Full Transcript for 4 Scary TRUE Stranded Horror Stories

helpless in my life. I was literally in a car, 74 00:03:41.729 --> 00:03:44.469 and I couldn't just drive away. It was like being 75 00:03:44.569 --> 00:03:48.550 stuck in quicksand. Eventually, they were within just a few 76 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:51.460 feet of the car. I couldn't exactly tell what they 77 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:54.039 looked like in detail, but I could confirm that it 78 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:56.729 was a young woman under the hood. Probably in her 20s. 79 00:03:57.909 --> 00:03:59.949 I tried shouting at the girl with my window still 80 00:03:59.990 --> 00:04:02.909 completely rolled up, asking what she needed or if she 81 00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:07.039 was okay. She didn't answer. Even though I was freaking 82 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:08.919 out a little bit, at the end of the day, 83 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:11.620 I still felt somewhat safe because I was inside my 84 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:14.560 locked car. When she was standing a few feet away, 85 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:18.819 she stopped inching closer. Then she just stood outside the car. 86 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:22.870 It was the most unnerving moment of my life. Every 87 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:25.329 minute or so, I would continue shouting at the woman, 88 00:04:25.389 --> 00:04:29.180 offering help. But just like before... No response at all. 89 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:32.759 This may sound crazy, but I was trying to ignore her. 90 00:04:33.610 --> 00:04:35.310 Since I was stranded on the side of the road, 91 00:04:35.490 --> 00:04:38.310 I couldn't drive, my phone wasn't really working, and I 92 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:40.670 wasn't about to get out of my car. I just 93 00:04:40.709 --> 00:04:43.589 decided to leave her alone. I was trying to sing 94 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.290 songs and mentally work on some chords while this strange 95 00:04:46.350 --> 00:04:48.649 woman just stood a couple feet away from me watching. 96 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:52.459 Ignoring her proved to be harder than I thought. I 97 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.199 couldn't take that horrible feeling anymore. It had to have 98 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:58.660 been ten times I tried to communicate with this woman. Finally, 99 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.399 I decided I was going to try to record her. 100 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:02.879 I pulled up the camera on my phone and tried 101 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:05.160 pointing it out the window, even though it was super dark. 102 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:08.560 As soon as I started recording out the window, the 103 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:11.250 woman moved in closer and started banging on the passenger 104 00:05:11.290 --> 00:05:13.970 door and trying to open it. I wish I had 105 00:05:14.009 --> 00:05:16.149 kept recording, but the panic I felt in the moment 106 00:05:16.189 --> 00:05:18.930 caused me to freak out and drop the phone. It 107 00:05:18.949 --> 00:05:22.550 almost sounded like she was growling or grunting. The sound 108 00:05:22.589 --> 00:05:26.680

was weird, almost unnatural. All of this happened so fast, 109 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:28.480 but I still tried to get a better look at 110 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:31.129 the woman when she was beating on the door. She 111 00:05:31.170 --> 00:05:33.769 really did just look like a normal girl with blonde hair. 112 00:05:34.550 --> 00:05:37.750 She didn't look evil or monstrous. I wasn't going to 113 00:05:37.769 --> 00:05:39.589 wait for this woman to break my window and try 114 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:42.290 eating my face. I grabbed my phone from the floor 115 00:05:42.310 --> 00:05:44.759 of the car, my keys, and grabbed my guitar from 116 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:48.319 the backseat. I took a deep breath, unlocked my door, 117 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:50.560 and ran as fast as I could down the road. 118 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:54.670 While I was running away, I looked back. and the 119 00:05:54.709 --> 00:05:57.870 woman didn't chase me. I stopped running and looked at her. 120 00:05:58.910 --> 00:06:01.949 She was slowly walking in my direction, but not running 121 00:06:02.029 --> 00:06:05.069 after me or even breaking into my car. She was 122 00:06:05.089 --> 00:06:08.189 just walking in the same direction as me. I shouted 123 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.180 at her one last time, asking what she wanted, but 124 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:14.319 still no response at all. She just continued to walk 125 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:17.420 in my direction. That was a big nope for me. 126 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:20.259 I turned back around and just ran as fast as 127 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:23.009 I could. I remember when I was driving to the show, 128 00:06:23.149 --> 00:06:26.189 I passed a good amount of nothing. Before all of 129 00:06:26.230 --> 00:06:29.290 the nothingness, there was a small town. I planned on 130 00:06:29.350 --> 00:06:31.009 running as far as I could in the direction of 131 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:33.660 that town until dawn, and then I would call for help. 132 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:36.660 I realized I could have called the police at any moment, 133 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:38.500 but this didn't seem like a police call in my 134 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:41.759 mind at the time, as stupid as that sounds. Where 135 00:06:41.819 --> 00:06:44.379 I come from, you avoid calling the cops whenever you can. 136 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:48.949 It's an ignorant and stubborn characteristic, I know that. At 137 00:06:48.990 --> 00:06:51.759 six in the morning, I was finally approaching the small town. 138 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:54.779 At the same time, I called my brother and told 139 00:06:54.819 --> 00:06:57.550 him what happened. He came to pick me up, and 140 00:06:57.579 --> 00:06:59.959 we took care of my vehicle. When we got back 141 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:03.129 to my car, the back door was wide open. We 142 00:07:03.149 --> 00:07:05.870 looked inside the car, and nobody was inside and nothing 143 00:07:05.910 --> 00:07:08.709 was taken. I had some of

