Full Transcript for 3 Terrifying TRUE First Day of School Horror Stories

00:03:52.979 on the phone about an hour before I went to sleep. 73 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:55.939 When I got to the edge of the staircase, I 74 00:03:55.969 --> 00:03:58.610 didn't go down right away. I stood at the top, 75 00:03:58.789 --> 00:04:00.509 trying to think of anything else that could have been 76 00:04:00.530 --> 00:04:04.740 making those noises. While I was standing there, I noticed 77 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:07.879 that the noises I heard were gone. The house was 78 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:09.520 as quiet as you would expect it to be at 79 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:13.000 1 in the morning. I decided to be brave and 80 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:16.240 I made my way downstairs. I turned on the lights 81 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:19.550 and started to walk around. I was so scared that 82 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:22.730 I was shaking, even though nothing seemed out of place 83 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:26.250 until I got to the kitchen. And even then, it 84 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:29.410 wasn't that big of a deal. We had a small 85 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:31.370 island bar in the kitchen and one of the bar 86 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:34.790 stools was slightly pulled out from under the counter. It 87 00:04:34.850 --> 00:04:37.550 was weird, but not enough to freak me out completely. 88 00:04:38.689 --> 00:04:40.319 I hadn't spent a lot of time in the kitchen 89 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:42.740 since my dad was gone, so I thought it was 90 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:45.300 possible that the stool could have been pushed out slightly. 91 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:49.319 I fixed the stool, got some water, and started turning 92 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.730 the lights off. Just before turning the last light off 93 00:04:52.769 --> 00:04:55.649 in the living room before going upstairs, I noticed that 94 00:04:55.670 --> 00:04:59.189 the closet door was slightly open. You wouldn't have even 95 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:01.959 noticed it was open unless you were staring directly at it. 96 00:05:03.029 --> 00:05:05.290 Once again, it's possible that the door could have been 97 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:08.449 slightly open, but I didn't want to take any chances. 98 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:11.800 I did what any rational person who doesn't like the 99 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.980 dark does. I left the light on, and I ran 100 00:05:15.019 --> 00:05:17.860 upstairs to my bedroom as fast as I could. When 101 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.259 I got to my bedroom, I closed and locked the door. 102 00:05:21.550 --> 00:05:24.050 I kept telling myself that this was all just irrational 103 00:05:24.110 --> 00:05:26.509 anxiety and fear caused by the first day of school 104 00:05:26.529 --> 00:05:29.889 being tomorrow. I sat up in bed for a while 105 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:31.930 and tried to read my book since I was very 106 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:35.560 awake now Reading makes me tired, so I was hoping 107 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:37.680 this would make me sleepy enough to fall back asleep. 108

00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:42.680 About 30 minutes later, I heard two loud creaks coming 109 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.339 from the hardwood floors in the hallway outside the bedroom door. 110 00:05:47.050 --> 00:05:49.910 The loud creaks sounded like they were directly outside my door. 111 00:05:51.490 --> 00:05:53.329 I jumped out of bed and just stared at the 112 00:05:53.370 --> 00:05:56.589 locked door. It almost felt scarier that it was just 113 00:05:56.649 --> 00:06:00.029 two loud creaks, like somebody was standing outside the room 114 00:06:00.110 --> 00:06:04.910 and not moving. My worst fear was coming true. Someone 115 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:07.519 was definitely outside the room because I saw the doorknob 116 00:06:07.579 --> 00:06:09.480 shake like someone was trying to open the door. I 117 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:14.600 stood there quietly. Even if I wanted to scream, I 118 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.279 didn't know if it would have done any good. I 119 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:20.519 watched the doorknob shake several times and then stop again. 120 00:06:21.610 --> 00:06:24.389 A few seconds later, I heard two loud creaks again 121 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:26.810 right outside the door and then the sound of someone 122 00:06:26.870 --> 00:06:30.610 jogging down the staircase. I was sure that whoever was 123 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:34.529 there was gone now. but I was still terrified. I 124 00:06:34.569 --> 00:06:36.810 got under my bed and wrapped myself in a blanket. 