my body, and the ground was rushing up my face, the snow was whipping against my body, and the ground was rushing up

to meet me. I managed to tuck and roll, but the impact was still brutal. I felt a sharp pain in my leg, and I knew instantly that it had broken, and the pain was just unimaginable. I laid there for a moment, gasping for breath, and tried to take a second to assess the damage. My leg was bent at an unnatural angle, and I could feel the bone grinding against my skin. I tried to move, but the pain was too intense. I was stuck. I yelled for help and hoped someone could hear me, but no one did. The pain was starting to get really bad, and I was begging for my body to give one of those adrenaline rushes you get in times like this, but it wasn't coming. I started to panic. I was far from the main slopes with no cell service and no one around. I was alone, injured and at the mercy of the elements. I started to feel the cold seeping

into my bones and I knew that I had to act fast if I wanted to survive. I remembered my snowboard and figured maybe I could use it to help me get out of there and maybe get somewhere where someone would notice me. The snowboard was still attached to my feet and I realized that I could use it to slide down the mountain slowly but it wasn't going to be easy. It was my only chance. I slid my butt into the middle of the board and lifted my leg onto the front of the board as best as I could without doing any more damage. I started to panic again and doubt if this was something I could even manage. If I even had the strength or courage to save myself, this is never a situation I thought that

I'd be in and I may be the adventurous type but never the type to survive something like this. I did my best to take the deepest breath I could and started to slide down the mountain, gritting my teeth against the pain and trying to stay in control. The snow was deep and soft and I was able to make slow progress but I also knew that if I lost control I could easily fall off another cliff or get stuck in a snowdrift. Every now and then, my leg would fall off the board and get caught in the snow and I'd scream in pain. I was so nervous the bone was going to rip out of the skin at any second. I didn't want to have to deal with a broken bone and an open

wound on the side of a mountain. I took a second to myself to ask whatever god was out there to let me survive, to let me see my family again. After my break was over and I took a deep breath, I used my hands to push me further down the mountain. My ride was bumpy and the cold was starting to numb my fingers and toes. I was terrified and about to pass out from the pain, but I kept my focus on the goal. I had to get to safety. I had to make it home. As I slid down the mountain, I started to see signs from the slopes.

I saw a ski lift in the distance, and I knew that I was getting close. I picked up speed, hoping to reach help before it was too late. I was screaming for help as loud as I could. My voice was becoming hoarse in the cold air. Sliding down the mountain on my butt on a snowboard is way harder than I ever could have imagined, especially with a completely broken leg. I slid off and was trying to position myself back onto the board when I heard a loud noise. I knew that sound. I've heard it many times before. It was the sound of an avalanche.

I turned my head and saw a wall of snow rushing toward me. I was frozen in place, unable to move or escape. And I was about to be buried, alive. At that moment, all I could think about was my wife and daughter. I thought of the life I was leaving behind. I thought of the things I still wanted to do. I didn't want to die there, in that lonely place with no one to mourn my loss. Who knows if they would ever find my body under all that snow.

I closed my eyes and braced for the impact, but it never came. I opened my eyes and saw that I was still moving, still sliding down the mountain on my snowboard. I looked back and saw that the avalanche had missed me by mere inches and I guess when I was trying to get on the snowboard, I had managed to and I didn't realize that I had started moving since the mountain was shaking beneath me and pushing me forward. I was shaking, crying from the dramatic relief that I was feeling, but I didn't stop. I continued to slide down the mountain until I finally reached the bottom. There weren't many people around since it was a slow day for the resort, and I collapsed onto the ground and started to scream for help. Within minutes minutes a ski patrol team arrived. They quickly assessed my injury and called for a heli evac to airlift me

to the hospital. As I was being loaded into the chopper I couldn't help but feel grateful for the second chance at my life. I had to spend a week in the hospital and since the accident I've had plenty of time to reflect on what happened. I learned that even the most experienced snowboarders can make mistakes and that the mountains are not to be taken lightly. I also learned that the will to survive can be a powerful force and that sometimes all it takes is a little bit of luck to make it out alive. I'll never forget that day, and I'll never take the mountains for granted again. I'm just grateful to be alive and to have another chance to make the most of my life and spend as much time with my family as possible. To be honest,

I don't snowboard much anymore, and I'm fine with that. If it means I'll never have to experience a day like that ever again. This year, at the end of spring, I moved into my first real home in East St. Louis, Illinois. I was gearing up to move in early 2020, but then you know what hit. And like most other people on the planet, all my plans got put on hold. I had to juggle some finances, find a job, all without dipping into the savings intended to buy my starter home. But eventually, just over two years later, I was finally able to move in. The thing that made it real for me was the fact that I have my own backyard now, something that my six-year-old