my music equipment in 144 00:07:08.730 --> 00:07:11.329 the car, and she didn't take any of it. All 145 00:07:11.370 --> 00:07:13.310 she did was open the back door for some reason. 146 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:16.569 My brother joked that she probably just wanted a place 147 00:07:16.589 --> 00:07:18.930 to sleep for the night, but my mind went somewhere 148 00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:21.959 much darker. I thought maybe she got into the backseat 149 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.069 to hide, hoping that I would return to the vehicle 150 00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:28.089 that night. Obviously, I never saw this woman again. This 151 00:07:28.149 --> 00:07:30.629 is one of those stories that I'll unfortunately never have 152 00:07:30.689 --> 00:07:33.490 any type of concrete answer for. I've heard all the 153 00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:35.730 theories of what this woman wanted and what she was, 154 00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:38.939 and they all make sense. At the end of the day, 155 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:41.680 I think it was just a strange nomadic woman who 156 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:43.800 happened to be wandering in this area I got stuck. 157 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:46.339 I tried not to think of the possibility of what 158 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:48.680 could have happened if she had somehow broken into the vehicle. 159 00:07:49.579 --> 00:07:51.980 I did learn something in all of this. I always 160 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:53.639 make sure I have enough gas to get where I'm 161 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:56.189 going now, because I never wanted to be stranded on 162 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:08.600 the side of the road again. This experience is something 163 00:08:08.629 --> 00:08:11.779 that still affects me today, even though this happened years ago. 164 00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:15.860 My eventual wife Jackie and I went hiking. I would 165 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.259 say we were slightly more than casual hikers. We liked 166 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:22.459 to challenge ourselves just a little bit. Nothing crazy like 167 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:24.899 Mount Everest, but we did like to hit the mountains 168 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:27.579 here in the U.S. Being alone in the woods at 169 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.240 night is like heaven for me. I know the thought 170 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:32.409 of that could be scary for some, but not us. 171 00:08:33.169 --> 00:08:35.549 Just the sounds of the forest and surrounding nature are 172 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:39.330 beyond therapeutic. When life would get too stressful, we would 173 00:08:39.370 --> 00:08:41.330 disappear into the woods for a while, and it was 174 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:44.570 like the stress would just wash away. The bliss we 175 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:47.009 felt from being in the woods would eventually go away forever. 176 00:08:48.190 --> 00:08:51.070 The hike started like all our other hikes. We figured 177 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:53.450 out the path we wanted to take, where we planned 178 00:08:53.490 --> 00:08:57.230 on camping, and where to avoid the dangerous obstacles. Jackie 179 00:08:57.250 --> 00:09:00.230 was good at that planning stuff. A few hours into 180 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:03.629 the hike, Jackie stopped, put her hand up to alert me, 181 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:05.879 and asked me if I heard what she just heard. 182 00:09:06.789 --> 00:09:09.919 At first, I didn't. I asked her if maybe she 183 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:13.659 heard an animal, but she said it sounded different. Then 184 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.799 I heard it. It was faint, but it sounded like 185 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:20.750 a person screaming. We tried following the screams, and for 186 00:09:20.789 --> 00:09:24.629 a little bit, we were getting closer. The screams still 187 00:09:24.669 --> 00:09:27.840 give me nightmares. I'm still struggling to write this now. 188 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:32.019 It wasn't just someone shouting. It was someone pleading for help, 189 00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:35.360 begging for it. While we were trying to find the 190 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:37.919 source of the scream, Jackie was trying to get a 191 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.669 signal to call the authorities. Being in the middle of 192 00:09:40.690 --> 00:09:44.490 the woods isn't exactly prime cell service. Each scream made 193 00:09:44.509 --> 00:09:47.429 my skin crawl. It wasn't like the screaming you hear 194 00:09:47.470 --> 00:09:50.759 in the movies. This felt so much more real and guttural. 195 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:53.809 You could almost feel the pain in each scream and cry. 196 00:09:53.830 --> 00:09:57.409 I was yelling back, but the person screaming just kept 197 00:09:57.450 --> 00:10:00.309 yelling for help. We tried yelling for this person to 198 00:10:00.350 --> 00:10:02.789 give us any sign of where he could be because 199 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:05.529 we felt like we were walking in circles but the 200 00:10:05.570 --> 00:10:08.649 person continued to just scream and cry. It was like 201 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:11.820 they weren't even acknowledging us. I told Jackie to run 202 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:13.779 out of the forest and go get help and I 203 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:17.440 would continue looking for this person. The screaming continued for 204 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:19.759 a while and I never became numb or used to 205 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:22.850 it Each and every scream made me want to scream. 206 00:10:23.830 --> 00:10:26.950 Just as suddenly as the scream started, they completely stopped. 207 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:30.970 Now I started to scream like an insane person. I 208 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:32.330 was trying to get this person to give me a 209 00:10:32.389 --> 00:10:35.029 sign that they were still alive, but there were no 210 00:10:35.049 --> 00:10:38.730 more screams other than my voice echoing. I kept exploring 211 00:10:38.769 --> 00:10:41.330 the area, and I finally found a backpack that was 212 00:10:41.370 --> 00:10:44.330 partially hanging