125 00:06:37.790 --> 00:06:40.149 I finally called the police, but it was about 15 126 00:06:40.149 --> 00:06:43.350 minutes after I heard the noise outside the door. I 127 00:06:43.389 --> 00:06:45.550 told the woman on dispatch that I thought someone was 128 00:06:45.589 --> 00:06:47.829 in my house and that I had barricaded myself in 129 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:51.050 my room. The woman on the phone was great, and 130 00:06:51.110 --> 00:06:52.980 she kept me as calm as I could be until 131 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:56.500 an officer showed up a few minutes later. When they arrived, 132 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:59.699 I basically sprinted downstairs and let the two cops inside. 133 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:02.370 After I opened the front door, which is in the 134 00:07:02.410 --> 00:07:05.050 living room, I noticed that the closet door that was 135 00:07:05.129 --> 00:07:09.550 slightly open before was now wide open. I started to panic. 136 00:07:10.470 --> 00:07:12.370 It took me a second, but I finally got the 137 00:07:12.389 --> 00:07:15.189 words out. I told the officers that the door had 138 00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:18.990 not been opened like that before. They looked inside the closet, 139 00:07:19.170 --> 00:07:23.459 and thankfully, nobody was inside. There also wasn't any evidence 140 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:26.579 that someone had been hiding in there. The cops continued 141 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.980 searching the house. As they looked around... They found no 142 00:07:30.069 --> 00:07:33.319 sign that anybody had been there. I was starting to 143 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:35.540 feel like an idiot or the boy who cried wolf, 144 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:39.319 but at least I was starting to feel safe. The 145 00:07:39.339 --> 00:07:43.000 last place the officers searched was the basement. I stayed 146 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:45.180 at the top of the stairs as the officers went down. 147 00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:48.990 Once they got down there, I heard one of them say, 148 00:07:49.629 --> 00:07:52.910 What do we have here? I started pressing him right away, 149 00:07:53.089 --> 00:07:55.829 asking him what he saw. He asked me if I 150 00:07:55.889 --> 00:07:58.389 ever opened the windows in the basement, and I told 151 00:07:58.449 --> 00:08:01.930 him I hadn't, I didn't even know our basement windows opened. 152 00:08:02.930 --> 00:08:04.990 They asked me to come down, and when I did, 153 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:08.990 I almost wanted to cry. The window above the washing 154 00:08:09.029 --> 00:08:12.100 machine was completely open, and one muddy boot print was 155 00:08:12.149 --> 00:08:14.839 on the top of the washer. The one cop told 156 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:16.819 me that it looked like someone left through this window. 157 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:21.439 I basically shut down after that. Even though whoever was 158 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:23.800 there was gone now, it still didn't make me feel 159 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:27.339 any better that this was now confirmed. We called my dad, 160 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:30.480 and he got himself on the next flight home. One 161 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:31.939 of the cops was nice enough to stay in the 162 00:08:32.019 --> 00:08:37.490 area until morning. Unfortunately, that's where this nightmare ends. I mean, yeah, 163 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:39.669 it's good that it ends here because nobody got hurt, 164 00:08:40.330 --> 00:08:43.809 but we never got any answers either. I didn't leave 165 00:08:43.850 --> 00:08:45.789 the house from when my dad left for the airport 166 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:49.090 until that morning for school. It makes me think that 167 00:08:49.110 --> 00:08:51.870 whoever this person was, they may have been inside the 168 00:08:51.909 --> 00:08:55.580 house for a couple of days. As an adult, I 169 00:08:55.620 --> 00:08:58.850 still don't like to be home alone after dark. Even 170 00:08:58.870 --> 00:09:01.289 when I see doors that are slightly open now, I 171 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:03.960 instinctively want to run away because I think someone's going 172 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:06.700 to run out. I'm happy I had the first day 173 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.240 of school nerves, because otherwise, I may not have woken up, 174 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:23.730 and the story could have ended a lot differently. This 175 00:09:23.769 --> 00:09:25.889 year will mark the 15th year that I've been a 176 00:09:25.909 --> 00:09:29.100 high school teacher. It's