Schnauzer really appreciates. He doesn't have to wait to go to the dog park to stretch his legs or roll around in the grass, and as gross as it sounds, he actually has a place to go to the bathroom whenever he wants. It's become part of our daily routine. I'll let Polly, that's his name, out first thing in the morning, once at lunchtime and then once before I go to bed. For months, the worst thing that would happen is that I'd have to clean up Polly's you-know-what, but then in July, something legit terrifying happened that made me think the whole world was ending. It was July, just after 10pm at night and I had just let Polly out into the backyard to take a dump. It was a nice warm

evening and I was scrolling through my phone as Polly sniffed around for the right spot. Only it wasn't just regular dumb scrolling. There was something very particular on my mind and I found that every time I picked up my phone, I'd gravitate back to the same grim topic. Nuclear war. You might have seen a lot about it in the media this year, all prompted by the invasion and Pootler's ambiguousness on whether or not he'll actually use weapons of mass destruction. Now call me a fraidy cat or whatever, but it was something that really took up a lot of my headspace this summer. I even saw a PSA from New York advising people on what they should do in the event of a nuclear attack.

And since the authorities evidently deemed the threat to be a credible one, I started getting increasingly anxious over it. So as I said, I started scrolling through some news articles on the chances of a nuclear strike occurring on American soil when, all of a sudden, the whole of my backyard was lit up by this bright orange glow. I looked up to see this giant fireball rising into the sky. Then a second later, boom, this huge explosion sends Polly running back into the house while yelping at the top of his little yappy voice. I just reacted, running back into my house behind Polly all the while thinking it's happening, it's happening, oh my god, it's actually happening. Paulie was still freaking out, and I had to grab him before rushing down into the basement expecting that the shockwave was going to hit at any moment.

But obviously, that didn't happen. There was no shockwave, because there was no bomb. What actually happened was that a chemical plant, one that was actually pretty close to me, had caught fire and there had been an explosion. But in my mind, the explosion had looked much further away. And given how paranoid I was about Russian warheads and the poor Polly reacted when he heard the explosion, I guess I was just primed to overreact. I know, I know, I must seem like a total nutcase, but that explosion was so loud. It made every 4th of July show seem like a cap gun, and it literally made the ground shake when it hit. I think I would have freaked out even if I hadn't

been obsessing over geopolitical situations, but having all of that on my mind made it one of the most terrifying moments of my whole life. I guess I need to pay less attention to the media. It's been doom and gloom for so long, I guess I just overloaded myself. But in that moment, seeing that fireball in the sky, it honestly felt like the world was ending. I'm sorry. On June 3rd, 2016, I had a social media event. I was an Instagram influencer and the event was a golf tournament. I posted on social to ask followers to come, so when he showed up, it didn't surprise me. Sure, the tickets were $250, but for some reason, that didn't click with me. It was a drinking event as well, and he showed up at least tipsy, but having a good time.

He was also an Instagram model who I knew online. He asked me out on a date for after the tournament. I was a single mom, and because of the event, my parents were watching the kid until the next day, so I said sure. We went off on the date, went to a bar and grabbed some food. The man was handsome but mostly charming as heck. We had a beer, then in his car he offered some weed. I rarely smoke but decided, what the heck. We hotboxed, then went off to a bar. He was friendly with everyone and made me laugh quite a few times. Then off to the liquor store for more alcohol and finally to his house. I was drunk and high so it was easy to sleep with me. He had a bunk bed and I remember him being on

top and being very selfish and aggressive and being scared I just didn't stop him out of fear. He had driven and my car was still at the golf tournament location and we were far too far for me to afford an uber back to my car. The next morning I went to the restroom and afterward noticed a long pipe coming from the toilet after I flushed. They seemed to come out upset saying that the pipe was messed up and it was used to water the weed him and his roommate were growing. I didn't know what was going on and I was too drunk and high to really have anything click and I just apologized deeply and was scared. We came downstairs and I looked at the walls and decor for the first time. Knives and weapons were used as decorations all over the house and

I waited for him to have breakfast and drive me back to my car, trying not to show really any panic. In the car I needed an excuse that wouldn't hurt his feelings. I told him I had a blast and I'm so bummed because I really like him, but my child's father passed away when he was one, which is true, and I can't have CPS take him away because I'm around someone growing weed. I told him I didn't care about the weed and I didn't want him to change, so it was a bummer. I let him make out with me at least one last time as he dropped me off. I was shaking as I drove off because of the vibes. The very next day, after he dropped me off, he met a girl that was 10 years our junior and an 18 year old mini me.

