1 Hour of Winter Horror Stories for a Cold Night Alone | Vol. 1 (Compilation)

For the past couple of years, I've worked on Uber Eats during winter break. College lets out for a whole month, and Uber Eats is the easiest work to do without having to go through job interviews and all that stuff. Besides, I didn't work during school, so this was something simple to pick up during the holidays. It was a few weeks out from Christmas when this happened. That night, it was snowing pretty heavily, but I really couldn't be picky about what day to work since I only had a set amount of time off to make

enough money to last until the next break. I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and started driving. The snow must have kept a lot of other drivers home because I was getting orders all night—big ones, too, the kind that pay a lot. I did this for probably a good three hours, and then an order came in to pick up from a drive-through place. The house was 20 minutes from me, but the tip and everything was really good. There honestly wasn't anything unusual or off about this order; it was just like any other. I picked it up

and went on my way to the house. From a quick look at the map, it looked like it was in a pretty nice neighborhood on the other side of the county. I'd been around there before but not really inside the neighborhoods. By this time, it was 11:00 p.m., and a lot of snow had started to stack up on the roads. I was also getting tired, so I agreed with myself that this would be the last delivery and then I'd go home and work again tomorrow. Once I got to the neighborhood, I drove through the street

and looked at the houses as I passed by. They were all huge and had a ton of land between each of them, but none of the houses seemed to be very new. They had that typical older mansion style of basically just being really large and nothing else. Anyway, it took a while to get to the address I was supposed to deliver to. The driveway was covered in at least a foot of snow, so I parked on the road. While I got out and walked up to the house, getting snow all over my pants and shoes,

I noticed no lights were on in the windows and there was a piece of paper taped to the front door. Once I got up to the porch, I took a closer look. On the top of the page, it said "Notice" in big red font. In the first few lines, it stated it was issued by the county. But before I got too far in, I heard footsteps crunching in the snow behind me. I turned around, seeing a man approaching me coming from around the garage. He had a short buzz cut and was wearing a dirty jacket.

"Just dropping off your order," I said to break the silence, but the man continued walking up without saying anything. Once he was a few feet away, I could tell there was something off about him. I guess it was just a gut feeling. He looked at me with cold and tired eyes, then held his hand out for the bag. I reached over and gave it to him, but he didn't move. He was standing right on the path leading to the driveway, and as the seconds passed, I realized how completely strange it was for him to even

be out here, and even more so that he wasn't heading inside now that he had the bag. "Have a good night, sir," I said, stepping to the side and starting to walk past him. The man stayed where he was before abruptly turning, and in the corner of my eye, it looked like he swung his arm out as if trying to grab me. I stumbled back and faced him as he began stepping toward me, saying, "Come with me," while reaching his hand out. I kept moving back as fast as I could in the thick snow, and

the man continued to chase me, yelling at me to stop running. Once I got a good footing, I was able to outrun him and get in my car, backing out before he even had the chance to get to me. As I drove off, I looked in my mirror and saw the man standing in the driveway and just watching. I called the cops once I was out of the neighborhood, but the man was already gone. Later that night, though, they told me that the house wasn't currently owned by anyone at the moment, which I assumed the

note on the door had something to do with. What the man was trying to do is unknown, but that whole situation has put me on edge whenever I pull up to a house with all their lights off, wondering if it might be the same man. Last New Year's, my two best friends and I decided it would be fun to get together and rent out a house for the night. We weren't big on going to huge parties, but just enjoyed hanging out among our small group. Also, all of us lived in dorm rooms, so having a

house to ourselves for once sounded like a great time, even without partying. My friend Jason rented out an Airbnb on the outskirts of the town we were in. I carpooled with my other friend Christian, and we met Jason there on New Year's Eve around noon. This place was more of a cabin than a normal house, being all wood and having the typical cabin features. There were other similar-looking cabin houses around, but they all had decent spacing between them, so it kind of felt like we were out there alone. The inside... wasn't as great, but this

was one of the cheaper places available, so none of us were expecting luxury. We spent the day just hanging out in the living room and talking, and around 6, Christian went out to the store to grab some snacks and drinks. During this time, Jason and I were still sitting in the living room when there was a knock at the door. We looked at each other in surprise, knowing it was really weird for anyone to be out here knocking on the door to an Airbnb. I got up and looked out the peephole, seeing some guy standing

on the doorstep. I noticed the door had one of those metal latches on it, so I flipped it over and opened the door just enough to see him. I wouldn't usually answer the door to a random guy, but being in someone else's house, I wasn't sure if maybe it was the host or something. The guy looked at me, and I was instantly aware of his displeased look. He seemed angry about something, and it became more blunt when he opened his mouth. He told me in a disrespectful and stubborn tone that we needed to be quiet