crazy to me that it's been 177 00:09:29.139 --> 00:09:32.320 that long already. I feel like I just graduated high 178 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:35.840 school myself. For the most part, I have nothing but 179 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:39.460 positive memories from my years teaching. Even my students, who 180 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:41.779 can be a headache sometimes, are still pretty great kids 181 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:44.840 at the end of the day. In the nearly 15 182 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:48.549 years I've been teaching, I only have one truly horrible experience. 183 00:09:49.129 --> 00:09:51.649 Something that honestly still scares me today when I think 184 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:55.500 about it. I'm writing this anonymously just in case, because 185 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:57.639 I don't want to bring any attention to myself or 186 00:09:57.710 --> 00:10:00.519 the school I work at. so this happened to me 187 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:03.679 two years ago it was right before all the students 188 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:06.840 came back to school from summer break I teach in 189 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:10.200 a large school district I work at the high school 190 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:15.679 last year's graduating class was over 700 students unfortunately for 191 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:18.259 me I didn't get to attend graduation at the end 192 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:21.330 of the last school year During the middle of April, 193 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:23.990 I got into a bad car accident and I had 194 00:10:24.009 --> 00:10:27.090 to have surgery on my leg. I ended up missing 195 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:30.129 the end of the school year. Since I never got 196 00:10:30.169 --> 00:10:32.289 to close up my classroom properly at the end of 197 00:10:32.309 --> 00:10:34.610 that year, I asked the principal if I could borrow 198 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:36.669 a spare key and just get my classroom ready for 199 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:39.600 the first day of school. Since I worked there for 200 00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:42.059 a while and had a good relationship with the principal, 201 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.279 he agreed to lend me a key. The first day 202 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:47.919 of school was on a Wednesday, so on the Sunday prior, 203 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:51.059 around 7.30pm, I showed up at the school to spruce 204 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:54.460 up my classroom. When I pulled into the lot, I 205 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:56.759 was happy to see that there weren't any other cars there. 206 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.740 Not that it mattered, but I didn't feel like explaining 207 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.139 to the custodians why I was there, or trying to 208 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:05.279 make small talk. I was just happy to be alone. 209 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:08.700 Once inside, I walked to my classroom, which was on 210 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:11.870 the other side of the building. I didn't bother turning 211 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.580 on any lights in the hallways. It wasn't that dark 212 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:18.519 outside yet, but it was getting there. I was happy 213 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:21.539 at first to see that my classroom was locked. I 214 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:24.460 unlocked the door with my keys, and I couldn't believe 215 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:27.460 the state of my room. It was like once the 216 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:30.000 final bell went off, they closed up that class for 217 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:33.549 the summer and didn't look back. There were books everywhere 218 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:37.490 on the windowsill. The desk was a mess. There was 219 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:40.570 even still some stuff written on the board. They did 220 00:11:40.629 --> 00:11:42.830 clean the floors because they cleaned the floors in the 221 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:46.669 entire school, but that was about it. I wasn't thrilled 222 00:11:46.690 --> 00:11:48.549 with the state of the room, but at least I 223 00:11:48.570 --> 00:11:50.529 had time to get everything ready for the next day. 224 00:11:51.789 --> 00:11:54.320 I straightened everything out at first, and then I started 225 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:57.960 to deep clean everything. After that, I decided to get 226 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:00.879 some lesson plans done since I had extra time, and 227 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:04.419 it was nice and quiet in the building. The quietness 228 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:08.399 didn't last very long. While I was sitting at my desk... 229 00:12:08.649 --> 00:12:11.870 I heard these heavy footsteps coming from the hall. I 230 00:12:11.909 --> 00:12:13.450 couldn't for the life of me think of what it 231 00:12:13.470 --> 00:12:16.389 could be. I got up and went into the hallway. 