He dated her for 3 weeks I guess and she dumped him and he stalked her like crazy. So much so he was arrested a few times. In September of the same year he gets out of jail the last time and heads to a bar, meets a girl there and takes her home. He ends up murdering her, chopping up her body, cutting her heart out and setting it on fire. He's currently serving life for his crime. And I'll tell you something, I get flashbacks all the time. I love you. back in 2007, we decided to take a month-long holiday to America. We traveled from LA up the west coast and then back down through Nevada. We did this by renting a car and doing the whole vacation, road trip style. One night, we were traveling towards Lompoc and stopped in Santa Barbara for the night to sleep. We drove around a while looking for a decently priced motel that

wasn't too bring-your-own-UV-light, if you know what I mean. And my mom and dad found a place that looked okay and went inside to inquire about the price of a room for the night, while my sister and I stayed in the car and listened to music on our iPods. We were bopping along to the Fray album that I had bought that day when my sister removed her headphones and said, Look at mom. what is she doing? I looked out the window and can see into the reception of the motel and see my dad talking to the manager and my mom displaying very cold and odd body language. She's usually very friendly

with staff everywhere so this was odd for her. What's wrong with her? I said to my sister as we kept a close eye on them. My mom was standing behind my dad with her arms crossed and looking around the place as if she was on guard for something, as if her hyper-vigilant senses had kicked in. After some time, my mom and dad get back in the car and discuss what to do about staying the night. My dad stated that we couldn't find any cheaper for the night and he was hungry and ready for dinner, so we better just stay here. Plus, it was the last room available, so we would have to make a quick decision. To his dismay, my mom disagreed. I don't like this place. I have a bad feeling, said my mom. My dad argued on, getting more and

more irritated that my mom couldn't explain what she didn't like about the place, until my mom finally snapped and yells over my dad saying, We are not staying here! Fine. My dad screams back. And he says this as he starts the car and backs out of the motel driveway. At this point, my sister and I are looking at each other like, what in God's name just happened? But we stay quiet as mom seems on edge. Anyway, we end up finding a place to stay that mom approved of and bunkered down for the night.

In the morning, we were bustling around the motel room, getting ready for the day when my dad turns up the TV to hear a news story about a shooting at the motel my mom didn't want to stay at. It turns out about 15 minutes after we left, a couple walked in and booked that last room, and the man that was behind them shot them because they took that last room. We all turned to look at my mom who was standing there wide-eyed watching in horror. I told you I had a bad feeling about that place, she said to my dad, who was just pretending not to listen. Moral of the story, always trust your intuition. My family and I had a caravan in a holiday park in New South Wales.

We would go there every school holidays and there were many kids that I used to run around and play with. I have fond memories of this place where I learned to ride a bike and had my first kiss. But other memories are not as good and now leave me with that egg flip feeling in my stomach. The people that owned the caravan park had a son. He was roughly 25 years old and I would have been around 5 or 6. He would drive around the park and collect everyone's rubbish on a tractor and do other odd jobs like this to help out his parents. Every once in a while he would pull up when I was playing out front and ask if I wanted to ride on the tractor. I, being young and naive of course, accepted and jumped on because what child doesn't want to ride

on a tractor? This was back in the days where parents would let their children play in the streets without much supervision and you just came back home when the street lights came on. One day when he dropped me back to our van, my dad came storming out, grabbed me by the arm and yanked me off the tractor. Without saying a word to the man, he took me inside and told me to never, ever hang out with him again. I don't want you hanging around this man again, he said without saying why. But he's nice, he gives me lollies, I said. Just don't. I'm telling you. Don't talk to him, he replied. I couldn't understand why my dad didn't want me talking to the nice man who only gave me attractor rides and gave me lollies and hugs and sometimes the occasional sandwich.

I remember telling the man one day, My dad said I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore. To which he smirked and replied, Oh yeah? Why's that? Fast forward nearly 13 or 14 years later, and my family and I are watching the news when the man's face flashes across the screen attached to a story where he had killed two people and is now serving time in prison. My dad said, Look at this, look at this. I knew he was bad news. There was always just something about him.