from a tree branch. I don't know for 213 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:46.809 sure if it belonged to the person screaming, but I 214 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:49.009 was definitely somewhat in the area of the source of 215 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.600 the screams. I looked inside the bag, and all that 216 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:55.679 was inside was a cell phone charger, a cheap pocket knife, 217 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:58.299 and a generic thank you card that was just signed 218 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:02.179 with Love Mom in cursive handwriting. I started to shout 219 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:05.980 for any signs of life, but nothing answered. I looked 220 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:08.559 around the area where I found the backpack, but I 221 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:11.730 didn't find any signs of life, a struggle, or anything. 222 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:14.509 It was like this bag just fell from the sky. 223 00:11:15.350 --> 00:11:19.549 I continued to shout, but nothing shouted back. Eventually, Jackie 224 00:11:19.590 --> 00:11:22.690 came back and some law enforcement was with her. We 225 00:11:22.730 --> 00:11:24.750 told them everything that happened and they looked like they 226 00:11:24.789 --> 00:11:28.090 took everything seriously. We left our hike and went home 227 00:11:28.129 --> 00:11:30.950 that night because we were clearly rattled from everything that happened. 228 00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:33.870 The worst part of all of this is that nothing 229 00:11:33.889 --> 00:11:37.120 came from it. The person screaming has never been identified. 230 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:40.220 There were no new missing person reports in the area. 231 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:43.259 They even tried matching the handwriting with that of mothers 232 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.240 of other existing missing persons and there was no match. 233 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:50.110 This is a strange and unexplained mystery, and all these 234 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.549 years later, it still bothers me. We don't even hike 235 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:56.029 much anymore because every time we're in the woods, I 236 00:11:56.070 --> 00:11:58.509 can't help but be reminded of how horrible those screams were. 237 00:11:59.330 --> 00:12:01.870 They cut deeper than any wound I've ever personally had. 238 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.279 I just hope one day this mystery is solved, and 239 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:07.360 that whoever was screaming for help got the help that 240 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:20.039 they were so desperately calling for. Back when I graduated 241 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:22.960 high school, my girlfriend at the time, Tanya, and I 242 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.929 spent the summer taking a bunch of road trips. We 243 00:12:25.950 --> 00:12:28.389 were both going away for college in the fall, so 244 00:12:28.409 --> 00:12:30.250 we decided to make the most of that summer and 245 00:12:30.309 --> 00:12:33.190 see as much as we could. We visited the usual 246 00:12:33.250 --> 00:12:36.019 road trip tourist traps, but we tried to sprinkle in 247 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:39.279 some of our own ideas as well. Halfway through the summer, 248 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:42.779 we were bored with the normal sightseeing. It was cool 249 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:45.059 and all, but we wanted this last trip to be epic. 250 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.519 Tanya started to look up places that were allegedly haunted 251 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:51.460 since we were both big horror fans. She looked at 252 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.860 places that offered tours and places that were technically private property. 253 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:57.889 We didn't see any ghosts, but it was cool to 254 00:12:57.909 --> 00:13:00.509 visit a lot of these places. If you believe in 255 00:13:00.549 --> 00:13:02.870 that kind of thing, I recommend checking out any number 256 00:13:02.909 --> 00:13:06.909 of allegedly haunted places. Maybe it's subconscious, but you feel 257 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:09.669 a certain way being in these places. At least we did. 258 00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:12.440 We checked out so many places that I can't even 259 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:15.269 remember how many we visited on that trip. Out of 260 00:13:15.330 --> 00:13:18.190 all the haunted or cursed places we visited, it was 261 00:13:18.230 --> 00:13:20.230 something that wasn't on the list that gave us more 262 00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:22.909 of a scare than any other place. I'm not saying 263 00:13:22.950 --> 00:13:25.649 we saw a ghost or something paranormal, but we did 264 00:13:25.690 --> 00:13:29.220 see something that seemed unexplainable at the very least. We 265 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.019 were wrapping up our trip. We loved every second of it, 266 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:35.679 even though we didn't see anything paranormal. While driving back home, 267 00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:39.200 we drove through this small New England town. I hate 268 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:41.710 to make it sound cliche, but it looked like every 269 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:44.070 other small New England town you see in pop culture. 