232 00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:21.070 Walking away from my classroom was a large man. He 233 00:12:21.110 --> 00:12:23.789 almost looked like he was shuffling instead of walking because 234 00:12:23.809 --> 00:12:26.610 he was so big. He was wearing one of those 235 00:12:26.690 --> 00:12:30.419 reflective neon green vests, like the kind of vest someone 236 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:34.480 directing traffic might wear. I wasn't scared at first, more 237 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:36.860 so just startled because I didn't know anyone else was 238 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:39.879 in the school. Just before he was about to turn 239 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.440 the corner, I noticed he had something in his hand. 240 00:12:43.379 --> 00:12:45.200 I couldn't tell you for sure because of how far 241 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:47.659 away he was now, but it looked like the wrench 242 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.759 you would use to take the lug nuts off your tire. 243 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:53.730 I assumed it was a new janitor, or maybe even security. 244 00:12:54.690 --> 00:12:57.070 We never had security at the school before, but I 245 00:12:57.110 --> 00:12:59.490 was gone for a few months, and maybe it's something new. 246 00:13:00.889 -->

00:13:03.029 Once he turned the corner, I went back into the 247 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:06.769 classroom and shut the door. It was pretty dark outside now, 248 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:09.690 so I turned on the lights in my classroom. I 249 00:13:09.730 --> 00:13:13.509 only had my desk lamp on before. A few minutes later, 250 00:13:13.929 --> 00:13:17.440 the guy walked by again. After he walked past the room, 251 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.220 he came back to the classroom and stood outside the 252 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:23.360 closed door for a couple of seconds. Before I could 253 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:26.379 say anything, he grunted and kept walking down the hall. 254 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:30.159 Whatever this guy was doing, it was a little strange. 255 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:33.750 Once he walked away, I got up and watched him 256 00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:37.250 walk down the hallway again. He just kept shuffling down 257 00:13:37.289 --> 00:13:40.620 the hall, the same as before. While he was walking 258 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:44.080 away with those giant shuffling steps, he was smacking the 259 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:47.340 lockers with the wrench. He wasn't hitting them hard. It 260 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:49.600 was more like he was walking with the wrench extended 261 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:51.659 and letting the wrench hit the lockers as he walked. 262 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:54.440 He was large enough that he was walking in the 263 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:57.019 middle of the hall, and his wingspan was reaching the 264 00:13:57.059 --> 00:14:00.419 lockers with the wrench. It was a weird sight. There 265 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:03.360 was no denying that. I went back to the room 266 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:06.629 and locked my classroom door. I didn't think I was 267 00:14:06.690 --> 00:14:09.250 in danger but I just felt more comfortable knowing the 268 00:14:09.289 --> 00:14:11.870 door was locked since I didn't know who that guy was. 269 00:14:13.009 --> 00:14:15.580 I texted the principal asking who this weird guy was 270 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:18.379 and if I should say something to him. While I 271 00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:21.379 was waiting for a response a few minutes went by 272 00:14:21.659 --> 00:14:24.259 and I heard those heavy shuffling footsteps coming down the 273 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:27.460 hall again. It was like this guy was just walking 274 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:30.120 around in a circle but only on the first floor. 275 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:33.220 Before I knew it he was about to pass the 276 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:36.129 room again but this time He stopped at the door 277 00:14:36.330 --> 00:14:41.090 and he didn't move. It was really creepy. All the 278 00:14:41.129 --> 00:14:44.330 classroom doors had glass windows on them, but because the 279 00:14:44.370 --> 00:14:47.289 hallway was so dark, I could barely make out any 280 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:50.169 of the details of this man. I could see his 281 00:14:50.250 --> 00:14:53.720 bright vest and he had glasses. He was also so 282 00:14:53.799 --> 00:14:56.720 big that he took up most of the window. I 283 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:01.179 said hello, but the man didn't respond. He stood outside 284 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.080 the room. Right then was when the principal texted me back. 285 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.120 He asked what I was talking about and said there 