Do you remember when he used to take you around on that tractor? My blood ran cold and my stomach dropped. The most disturbing part, he killed people with pills that he would call his lollies. Please always listen to your parents. My god, I would be dead by now if it wasn't for my dad. I don't even know where to start because it never occurred to me that something like that was possible. But here I am. Ever since I was three years old, I knew one girl. I'm going to call her Emma because we were in the same group

in kindergarten. Later, we attended the same school. We were never really close until we turned nine or ten because we got into the same group of friends and soon we became best friends. Not surprising for that age. We'd hang out a lot, literally spent all the free time with each other. I knew that Emma had problems at home. Her mom was an alcoholic and an addict, even though she denied it all the time. Most of the time we'd spend on the streets, however, rarely we'd stay at my place when it was raining or during storms and blizzards. But we never entered her apartment when someone was at home and even then never stayed for longer than 10 minutes. My mother suspected that she was stealing stuff, a pair

of golden earrings went missing and we never found them again, and just asked me to be more careful around her. Eventually I noticed what my mother meant. Emma would come up with crazy excuses to stay in my apartment, like saying that if we go under the rain, she would catch a cold during her period and in the future she wouldn't be able to give birth due to that. I wasn't a dumb kid, but just decided not to point out her ridiculousness. One summer afternoon I decided to bring up the topic of Emma's family again. She took me to her home and no one was there. Everything went normal, so we started hanging out there more often. I noticed a lot of empty bottles and syringes around but it wasn't my place to pry. A few days after that when we entered I noticed two extra pairs of shoes that

weren't there before and when we left the door frame I saw a woman and a man sitting in a kitchen and smoking. I knew that Emma didn't have a father. He died when she was two or so, so I assumed that it was her mother's friend. Is that? And then she said my name. You've changed a lot. Such a pretty face. I was so weirded out as she and that man stared at me intently, eyeing up my body and face. I was ten, so only later I understood how creepy it truly was. I'm pretty sure that I never met her mother before, so probably she saw me in a kindergarten album or something. After that encounter, Emma started acting really strange, asking my parents full names, where exactly they worked, whether I have extended family, persuading me to go to

abandoned places. She literally dragged me to her place several more times where I met her mother and that man again. Weird comments, especially about my body and face, happened every time. I told my mother about Emma's behavior. I didn't tell about that weird stuff with her mother and she banned me from hanging out with Emma completely. It's important to note, after me and Emma stopped talking, she transferred to another school by the demand of her mother. It was a regular morning, a month or two after I stopped talking with Emma. I headed out to school when, suddenly, an old beaten up car pulled up near me and a woman came out of it. I couldn't see her face clearly due to the scarf around her face and I assumed that

she was just a passenger getting out of the car, so I continued my way towards the school. However, I haven't even made more than a step when she firmly grabbed my arm. She started saying something about my mother being in the hospital and that I need to go with her. Her voice seemed familiar and the rest of the face too. She also said the full names of my parents and that she's related to me from my uncle's side. She said his name too. I freaked out and started denying her demand to get in the car so she grabbed my shoulder, placed her palm on my mouth and dragged me to the car. And that's when I saw the driver was that man from Emma's place. I bit the woman's hand as hard as I could, thrashed until she let

go and ran back home as hard as I could. My mother came home furious after she was alerted that I never got to school but she quickly calmed down when she saw my state. My clothes were torn on the sleeve, my arm heavily bruised and I was sobbing. I was never an emotional kid, rarely showed even mild emotions. I explained everything that happened and she showed me all the photos of relatives and asked if I recognized the woman and I didn't. My mother hasn't said a word to me about that after and we pretended it never happened. Today I stumbled across Emma's Facebook and there was a photo of her mother with that disgusting scarf. I denied the possibility

that was her throughout my whole childhood, but here it was, proof that it makes it impossible to lie to myself anymore. I need to let it out because my mother never got me any psychological help after this and I just bottled it up. Why did Emma's mother do that? Did Emma know about it? But I guess I won't ever know. A few years ago, about 2019, I was riding the bus one night to get home. There was a guy on the bus that was a little disheveled and dirty, reeked of alcohol and generally acting weird. I was sitting in the back and he sat near me and tried to talk to me. I was polite at first. I rode the bus at night a lot so a drunk homeless guy doesn't really bother me and I have no problem making small talk with a stranger on the bus. Plus I'm used to there being one or two

sketchy people on the bus considering the route and the fact that it's late at night. When he tried to get flirty I told him I wasn't interested and put my headphones back in my ears and ignored him. He got a little frustrated and even said some vulgar things but I couldn't really hear him so it seemed fine. It's not my first rodeo being in that kind of situation and while it's uncomfortable and there's nothing okay about that sort of behavior I rarely feel threatened. Most of the time they are harmless, all bark and no bite, and I'm a big girl, as in tall and overweight, and I know basic self-defense and always have an exit strategy

when in scenarios where I don't feel safe. When people get like that on the bus, I find most of the time ignoring them and acting like I'm not phased is enough for them to get bored and find somewhere else to go. I only engage if they get in my face or start harassing other passengers, especially other women, kids, and seniors or anyone who appears vulnerable, because I will not tolerate that. And the bus drivers usually don't put up with that either if it escalates enough. Anyway, this random drunk homeless guy would have been just one of many random drunk homeless guys if it weren't for what happened next. So my stop is coming up,