270 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:47.740 The town was beat up and looked poor. I would 271 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:50.000 say it still had a strange beauty about it, even 272 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:52.070 though half the town looked like it was falling apart. 273 00:13:52.990 --> 00:13:56.049 While driving through town, we passed an old abandoned church 274 00:13:56.110 --> 00:13:58.110 that looked like it had a school attached to the church. 275 00:13:58.889 --> 00:14:01.389 It looked just like a Catholic elementary school that Tanya 276 00:14:01.429 --> 00:14:04.230 and I went to in our hometown. I was initially 277 00:14:04.289 --> 00:14:06.129 joking with Tanya and told her that we should try 278 00:14:06.149 --> 00:14:07.950 to get inside the school and see if it looks 279 00:14:07.990 --> 00:14:10.629 like our old school on the inside. She didn't take 280 00:14:10.669 -->

00:14:12.990 it as a joke. She told me to pull over 281 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:16.299 because we were going inside. As a grown adult now, 282 00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:18.899 I would never even think about breaking into a building. 283 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:22.460 But being 18 and feeling good in life, I didn't 284 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:25.399 think or care about any of the consequences of my actions. 285 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:28.549 It was dark outside, so we parked in the back 286 00:14:28.570 --> 00:14:31.590 of the school because it was overgrown with trees. We 287 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:34.029 tried several doors to get in, and they were all locked. 288 00:14:34.730 --> 00:14:36.330 I thought for sure Tanya was going to call it 289 00:14:36.370 --> 00:14:39.970 quits here, but she wanted to keep going. We approached 290 00:14:40.009 --> 00:14:41.529 a door on the side of the building that led 291 00:14:41.549 --> 00:14:45.809 to the gymnasium. The door was unlocked. We couldn't believe it. 292 00:14:46.820 --> 00:14:50.470 We walked right inside like we owned the place. Objectively, 293 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:53.490 it was creepy inside. This place looked like it hadn't 294 00:14:53.529 --> 00:14:56.590 been touched in decades. You could literally see the dust 295 00:14:56.629 --> 00:14:58.769 particles from the moonlight shining in through the windows of 296 00:14:58.789 --> 00:15:02.100 the gym. It also smelled like every animal from this 297 00:15:02.129 --> 00:15:05.139 town went into the school to die. We wanted to 298 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:07.200 take pictures, but both of us left our phones in 299 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:09.440 the car, and neither one of us cared to go back. 300 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:12.919 We were living in the moment. On the far side 301 00:15:12.940 --> 00:15:14.639 of the gym was a doorway that led into the 302 00:15:14.700 --> 00:15:17.379 rest of the school. It was an old brick hallway. 303 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.070 It almost looked like a prison. It was super dark. 304 00:15:21.769 --> 00:15:23.889 There were small pockets of light from the windows, but 305 00:15:24.009 --> 00:15:26.210 that was it. It was barely enough to see in 306 00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:28.769 front of you. We walked around the school for a 307 00:15:28.789 --> 00:15:31.740 little while. It didn't take long to explore the entire 308 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:35.000 school since it was so small. Other than the horrible smell, 309 00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:38.039 it was cool being inside the abandoned school. It was 310 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:40.220 almost like the school was just abandoned one day and 311 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:43.159 left as is. One of the classrooms even had some 312 00:15:43.179 --> 00:15:46.179 textbooks on the desk that were open. I regret not 313 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:48.940 taking one with me. One of the coolest things we 314 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.100 noticed when walking around was that the school was shaped 315

00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.720 like a cross inside. The gym was at the bottom 316 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:56.279 of the cross-shaped floor plan, and the hallway that led 317 00:15:56.340 --> 00:15:59.169 out from the gym went straight with two paths, one 318 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:02.669 leading right and one leading left. After spending some time 319 00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:04.929 in the school and just enjoying the vibes of this place, 320 00:16:05.610 --> 00:16:08.029 I heard a weird smashing noise that came from the hallway. 321 00:16:09.029 --> 00:16:10.950 At the time, We were in one of the classrooms 322 00:16:10.990 --> 00:16:12.649 that was at the end of the left side hallway. 323 00:16:13.509 --> 00:16:15.450 I went out into the hall to look, but it 324 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:18.929 was mostly pointless. I was staring into pure darkness for 325 00:16:18.970 --> 00:16:21.210 the most part, other than a few shadows from the 326 00:16:21.250 --> 00:16:24.379 faint light. Tanya asked if I knew what made that sound, 327 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:26.039 and I told her it must have been a rodent. 328 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.279 But before I could finish my sentence, I abruptly stopped speaking. 329 00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:32.620 I thought I saw something move at the end of 330 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:35.299 the hall, but it was just so dark I couldn't 331 00:16:35.340 --> 00:16:38.919 be sure. Tanya asked me what was happening. and when 332 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:40.340 I was about to tell her that my eyes were 333 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:43.879 playing tricks on me, I got the terrifying confirmation that 334 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.950 I didn't want. Something clearly moved. I saw a dark 335 00:16:48.049 --> 00:16:50.409 figure rise and block some of the light shining in 336 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:52.190 from one of the open classroom doors at the other 337 00:16:52.230 --> 00:16:54.570 end of the hall. I ran back into the class 338 00:16:54.610 --> 00:16:57.129 Tanya was in and shut the door. I tried to 339 00:16:57.149 --> 00:16:59.169 be as quiet as I could, and I told her 340 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:01.870 that I thought someone was inside the school. She tried 341 00:17:01.909 --> 00:17:04.319 telling me that we had explored the entire school, and 342 00:17:04.390 --> 00:17:07.819 clearly nobody was inside. It had to have been my imagination. 