286 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:10.200 shouldn't be anyone else in the school right now except 287 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:13.919 for me. He isn't the joking type. That's how I 288 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.559 knew that whoever this man was, he didn't belong here. 289 00:15:17.830 --> 00:15:20.730 Now I was scared, especially because this man was still 290 00:15:20.789 --> 00:15:24.230 standing right outside the door. I tried one last time 291 00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:26.809 to say something to the man, but once again, he 292 00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:30.169 just stood there in silence. I was attempting to text 293 00:15:30.190 --> 00:15:33.480 the principal back, and without any warnings, The man attempted 294 00:15:33.500 --> 00:15:36.960 to get into the classroom. Thankfully, I had the foresight 295 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:39.480 to lock the door. I didn't know what to do. 296 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:41.840 The man was big enough that he looked like he 297 00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:45.000 could rip the door off the wall if he wanted to. Then, 298 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.340 with a big wrench in his hand, he started to 299 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:50.700 hit the door. If he decided to hit the glass, 300 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.340 it would easily shatter, and then he'd be able to 301 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:56.600 unlock the door and let himself in. Just watching that 302 00:15:56.659 --> 00:15:59.090 giant man swing that wrench with such power made me 303 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:02.549 feel like my life was truly in jeopardy. With each 304 00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:06.090 powerful swing, he made this unsettling noise, almost like an animal. 305 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:09.289 I'm so lucky that my classroom was on the first 306 00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:11.879 floor of the school. I opened the window of the 307 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:15.080 classroom and jumped out. Since my car was parked in 308 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:17.460 the front of the school, I didn't want to stay 309 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:21.580 on the school grounds. Instead, I just kept running. I 310 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:24.690 called the principal and told him what happened. He was 311 00:16:24.710 --> 00:16:26.350 the one who called the authorities and met them at 312 00:16:26.389 --> 00:16:29.370 the school. When he got there, he said the window 313 00:16:29.409 --> 00:16:32.500 on the door to my classroom had been shattered. Other 314 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:35.500 than that, there was no evidence. The man was gone. 315 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:39.009 They couldn't figure out how the man got in or 316

00:16:39.090 --> 00:16:41.710 how he got out. The only camera the school had 317 00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:44.070 at the time was a security camera at the front door, 318 00:16:44.710 --> 00:16:47.769 and the man didn't go near that door. I was 319 00:16:47.830 --> 00:16:50.740 never alone in the school again after that night. To 320 00:16:50.769 --> 00:16:53.080 this day, we have no idea what the man wanted. 321 00:16:54.059 --> 00:16:56.519 Even with the description, they were never able to find 322 00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:59.759 this man. Now, every year when it's time to go 323 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:02.529 back to school... I'm always reminded of the nightmare of 324 00:17:02.570 --> 00:17:05.750 dealing with the large man in the reflective vest. And 325 00:17:05.789 --> 00:17:08.500 I just pray that I never encounter him or anything 326 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:22.589 like that ever again. I was excited to be getting 327 00:17:22.609 --> 00:17:25.769 ready to start my junior year of college. Up to 328 00:17:25.809 --> 00:17:28.150 this point, I wasn't allowed to have my vehicle at school. 329 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:32.799 Freshmen and sophomores weren't allowed to have cars. It also 330 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:34.980 wasn't that big of a deal because my hometown is 331 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:38.609 about 10 hours from campus. Going into my junior year, 332 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:41.210 since I was able to have a vehicle now, I 333 00:17:41.250 --> 00:17:43.089 decided that I was going to make the 10-hour trek 334 00:17:43.210 --> 00:17:46.230 and drive my own car. I don't know if anyone's 335 00:17:46.289 --> 00:17:49.029 old enough to remember a time before GPS, but we 336 00:17:49.049 --> 00:17:51.950 had this nifty little website we would use called MapQuest. 