and I'm looking forward to going home. I am exhausted and so ready to get to bed. I pull the cord to indicate that I want off on the next stop, and he gets up and walks to the front to talk to the driver and then laughs loudly. I don't think much of it except I'm a little wary and thinking please don't tell me we're getting off at the same stop. As the bus slows down and I'm waiting at the back door to be let off at the stop, instead of opening the back door, he opens the front door and the guy gets off. I ask the driver to open the back door and I see him shake his head in the mirror and annoyed. I walk to the front and get off there but he closes the door before I can get off and starts

driving. Angrily I say, what are you doing? That's my stop. The driver replies, I'm sorry but I can't in good conscience let you off at the same stop as that guy. Either get off at the next one or wait until we get to a transit station and take a bus going the other way. Not getting it, I ask. Why? Because of what he said to me, he says. I ask what he said and the driver just says, nothing I'd like to repeat, ever. I'm so sorry, but just trust me. The driver actually looked shaken, and considering the tone of his voice and the look on his face, as frustrated and anxious as I was to get home, I trusted him and took his word for it. I caught another bus going the other way at the next terminal and watched the driver radio dispatch

to get some peace officers and transit security to patrol the area near that stop. They were parked in the parking lot near the stop when I finally got off and I was extra paranoid and on high alert as I walked the next couple of blocks to my apartment that night, fortunately without further incident. I never saw that guy again and I'm okay with that. And to this day I wonder exactly what he said to the driver. It bugs me not knowing, but at the same time, maybe it's better that way. Either way, the implications are enough to freak me out, and I'm so thankful for whatever the bus driver must have stopped that day. This is actually my first ever post.

Something creepy happened to me, a female, 26 years old, in 2020. This is back when just about everything was closed down due to the pandemic and I was still studying to be a teacher. One of the requirements for teaching is to pass the RICA exam, which is a 4 hour long test that is commonly taken at a testing center. I found a testing location that was still open and made an appointment. Since COVID regulations were in effect, I was told prior to arriving that test takers could use the lockers to store their belongings. I don't know, I guess it's sanitation issues or something. Anyway, my mom offered to drive me to the test site and said that she would pick me up after to grab lunch. And this is important because A. I didn't drive and B. I decided to leave my phone with my mom because it would be easier with the lockers not being in service. I finished my exam about

10 minutes before the 4 hour time limit ends and went outside to wait for my mom. I expected her to be right outside in the parking lot because she's usually early to arrive to most things but she wasn't. No big deal, I decided to stand in the middle of the parking space on the opposite side of the lot facing the building. I noticed a man who was dressed in a suit walking into the lot from a path between the testing site and another building that was in the center. He didn't acknowledge me and got into his car that was parked a few spots over to my left. He backed out of the spot and started turning his car in my direction, which was also the opposite direction of the only exit this parking lot had. I knew something was wrong, but before I could start making my way back to the testing site, he blocked the parking spot that I was standing in with his car. He had his passenger window rolled down and started to tell me how beautiful my hair was.

I said thank you and he started to say other things but I couldn't make it out because he began speaking softer. I felt myself taking a step forward naturally to try to make out what he was saying but stopped because I realized that that was probably what he wanted, me closer to the car. He must have noticed my apprehension because he then began negotiating a friendship saying he was from Uganda and that he needed someone to show him around. This interaction lasted less than 30 seconds and ended abruptly when out of nowhere he put his car in reverse and just dipped out of the parking lot. Now that his car was out of the way, I was able to see

the two workers from the test site had exited the building at some point and were yelling for me to come inside. They saw the interaction, thought it looked off, and offered that I wait for my mom in the lobby. Has anything like this happened to anyone before? Any men in nice clothes with nice cars saying they are Ugandan with accents to back it up acting predatory. It really bothers me because young adults frequent these types of testing sites all the time and leave dazed and vulnerable after sitting through four hours of exams, many times with nothing on them but an ID like me. Did this man know that? And are there others out there stalking out test sites for no reason?