343 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:11.230 I didn't dismiss her because that could have been what happened, 344 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:14.549 but whatever I saw rise from the shadows felt so real. 345 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:17.890 We sat there for a second, trying to compose ourselves. 346 00:17:18.710 --> 00:17:20.690 I thought maybe it was time that all these haunted 347 00:17:20.730 --> 00:17:23.819 places we visited were starting to get to us. Just 348 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:28.039 before leaving the classroom, we heard something again. Footsteps coming 349 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:31.940 from outside the class

and walking in our direction. We 350 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:34.759 both held our breath. Just as it sounded like the 351 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:38.069 footsteps were about to pass the room, they stopped. We 352 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:39.849 looked at each other and knew it was time to 353 00:17:39.869 --> 00:17:42.490 make a run for the gym. I quietly made my 354 00:17:42.549 --> 00:17:44.880 way to the door before we started our sprint and 355 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:47.900 looked to see if anyone was out there. Thankfully, nobody 356 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:51.140 was out there. I remember trying to rationalize the sound 357 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:54.019 of the footsteps as rodents, even though it clearly sounded 358 00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:56.839 like the footsteps of a person. We grabbed each other's 359 00:17:56.859 --> 00:17:59.460 hands and made a sprint down the hall, and right 360 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.920 before making the turn to head toward the gym, we 361 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:06.400 heard the sound of heavy footsteps chasing us. Not like 362 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:09.180 the light footsteps we heard before, It sounded like a 363 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:12.259 bull was chasing us. Neither one of us looked back. 364 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:14.740 It felt like it was getting close to us as 365 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:17.640 we ran into the gym. When we finally turned around, 366 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:21.740 nothing was there. We could feel and hear something or 367 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:26.089 someone big chasing us, and now nothing was there. It 368 00:18:26.109 --> 00:18:28.890 didn't make any sense. We didn't want to find out 369 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:30.869 what happened either, so we made our way to the 370 00:18:30.910 --> 00:18:33.829 gym door we came in through. We couldn't get out. 371 00:18:34.589 --> 00:18:37.029 I thought maybe the door was sticking. So I started 372 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:39.009 to push and pull the door as hard as I could, 373 00:18:39.450 --> 00:18:42.710 but it wasn't budging. We literally walked right inside this 374 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:45.220 unlocked door not long ago, and now all of a 375 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:48.359 sudden the door was locked. None of this was making sense. 376 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:51.900 Since whatever was chasing us was not chasing us anymore 377 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:55.180 for some reason, we tried to logically think of a solution. 378 00:18:56.089 --> 00:18:59.269 We were semi-stranded in this old school, but it's not 379 00:18:59.309 --> 00:19:01.910 like it was a fortress. Even if every door to 380 00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:04.630 the outside was locked, we could easily break a window 381 00:19:04.670 --> 00:19:07.230 and get out if we needed to. We tried the 382 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:09.640 gym door a few more times, and when that didn't 383 00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:11.940 work out, we decided that we were going to run 384 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:13.819 to the first classroom we could make it to and 385 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:16.740 jump out of the window. We sprinted through the gym 386 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:19.619 and into the hall. As we ran about 30 feet 387 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.250 to the first classroom on the left, we heard whatever 388 00:19:22.289 --> 00:19:25.569 it was before chasing us again. I tried to look, 389 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:29.109 but I didn't see anything. I just heard it. Whatever 390 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:32.349 was chasing us stopped abruptly. I tried looking through the 391 00:19:32.369 --> 00:19:34.650 window on the classroom door. and I still didn't see 392 00:19:34.710 --> 00:19:37.119 anything except for a large shadow that was cast on 393 00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:40.579 the wall across the hall. The shadow was almost swaying 394 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:43.599 back and forth, but not doing anything that was threatening. 