337 00:17:52.730 --> 00:17:55.029 I don't even know if it's still around, but we 338 00:17:55.069 --> 00:17:58.720 would print out directions and that was our GPS. Most 339 00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:00.500 of the time, if you had a passenger in the car, 340 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:03.680 they were your GPS. As the first day of classes 341 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:06.859 was coming fast, I decided to drive up a day early, 342 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:10.000 just in case I got lost. I also planned on 343 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:13.059 picking up my buddy Brandon on the way. Brandon was 344 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:14.759 in the same major as me, and also one of 345 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:17.900 my good friends from college. He lived about two hours 346 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:20.559 away from my house. It was two hours in the 347 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:23.180 direction of school. Since he was on the way, I 348 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:24.420 was going to pick him up so he could be 349 00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:27.359 my co-pilot for the rest of the trip. Thinking I 350 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:29.880 was some kind of genius, I suggested that we make 351 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:33.119 the trip overnight. My thought process was that we wouldn't 352 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.710 have to run into any traffic late at night. Brandon agreed, 353 00:18:36.869 --> 00:18:39.569 and we locked in our plan. The first two hours 354 00:18:39.630 --> 00:18:42.710 went smoothly. I got to Brandon's house with no issues. 355 00:18:43.690 --> 00:18:46.069 From Brandon's, we hit the road and didn't look back. 356 00:18:47.109 --> 00:18:49.329 About halfway through the trip, we were driving in the 357 00:18:49.349 --> 00:18:53.740 middle of nowhere. It was just dark, desolate roads of nothingness. 358 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:56.579 We could have been lost, and we wouldn't have known it. 359 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.319 While we were driving, I didn't realize just how light 360 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:01.680 the traffic was going to be in the middle of 361 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:06.519 the night. We literally caught virtually no traffic. I started 362 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:09.119 to have that feeling that maybe we were lost, but 363 00:19:09.299 --> 00:19:12.140 I didn't want to say it out loud. Especially because 364 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:14.509 we hadn't passed any sign of life in a long time. 365 00:19:15.690 --> 00:19:17.769 I could tell Brandon was getting tired because he wasn't 366 00:19:17.789 --> 00:19:21.529 really talking anymore. The lack of talking or any light 367 00:19:21.589 --> 00:19:23.869 outside was starting to make me feel tired as well. 368 00:19:24.829 --> 00:19:28.299 I could feel my eyes getting heavy. Then I swear 369 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.240 I thought I saw a person lying in the road, 370 00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:33.059 and it caused me to swerve and briefly lose control 371 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:35.940 of the car. Brandon must have had his eyes shut 372 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.180 because he started to scream and ask what was happening. 373 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:41.789 Once I regained control of the car, I pulled over 374 00:19:41.849 --> 00:19:44.589 so both of us could catch our breath. I tried 375 00:19:44.630 --> 00:19:46.609 telling him that I thought I saw a person lying 376 00:19:46.650 --> 00:19:48.369 in the road, and I didn't want to hit them. 377 00:19:49.509 --> 00:19:51.730 He didn't believe me. me. He thought I was falling 378 00:19:51.750 --> 00:19:54.880 asleep and dreaming. I told him that something was in 379 00:19:54.910 --> 00:19:58.140 the road and I was absolutely positive about that. I 380 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:01.279 just didn't know what it was. We both got out 381 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:04.380 of the car and looked behind the vehicle. I had 382 00:20:04.420 --> 00:20:06.000 a flashlight in my car that was in one of 383 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:08.359 those emergency packs my parents gave me for my car. 384 00:20:09.390 --> 00:20:12.079 Several feet behind the car, there was a dark mass 385 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:14.619 in the middle of the road. I felt my heart 386 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:17.460 racing out of my