Did those proctors save me from being trafficked? A few years ago, I, a 19-year-old female at the time, used to live in apartments across the street from a grocery store. I worked nights and needed to get a few groceries after work in the a.m. If I didn't need many things, I'd just walk instead of drive, and this was one such occurrence. It was early enough, I'd say about 8 AM-ish, and I'm browsing the store. I grabbed a really nice measuring cup, sort of like an impulse buy, and this is important later on. Toward the end of my shopping, I'm grabbing the last few items. I pass the same man at least twice, it could have been more before I started to notice, and he would pass me and dip into the aisle right behind the aisle that I would go in. The last thing I needed was milk, which was at the back of the store. Again, I pass the guy,

on my way to the checkout stands, I decided not to get the measuring cup. Here comes the guy again, going into the aisle right behind the aisle I went in. The measuring cup was at the front of the aisle, and I was there no more than ten seconds before I was out of the aisle going to the checkout stands, and the guy was out of his aisle and passed me again. I continued on to the self-checkouts that were currently full and so I stood in line. You know how people talk about gut feelings? Well, I suddenly felt extremely sick, like I was going to vomit and even got a cold sweat. I turned around and saw that the same guy was right behind me. His basket looked empty and only had a couple of things. I was too panicked to really count.

People were lined up behind him and a self-checkout became available. I glanced at the shopping basket and very audibly said, ah shoot, like I forgot something and went off back into the store in hurry. I'm pretty sure it would have been out of place for him to suddenly follow me but I don't know exactly what he did. I didn't look back. I circled around the entire store and came back to the checkout lines that were empty now. I quickly scanned all of my items and rushed out of the store among the small crowd of other shoppers. I saw a brown paneled van parked near the entrance, and I'm 90% sure that it was the same guy, but I could have just been

paranoid. He was looking down, I'm guessing at a phone and I ducked behind a different parked car and almost sprinted back to my apartment and to this day it's the most intense gut feeling that I'd ever had. My dad always leaves the house around the same time. It's always before the sunrise. Not even 20 minutes, my dad is out walking and he sees a candle burning and goes on walking as once he's gotten closer, he sees what he thinks is a fire hazard and he's going to put the candle out. Then he realizes that it's an actual crime scene.

There are decapitated animals that are surrounding the candle. My dad suspects the animals are a dog, two chickens, and a pigeon. He doesn't blow out the candle because it's a crime scene and he immediately calls the police. There's no blood soaked into the ground, no blood anywhere. The animals were decapitated and somewhere else. My dad was very disturbed. Who sacrifices animals and leaves a regular yoga candle? It said namaste on the outside. This is disturbing because months ago my dad was walking and taking pictures.

He's a photographer. Then suddenly a girl in her late teens to twenties at the oldest tells him that he must follow her to see these mushrooms in a tree. He'd seen her before and said she reminded him of Wednesday Addams. They were far from the path and started acting too excited about the mushrooms. He realized the situation was weird and left and not before she said that she'd see him again. So the police don't come right away, but they ask my dad and another one of his walking friends to give them their numbers. Finally, my dad got a call from his walking friend who'd given his number to the cops,

and the cops were very lackadaisical. It seems like this isn't the first time they've found animals sacrificed in the woods. However, it turned out not being a dog, but was a goat. My dad took a different walk for two days, and he was very concerned. There was nothing he could really do, and this just happened, and I'm seriously scared at this point. My husband and I live in a ranch house with a basement. My parents also live in the house. The point of the story is that I'm scared about the animal sacrifice, and also the stalker girl who seemed to want to hurt my dad. I was around 8 years old.

I was playing Super Mario 64 in my room at night, probably at around 8 or so, and I had a large window, like two normal windows side by side. The blinds were down, but they were open so you could see the darkness outside. While I was playing, I was feeling weird, like I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the left, and I clearly saw the outline of a white t-shirt in the window, looking like the size of an adult. I remember being frozen still and hair standing up on my skin. I was petrified, and it felt like minutes but was only a second. I dropped my controller and ran out of the room telling my mom immediately. Just as that was happening, I remember my dad pulling into the driveway. He said he saw nothing and checked around the whole house and everything and still nothing, but I was so scared though. I tried to even tell myself it was a reflection

from something in the room, but I knew what I saw. I tried to sit in the same spot a few days later to recreate a reflection that would look like that, but nothing caused that look. I knew someone was watching me. Yesterday, my daughter, 8 years old, and I took our pup out for her 2pm walk just like every day. Being on a schedule is good for my dog, yet I may have to switch it up now. As a guy in my complex asked to take a picture of my dog for his friend and I said sure. So he runs down and started a whole photo shoot. He told us to all get in the picture which we ignored. No need to take a picture of my eight-year-old. You got permission to get a picture of my dog and he kept saying oh I can get a better picture than

that. Here I was just, getting more and more uncomfortable. Like my dog is high energy, she wants to get going, and so do I. And finally he seems happy with the picture and says to wait, he has cookies. Wasn't clear if they were for my daughter or dog, but I was done with this interaction. So I said, no thanks, my daughter has a kid's party to attend. He seemed to look defeated and asked if I was sure. I said, yep, gotta go, and just hustled out of there. This could be innocent, but it felt really odd, and I have a very unique looking dog who always has her face in the window, so it would be very easy to pinpoint where we live, and everyone has a key to our first