395 00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:47.410 Tanya couldn't get the window open, so she smashed it 396 00:19:47.470 --> 00:19:50.099 with one of the desk chairs. The sound of the 397 00:19:50.150 --> 00:19:52.839 window glass shattering caused the swaying shadow that I was 398 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.460 looking at to fade back into the dark. I didn't 399 00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:58.640 look to see where it went. I just wanted to 400 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:01.579 get out. We were careful not to cut ourselves on 401 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:04.779 the broken window glass, and we climbed out. We were 402 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.180 almost on the other side of where we parked, so 403 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:10.150 we quietly ran to our car. We didn't hear or 404 00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:13.549 see anything during this last final run. We passed the 405 00:20:13.569 --> 00:20:15.339 gym door on the way to the car, and I 406 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:17.740 don't know why, but I decided to see if it 407 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:19.759 would still open from the outside as it did for 408 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:23.460 us earlier, and I couldn't believe it. It was locked. 409 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.259 I couldn't explain it. I got into the car, and 410 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:31.180 we drove off. We obviously didn't report anything, because if 411 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:34.230 anybody broke any laws, it was us, and we didn't 412 00:20:34.250 --> 00:20:36.470 want to get into trouble so close to starting college. 413 00:20:37.430 --> 00:20:40.109 We stopped dating once college started, but we stayed friends. 414 00:20:41.029 --> 00:20:43.509 We're still friends today, and whenever we see each other, 415 00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:46.950 we often bring this trip up. We still share this 416 00:20:46.970 --> 00:20:48.730 story whenever we have a chance to share it with 417 00:20:48.769 --> 00:20:52.039 someone new. I'm sure there could be some rational explanation 418 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:54.940 for what happened, but just being trapped in that school 419 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:57.160 and

witnessing what we heard and saw gives me a 420 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:00.460 lot of pause. The easy explanation was that some person 421 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.019 was living in the old school, but that doesn't quite 422 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:05.519 add up to me. Some people might think the story 423 00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:09.519 is exaggerated. You're honestly entitled to your opinion. But we 424 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:11.960 know what we witnessed, and I know I'll never forget 425 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:25.720 my experience being trapped in that old school. I'm one 426 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:28.410 of those people who hates the woods, going camping, and 427 00:21:28.450 --> 00:21:32.589 pretty much everything that outdoor activities entail. So naturally, my 428 00:21:32.630 --> 00:21:34.789 friends planned this reunion trip for us to go camping 429 00:21:34.829 --> 00:21:38.490 in the woods. Lucky me. I did vote against it, 430 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:41.710 but I was outvoted. I could have not gone, but 431 00:21:41.809 --> 00:21:43.369 I live on the other side of the country now, 432 00:21:43.730 --> 00:21:45.750 and I miss my old friends, so I put my 433 00:21:45.809 --> 00:21:47.750 hatred for the outdoors aside so I could spend a 434 00:21:47.769 --> 00:21:51.119 few nights with my old closest friends. The first day 435 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:53.839 in the woods, we started hiking in the morning. One 436 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:56.000 of my friends on the trip, Derek, has always been 437 00:21:56.019 --> 00:21:59.240 the worst. I mean that in the most loving way possible. 438 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:01.539 He's one of the guys who loves to push the 439 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.670 envelope too far. I was an idiot to think this 440 00:22:04.730 --> 00:22:07.779 trip would be any different. We strayed off the path 441 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:11.160 a little bit, even with all my protesting. According to 442 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:12.920 Derek and a few of my other friends who were 443 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.079 on the trip, a lot of people go off the 444 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:17.750 trails a bit because apparently there are caves all over 445 00:22:17.769 --> 00:22:21.069 the massive sprawling woods. My friends wanted to find these 446 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:24.109 caves because they claimed it would be super cool. I 447 00:22:24.170 --> 00:22:27.150 was less than pleased. When we were already far off 448 00:22:27.170 --> 00:22:30.029 the normal trail is when Derek decided to inform me 449 00:22:30.089 --> 00:22:31.809 that a lot of the area in these woods turns 450 00:22:31.849 --> 00:22:35.839 into private property. I was furious. I wasn't trying to 451 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:39.420 get shot by some crazy wilderness man. They all laughed 452 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:42.049 at me and told me to relax. Just because it 453 00:22:42.069 --> 00:22:44.109 was private property doesn't mean we were ever going to 454 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:47.690 get caught. At least according to them. The way he 455 00:22:47.730 --> 00:22:49.950 explained it to me is that there are giant patches 456 00:22:49.990 --> 00:22:52.730 of woods that are considered private property, but it's not 457 00:22:52.769 --> 00:22:55.750 like it's someone's backyard. The area of the woods that's 458 00:22:55.789 --> 00:22:58.380 considered private is a part of dozens of acres of land. 459 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:01.559 It helped soothe my anxiety a little bit, but I 460 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:05.029 still was furious with my lovely friends. We walked for 461 00:23:05.049 --> 00:23:07.210 a while in a thick brush of trees and bushes. 