chest. I wouldn't know what to 387 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:21.009 do if it were actually a person. As we got closer, 388 00:20:21.309 --> 00:20:24.829 I felt relief. It wasn't a person. It was a 389 00:20:24.869 --> 00:20:27.230 duffel bag that had some clothes lying on top of it. 390 00:20:28.190 --> 00:20:30.049 Right next to the bag, also in the middle of 391 00:20:30.069 --> 00:20:33.089 the road, was a pair of high heels. We both 392 00:20:33.130 --> 00:20:36.289 kind of just stood there looking at the bag. Brandon 393 00:20:36.329 --> 00:20:37.869 started to move the bag to the side of the 394 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:41.029 road so another car wouldn't hit it. When he got 395 00:20:41.069 --> 00:20:43.109 to the side of the road, I heard him make 396 00:20:43.150 --> 00:20:47.690 a weird half-scream, half-yelping sound. I was laughing as I 397 00:20:47.730 --> 00:20:49.509 walked over it because I thought the sound he made 398 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:52.130 was funny. When I got over to him on the 399 00:20:52.170 --> 00:20:54.549 side of the road, I asked him what was wrong. 400 00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:58.519 He didn't say anything. He just asked if I could 401 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:02.000 see it. I pointed the flashlight off into the field 402 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.730 next to the road, and what I saw... almost made 403 00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:08.059 me let out a little scream. There was a young woman. 404 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:13.599 She wasn't doing anything insanely scary, just weird. She was 405 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.299 just walking back and forth, which on its own wouldn't 406 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:18.880 be creepy, but because she was alone in the middle 407 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:21.759 of nowhere, walking back and forth in a field by herself, 408 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.440 it wasn't sitting right with us. It just felt very unsettling. 409 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:29.980 It was chilly outside, and she wasn't wearing a coat. 410 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:33.119 She was wearing a light purple dress with no sleeves, 411 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:36.480 and she also wasn't wearing any shoes. We pretty much 412 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:38.920 assumed the high heels and the bag belonged to this woman. 413 00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:42.740 She also looked very beat up. Her arms and legs 414 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:45.980 looked dirty. I couldn't see her face from where we 415 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:48.400 were standing, but we could see that she had dark hair. 416 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:51.920 Brandon wanted to go help her, but I wasn't sure 417 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:54.920 that was a good idea. She clearly noticed us because 418 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:57.640 we were shining a flashlight on her, so if she 419 00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:00.750 wanted help, I figured she would ask. but instead of 420 00:22:00.829 --> 00:22:03.670 asking for help, she just continued to pace back and forth. 421 00:22:04.710 --> 00:22:07.150 Clearly this woman wasn't

well and needed help that we 422 00:22:07.210 --> 00:22:09.910 couldn't provide. He said that we needed to at least 423 00:22:09.950 --> 00:22:12.710 call for help, and I agreed with that. But I 424 00:22:12.730 --> 00:22:15.230 guess they call it cliche for a reason, because neither 425 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:18.200 one of us could get signal on our phones. Not 426 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:21.400 to mention, the phones back then were trash. Even if 427 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:23.480 we could have gotten a signal, it's not like I 428 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:26.119 could tell them on the phone where we were. I 429 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:28.519 felt like we were lost, and I had no idea 430 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.670 what road we were even on anymore. We walked back 431 00:22:31.710 --> 00:22:34.109 to the car, and we were just standing outside talking 432 00:22:34.150 --> 00:22:37.549 about what to do. While we were talking, we didn't 433 00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:40.130 even realize it, but the woman was walking right toward us. 434 00:22:41.150 --> 00:22:43.119 We both tried to say something to her, but she 435 00:22:43.150 --> 00:22:47.740 just kept walking, showing almost no emotion. I whispered that 436 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:50.279 we may want to get into the car. We had 437 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:52.599 no idea if this young woman was dangerous or not. 438 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:55.339 He agreed, and we jumped into the car and locked 439 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:58.079 the door. It was a good thing, too, because a 440 00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:01.339 few seconds later, she was at the car, This whole 441 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:04.019 ordeal up to now had just been unsettling, but now 442 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:07.940 it was downright scary. The woman was just standing outside 443 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:10.920 of my car window. I tried to converse with her, 444 00:23:11.009 --> 00:23:15.049 but she was completely unresponsive. She was just standing there. 445 00:23:15.930 --> 00:23:17.769 I think both of us were now on the same page, 446 00:23:17.849 --> 00:23:19.529 and we decided it was time to get out of there. 447 00:23:20.569 --> 00:23:22.329 I turned on the car and put it in reverse. 