door since we live in the same entrance as the basement storage. We still have two locked doors after that first door, but I just feel unnerved. We live like a minute walk from that guy's house, and I just want to see what you guys think about this. Is it weird, or am I just being paranoid? I grew up out in the wooded country in Illinois, on a short dead-end street ten plus miles from a town, and there were seven houses in the area spread out on two and a half acre wooded lots, or larger each. There were no large wild animals, there aren't any bears or similar large animals in the region, and people didn't meander there or show up lost. Actually lost folks or large animals wandering around never happened in the 20 years I lived there, so please keep that in mind. When I was a young girl in my early teens, I had a good guy friend a few years older

than me who lived next door, Terry. Terry was allowed to go out with his friends much later than I was and he would sometimes tromp over to my yard after getting home late and throw rocks from the gravel area outside my window to have a chat. My bed was right next to the window. I'd open the window and we'd whisper stories and generally talk for a bit. My second story window faced our backyard and his house was to the side. I could see his house from the window over the shrub trees and walking path to his driveway. I'd often know if he was out. The light was on over the side door entrance or already home as the light was off. One time during the summer when my window was

open I heard a car in his driveway dropping a mop. I was probably 14 years old and it was around midnight. I'd hear Terry get out of his car and was talking to his friends. Soon his friends pulled away. I softly called out, as loud as I could without waking my parents, asking Terry to stop by and chat. He didn't respond as he didn't hear me. Then I came up with the not-so-brilliant idea to sneak outside and scare him. I'd spent many years in the woods and learning how to blend in and be silent. As kids, we'd often sneak around and scare each other like that. So I silently sneaked down the second floor and out my back garage door, which

led to our backyard below my window which led to Terry's house off the side through our gravel area then through a well-worn path through the woods about 25 feet long. My parents had to put in a gravel pit around the back of the house probably because nothing much grew due to the shade of the oak trees. There were 14 inch oak rounds set out as an uneven stepping path in the gravel and if you stepped off of the rounds, the crunch of the gravel and rocks would give you away. I picked my way expertly and silently across the log rounds facing Tara's house. My eyes got accustomed to the dark and I didn't see him. Also at that time I heard the door of his house close and the light going off signaling he went in, likely to bed.

I waited a bit as I thought I saw something move in the woods between our houses, but not on the path we'd always use. If he didn't use the path, there were wild rose and raspberry plants that had thorns and were painful to walk through if you weren't careful. So I thought it was odd that he'd be in the woods, but maybe he wanted to scare me like I was plotting to do to him. But I saw something human-sized and dark moving through the woods, slow and pausing every once in a while like me. It was coming closer and I definitely saw it, but it was strange in that it was not walking directly to my window to talk. Therefore, I hunched down and waited in silence, wondering if I could still startle him. I still thought it was Terry, and he saw me sneaking out and he was trying to scare me.

I watched a dark outline of a human figure moving, but then I would lose sight of it in the foliage. It seemed to be stalking slowly and listening and checking every few feet while hiding, so I whispered after losing patience one last time for Terry but he didn't answer. I got bored of hiding and crouching so I quietly tiptoed back to my garage door and went back inside silently locking up as I went. I snuck back upstairs to my room above the area where I was just standing and crouching. My window was open and I definitely heard someone or something walking around the yard. I whispered again for Terry out of my window but got no answer.

Then I heard someone or something fall and grunt and moan pretty loudly in the window well right below my window. It wasn't enough to wake my parents but definitely loud enough that I didn't mistake it and it sent a shock of fear through me. If you aren't familiar with a window well, it's a semi-circle hole connected to the house dug out about 3 to 4 feet deep and reinforced with metal. It allows a basement window to be put in below ground level and the hole lets some natural light in. There is no way Terry would have fallen in our window well. We have been playing hide and seek and many outdoor games for years since we were young around the whole neighborhood. We knew everyone's window wells and house footprints, plus paths in the woods like the back of our hands.