462 00:23:08.109 --> 00:23:11.589 It wasn't enjoyable. Derek claimed he knew exactly where he 463 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:15.289 was going, but I doubted him. We approached this incredibly 464 00:23:15.369 --> 00:23:18.190 steep cliff. Not like a cliff you could fall off 465 00:23:18.230 --> 00:23:22.190 and die, but just a huge drop-off. Derek joked that 466 00:23:22.210 --> 00:23:24.970 we should be careful we don't fall. I didn't appreciate 467 00:23:24.990 --> 00:23:26.869 the humor, but because I could tell I was being 468 00:23:26.910 --> 00:23:30.390 a buzzkill, I kept my comments to myself. We were 469 00:23:30.430 --> 00:23:32.650 walking close to the side of the cliff because that's 470 00:23:32.670 --> 00:23:34.349 where Derek said a lot of the caves are hidden 471 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.950 I was in the back of the line, and when 472 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:38.859 I took a step, my foot got caught on a 473 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:41.960 root and I stumbled. It was the scariest experience of 474 00:23:41.980 --> 00:23:45.460 my life. I rolled down this steep bluff. I just 475 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:48.180 kept rolling and shouting. I could hear my friends shouting 476 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:51.180 from the top of the cliff. When I finally stopped rolling, 477 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:54.140 I got to my feet and looked how far I'd fallen. 478 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.880 I could barely see my friends through all the trees. 479 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:59.980 And when I did see them, they looked like little 480 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:02.700 figures standing on the top of the cliff. I tried 481 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:05.740 climbing back up at first, but that was pointless. I 482 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:09.119 just kept sliding back down. There was nothing to grab onto. 483 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:12.279 I could barely hear Derek shouting, but it sounded like 484 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:15.000 he said go back. And I couldn't be 100% sure, 485 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:17.309 but it also looked like he was motioning his hands 486 00:24:17.349 --> 00:24:19.890 in the direction from where we came. I thought it 487 00:24:19.910 --> 00:24:21.650 would have been best to just stay put, and they 488 00:24:21.670 --> 00:24:24.410 could alert a park ranger to rescue me. But the 489

00:24:24.470 --> 00:24:27.609 idiot that I am trusted Derek. I assumed that he 490 00:24:27.650 --> 00:24:29.650 must be pointing me to a ledge I could climb 491 00:24:29.670 --> 00:24:33.309 back up. I started heading in that direction, and when 492 00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:35.779 I looked back a few minutes later... I couldn't see 493 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:40.180 my friends anymore. I started to panic. I just kept 494 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:43.160 walking like an idiot, not realizing that I was probably 495 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.700 getting myself more lost. What I found out later was 496 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.650 that I was heading in the opposite direction from where 497 00:24:48.670 --> 00:24:53.150 we came. I felt completely stranded. I started to shout 498 00:24:53.190 --> 00:24:56.390 for help, but nothing responded to my shouting. I was 499 00:24:56.430 --> 00:24:59.410 scared that an animal was stalking me. I didn't know 500 00:24:59.430 --> 00:25:02.039 what kind of animals lived in these woods, and I 501 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:04.779 was easy prey. Whenever I would try to look around 502 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:06.940 to see if an animal was there, I wouldn't see 503 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:11.039 anything except endless trees. A few hours passed, and my 504 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:14.559 initial fear had gone away. I was certainly scared, but 505 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:17.599 I was in that running on adrenaline mode. I felt 506 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:20.200 relief for about two minutes because I stumbled across this 507 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:22.529 rocky formation that looked like I could climb it back 508 00:25:22.589 --> 00:25:25.109 up to the level I started at, or at least 509 00:25:25.289 --> 00:25:29.089 closer to that level I started. I started scaling the 510 00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:32.410 rock wall. It was more like giant rock steps than 511 00:25:32.470 --> 00:25:36.480 a wall. It wasn't like I was rock climbing. More accurately, 512 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:39.200 I was taking big leaps and grabbing these giant boulders, 513 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:41.960 just when I thought the nightmare couldn't get any worse. 514 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:44.589 One of the rocks crumbled when I grabbed it, and 515 00:25:44.609 --> 00:25:48.329 I got stuck between two rocks. I was legitimately trapped. 516 00:25:49.210 --> 00:25:53.009 I kept thinking about that story 127 hours. If you know, 517 00:25:53.089 --> 00:25:56.210 you know. I was squirming all around trying to free myself, 518 00:25:56.430 --> 00:25:59.519 and it was no use. I finally started to scream. 519 00:26:00.529 --> 00:26:02.730 The sun was beginning to set, and I was trapped 520 00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:05.930 between two rocks far off the normal trail. I couldn't 521 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:09.299 help but fear the worst. While I was trapped and screaming, 522 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:12.619 I kept hearing the sound I heard earlier. The sound 523 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:15.779 I thought was an animal. I was ready for whatever 524 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:18.259 animal was stalking me to come out and finally eat me. 525 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:22.029 But it wasn't an animal. It was a skinny, middle-aged 526 00:26:22.109 --> 00:26:26.069 man with a mustache, glasses, and a red flannel. He 527 00:26:26.109 --> 00:26:29.390 came out from the tree line. He was almost too skinny. 528 00:26:30.210 --> 00:26:32.940 He slowly approached me with no sense of urgency at all. 529 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:36.019 I was begging for him to help me. I was 530 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:37.880 trying to explain to him that I got lost from 531 00:26:37.900 --> 00:26:40.920 my friends and I'm trapped, and he didn't say anything. 