448 00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:25.670 I didn't step on it, though. I just lightly tapped 449 00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:27.599 the pedal and tried to roll away from the woman. 450 00:23:28.660 --> 00:23:31.539 While I was rolling back, She was following the car. 451 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:35.019 I can't even begin to describe how horrifying this was. 452 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:39.579 Just watching this unresponsive woman basically following my car's every 453 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.500 move was freaking me out. Because of where she was 454 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:45.259 standing in relation to my car, I couldn't just floor it. 455 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:48.140 Once I rolled back a couple of feet, I cracked 456 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:50.349 the window and asked if she was okay one last time. 457 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:53.170 I don't know why I did that, but I did. 458 00:23:54.150 --> 00:23:58.089 She finally answered. She smiled and said, Thank you for 459 00:23:58.109 --> 00:24:01.390 giving me a ride. It was the calmest and most 460 00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:05.190 emotionless voice I have ever heard. Also, I never once 461 00:24:05.230 --> 00:24:07.470 said I was going to give her a ride. I 462 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:09.599 shouted through the cracked window that I couldn't give her 463 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:11.240 a ride, but I would call for help as soon 464 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:14.599 as I got service on my phone. The woman didn't respond. 465 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:18.680 She actually just started walking away. Brandon and I started 466 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:20.680 to laugh for a second and just talked about how 467 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:24.309 absolutely messed up that was. I got my bearings and 468 00:24:24.369 --> 00:24:28.619 finally got ready to drive off. Just before, I looked up. 469 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:32.869 and standing about 20 feet away was the woman. She 470 00:24:32.890 --> 00:24:34.690 was in the middle of the road, just staring at 471 00:24:34.730 --> 00:24:38.410 my car. Once again, we were creeped out by this woman, 472 00:24:39.269 --> 00:24:40.650 but I wasn't going to let her get close to 473 00:24:40.690 --> 00:24:43.289 the car this time. I was ready to step on 474 00:24:43.309 --> 00:24:46.109 the gas and get away from her. Just before I 475 00:24:46.130 --> 00:24:48.720 hit the gas, the woman started to run at my car. 476 00:24:49.420 --> 00:24:52.480 She was in a full sprint. We both screamed as 477 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:56.680 I stepped on the pedal. She didn't move either. I 478 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:58.920 swerved off the road so I would avoid hitting her. 479 00:24:59.880 --> 00:25:02.240 We both screamed like fools for the next mile or so. 480 00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:05.700 Even when we calmed down and drove another few miles, 481 00:25:05.990 --> 00:25:08.150 I kept looking in my mirror, expecting to see this 482 00:25:08.230 --> 00:25:12.089 woman running after me. Eventually, we made it to campus, 483 00:25:12.910 --> 00:25:15.329 and now we had a crazy story to share with everyone. 484 00:25:16.410 --> 00:25:18.170 I also feel like I should say we arrived at 485 00:25:18.230 --> 00:25:20.869 school a day late. At some point in the middle 486 00:25:20.890 --> 00:25:22.589 of the night, I must have taken a wrong turn, 487 00:25:22.690 --> 00:25:25.390 and we were hours out of the way. If I 488 00:25:25.450 --> 00:25:29.930 hadn't gotten lost, we would have never encountered that crazy woman. Clearly, 489 00:25:29.990 --> 00:25:32.950 we encountered a sick woman who wasn't mentally well, but 490 00:25:32.970 --> 00:25:35.789 that wasn't the scary part for us. We were more 491 00:25:35.849 --> 00:25:39.380 scared that there wasn't any traffic, no houses, no towns, 492 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:43.779 literally nothing for miles and miles. Just this random young 493 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:47.720 woman wandering around all by herself. Being young men and 494 00:25:47.740 --> 00:25:50.750 being very stupid, we never ended up reporting this, even 495 00:25:50.769 --> 00:25:53.950 though we should have. I'm also very well aware that 496 00:25:53.970 --> 00:25:56.190 we handled a lot of things in this situation poorly. 497 00:25:57.130 --> 00:25:59.599 We could have done things much differently. but as a 498 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:02.400 20-year-old kid, I had no idea what I was doing. 499 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.319 We just ran for our lives and hoped for the best. 500 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:08.740 I still wonder about that woman, and I wonder what 501 00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:12.349 happened to her. But more than anything, I wonder what 502 00:26:12.369 --> 00:26:14.029 she would have done if she actually had gotten a 503 00:26:14.069 --> 00:26:17.430 hold of Brandon or I. Thankfully, I'll never know.