The grunt sounded humanish and not like an animal. It also pulled itself out quietly without a lot of thrashing. And that's when I realized that it wasn't a fun game and someone or something was out there and it wasn't Terry. I tried to look outside my window as best I could but there was a screen on my windows to keep the bugs out so I couldn't lean my head out of the window to see next to the wall out of our house directly below me. I then heard the crunch of rocks as whatever it was was stepping in the noisy gravel. Again, Terry would know where the log rounds were and would not step in the gravel. He knew my parents were pretty strict and he was as good at being quiet as I was. Whatever it was stopped and I held my breath. I pretty much sat there with my face pressed

against the screen two stories up for probably a half hour. It seemed like an hour but I'm sure I didn't have the patience back then to wait that long. I never heard it, him, her or whatever it was leave but I grew tired and eventually fell asleep on my bed that was next to the window. But there were a few things that I'm certain of. It wasn't Terry. I asked him later and he said he went to bed that night next to the window. But there were a few things that I'm certain of. It wasn't Terry. I asked him later and he said he went to bed that night when he got home and he also would have no reason to lie. I'm pretty sure it wasn't one of our neighbors and I can't think of any reason a person would be there. We had few neighbors and only two other houses out of seven had kids. Again, these seven houses were spread out in about two and a half

plus acres per home. There weren't any big animals in the area. As wooded as the whole area was, we only had some deer, but they were hunted and didn't come close to homes. Plus, our dogs would scare them away. So I kind of feel like there was just some random stranger wandering through the woods. For context, this happened 20 years ago just after Christmas. I had turned 6 a month prior. My mom went out one day and left my then 16-year-old cousin to look after me and my two older siblings, brother 8 and sister 11. My cousin decided to take us out to the city, which was 10 minutes from where we lived. We took the bus, walked around the city in incredibly unsafe neighborhoods with

basically another child responsible for us, and after a few hours got tired and decided to go home. The city had a central area for the buses, not a bus station, but like a huge perfectly square field with some plants and flowers and bushes. Lining all four sides along the street were a couple bus stops and benches, so basically you could catch several different buses from that area going all over the county and city. Since it was just after Christmas, the bushes along the field were still covered in Christmas lights. As we waited for the bus, I began to wander away as I admired the lights and my cousin on the wiser. At some point, I heard a man say hi. I looked up from the bush and he was

smiling down at me. Thinking back on it, once I got older, it was clear that he was homeless and probably on something, like drugs. He had longish brown hair that was wet, teeth that were black along the gums, and his clothes were incredibly dirty and torn, and he had several jackets on. None of this really registered in my six-year-old brain, so I just smiled back up and said hi. He asked if I liked looking at the lights lights and I said yes, they're pretty. He said, and I'll never forget this exact sentence, if you like Christmas lights, I've got some really cool lights at my house you'll love. You want to come see them? I eagerly said yes, so he reached his hand down to me and I took it.

We started to walk away and we were headed to the corner of the field where a few big buildings were. He said his apartment was just a couple of blocks away, so we were headed around the corner of the building when my arm jerked backwards and I turned to see my sister pulling me away from him. He didn't say a single word, just instantly took off running. It took a few years for me to fully grasp the danger that I was in. My sister and brother talked about what happened a lot and how scary it was. When I finally got a little older, I appreciated how terrifying all that was and how close I was to having my life change or potentially end forever.

If I had rounded that city corner with him, they never would have been able to find me in time because they wouldn't even know where to start looking before we disappeared around the corner and into the city. It's something we still bring up sometimes to this day. Who knows what would have happened. This is something that happened to me a couple of years back that still freaks me out when I think about it. To start with this, it was around midnight and I was in my room browsing stuff on my phone when I suddenly hear what sounds like knocking outside my bedroom window. I'm at ground level. I first shrugged it off as being a squirrel or something until I heard the same sounds again, which is when I started becoming concerned. It was at this point

that I left my room and called my dad to tell him about what was happening. He tried to reassure me that it was nothing, and while this was happening, I heard even more knocking coming from around the front door. I tried calling out to see if it was my brother or anything but didn't get any answers. At this point I was starting to really freak out. It was after this that I heard someone at my back door trying to force the door open. It was locked thankfully and finally after this my dog finally caught on and started barking like crazy at the other end of the door which finally drove whoever was out there off. After what happened I called my grandpa who lived a block over to come and pick me up because I was too scared to be able to stay the night in that house. In retrospect I should have

called the police but I wasn't thinking straight and was shivering on the couch holding a kitchen knife the whole time I was waiting for him. I still have no idea who was out there that night. I had taken a walk alone in a nature trail earlier that day and my only working theory is that someone had followed me home. I'd later learned that there were drifters living in the woods around that era which adds to that theory. I have no evidence of that though and this was probably the scariest experiences I've been through and it still makes it hard for me to stay home alone at night. Hey friends, thanks for listening. To be continued... Be sure to submit them to my subreddit, r slash let's read official, and maybe even hear your story featured on the next video. And if you want to support me even more, grab early access to all future narrations for just $1 a month on Patreon, and maybe even pick up some Let's Read merch on Spreadshirt.

And check out the Let's Read podcast, where you can hear all of these stories in big compilations and save huge on data. Located anywhere you listen to podcasts. Links in the description below. Thanks so much friends, and I'll see you again soon.