532 00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:44.930 He just continued to look at my situation. Finally, he 533 00:26:44.990 --> 00:26:48.329 spoke up. He ignored everything I said and just asked 534 00:26:48.349 --> 00:26:50.150 me if I knew that I was on private property. 535 00:26:51.049 --> 00:26:53.289 I played stupid and told him I didn't know and 536 00:26:53.309 --> 00:26:55.690 that I got lost. I don't know how he did it, 537 00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:58.299 but he grabbed part of my leg, moved a small 538 00:26:58.339 --> 00:27:00.559 piece of the rock... and I was able to slide out. 539 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:03.579 I started to thank the man, and he just ignored 540 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:06.480 me and climbed back down. Before I could say anything 541 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:08.779 else to him, he told me that I should follow 542 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:11.009 him because my friends were waiting for me at his house. 543 00:27:12.170 --> 00:27:14.309 I tried getting him to clarify, but he just kept 544 00:27:14.369 --> 00:27:16.509 walking and told me that my friends were waiting for me. 545 00:27:17.730 --> 00:27:20.849 I was so mentally and physically battered and bruised that 546 00:27:20.890 --> 00:27:23.460 I didn't question him for some reason. I just kept 547 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:26.460 following him deeper into the woods. I was trying to 548 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.500 figure out in my head how my friends found his house. 549 00:27:29.509 --> 00:27:31.430 It seemed like we were going in a completely different 550 00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:34.690 direction and even further into the woods. The sun was 551 00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:37.890 almost completely down. I kept trying to ask him questions 552 00:27:38.190 --> 00:27:41.039 or if he could elaborate on any details, but he 553 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:44.559 just stayed quiet except for mumbling a few times. It 554 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:46.779 felt like we walked for a while, and we finally 555 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:49.559 started approaching this big shed structure that was literally in 556 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:52.339 the middle of the woods. It was bigger than a shed, 557 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:55.400 but smaller than a house. He stopped at the door 558

00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:57.400 and told me to go inside because my friends were 559 00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:01.900 waiting for me. This all seemed wrong. My friends would 560 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:05.359 never just enter a strange man's shed house, especially Derek. 561 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:07.940 I told the man to open the door and tell 562 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:10.420 my friends to come outside, but he told me that 563 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.410 I just had to go inside first because it wasn't 564 00:28:12.490 --> 00:28:16.029 safe to be outside. Obviously, by now, every alarm bell 565 00:28:16.049 --> 00:28:18.750 in my soul was going off. I didn't think for 566 00:28:18.869 --> 00:28:21.630 one second my friends were in the shed. I thanked 567 00:28:21.650 --> 00:28:23.609 the man for saving me and told him I would 568 00:28:23.650 --> 00:28:26.519 find my way back from here. So I turned and 569 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:29.890 just ran deeper into the woods. I heard two sets 570 00:28:29.930 --> 00:28:32.369 of footsteps chasing me as I continued running in the 571 00:28:32.430 --> 00:28:36.539 almost pitch black woods. Eventually, I leaned against a tree 572 00:28:36.579 --> 00:28:39.279 and just sat there in the fetal position. I couldn't 573 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:41.380 hear them chasing me anymore, but I didn't want to 574 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:43.980 take the chance of them finding me. I would be 575 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:47.069 blindly stumbling around in darkness, and they would clearly have 576 00:28:47.109 --> 00:28:50.750 an advantage. I sat there on high alert for several hours, 577 00:28:51.069 --> 00:28:53.710 staying as still as I could. I didn't hear a 578 00:28:53.769 --> 00:28:56.269 sound for the rest of the night. When the sun 579 00:28:56.309 --> 00:28:58.410 started to come up and I could see... I just 580 00:28:58.430 --> 00:29:02.140 started running. I consider myself to be the luckiest person 581 00:29:02.180 --> 00:29:04.680 on the planet, because after a few hours of running, 582 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:07.000 I made it out of the woods and onto a road. 583 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:09.380 It was one of the roads we had to drive 584 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:12.059 on to get to the park. I flagged someone down 585 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:14.279 who drove by, and they called the authorities for me. 586 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:17.180 My friends were already with a park ranger trying to 587 00:29:17.220 --> 00:29:20.500 find me. When we got reunited, I told the ranger 588 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:22.740 about the two guys and the giant shed in the woods, 589 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:25.259 and he said he would look into it, and I 590 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:27.710 honestly don't know if he did. I just wanted to 591 00:29:27.750 --> 00:29:30.309 get into my car and go home. They asked if 592 00:29:30.329 --> 00:29:31.859 I could tell them how to get back to the shed, 593 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:34.559 and I couldn't. I couldn't even tell them if I 594 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:36.380 ran in a straight line to get back to the road. 595 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:40.779 I was so lost and disoriented. Finding my way back 596 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:44.259 was beyond lucky. If I didn't like being in nature before, 597 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:47.650 I was done forever after this expanding list of nightmares. 598 00:29:48.849 --> 00:29:50.970 You don't know true fear until you're stranded in the 599 00:29:51.009 --> 00:29:53.250 woods with seemingly no hope that you'll ever get out.