tonight and not disturb the entire neighborhood. The way he said it was almost threatening, as if we'd already been making noise, but we hadn't even done anything loud, nor were we planning to, and all the houses were so far apart. Even if he was a neighbor, there was no possible way he'd hear anything unless we were lighting up fireworks or something. I really wasn't in the mood to argue, so I just said, "Sure," and closed the door in his face. But not even a second later, he banged on the door again. I ignored him that

time, making a face at Jason like this guy was crazy. We heard him leave after a moment, and when Christian got back, we told him about the encounter, and he almost didn't believe us. The next three hours went by quickly as we watched a movie and played some games on Jason's Switch. Then, come almost midnight, we heard something outside. It sounded like someone dropping something on the ground, and a few seconds later, the piercing sound of glass shattering came from right outside the door. All of us stood up and ran to look out the window,

seeing that same guy from earlier standing by Christian's car, which now had glass covering it from his shattered windshield. The guy was holding a metal baseball bat and looked like he was in some psychotic state, pacing around and just going crazy. Christian was pissed, going to the door and storming outside to confront him. Both Jason and I went to stop him, but before we even got to the doorway, a gunshot echoed through the cabin. I stopped in place, knowing what had likely happened, but it almost felt like a miracle when I saw Christian sprint back

inside and lock the door behind him. A few more shots went off, hitting the side of the cabin, followed by the man swinging the bat against the front door. Then, just as suddenly as it all started, the man just ran away. After an investigation, it was found that he wasn't even one of the neighbors of the Airbnb. Nobody seems to know who he was or where he lived, or even why he went absolutely insane. It was just an incredibly dangerous, unpredictable encounter that almost took our lives. This was just last winter in early February. I

was driving to my next DoorDash order. I was a bit tired, as I'd been driving for the last four hours, and it was almost 12:00 a.m. After this one, I was definitely calling it a night and heading home, as I was worried about getting sleepy on the road, especially with all the ice and snow. I was driving down a fairly empty road, though it was a side road that connected two of the main towns in our city, but there was a five-mile stretch that had nothing—no buildings or houses or anywhere to stop. As I was

driving down this section, I don't really know what happened, but I just got hit with a wave of tiredness that made me lose focus on the road for just a few seconds. But that was all it took. I guess I hit a patch of ice and slid toward the side, and although I fully woke back up at this point, it was too far gone. I tried to steer back onto the road, but my car just slid straight off and into the small ditch between the road and the woods. It wasn't a bad crash at all

since the snow lightened the impact, but it still made me a little shaky, and I knew right away that it was going to be impossible to get out of this. My car was stuck on the incline of the ditch and in thick snow. I didn't even bother getting out to try and see how bad it was, though I did test my luck at trying to maneuver the car to get some traction, but if anything, I just made it worse. In the middle of trying to figure everything out, I noticed the car's headlights down the road.

At first, I thought it was just a car passing by, but after a few seconds, it was clear that they weren't moving. Someone must have just been parked down the road with their headlights on, which I found to be a little unnerving at the coincidence of it being on this long empty road. They weren't close—close enough to have stopped to try and help me, but they weren't far enough either to not see my headlights. I pulled out my phone and called my dad. Knowing he'd still be awake and hoping he'd be able to help me,

I'd never been in a situation like this, so I really didn't know what to do. He said he would call roadside assistance and then drive down to wait with me. I thanked him and felt relief knowing he would be down here in just a few minutes. I looked back out on the road, looking for the headlights from the car I'd just seen, but now they were gone. It was too dark to see anything that far without light, so I didn't know if they'd driven away or were still there and had just turned off their lights.

It started to creep me out the more I thought about it. I kept my eyes down the road, not looking away for more than a few seconds as I began getting paranoid. It was something about the silence as well that made it more uneasy—only hearing the wind outside my car and nothing else. Then, after three minutes of waiting, I saw a figure walking toward my car. He was down the road, coming from the direction where the headlights had been. I watched him as he slowly made his way through the snow, getting to just about 15

feet from the front of my car. Then he stopped. He stood there in the snow facing me but not moving. I couldn't see much of him, as he had a hoodie covering his face, but the way he just stood there in my headlights started to terrify me. After a moment, I honked my horn softly a few times just to let him know that I was in the car and that I could see him. He still didn't move or acknowledge me, but just as I was pulling out my phone to call my dad again, the man

turned around and walked away, disappearing down the road. I still called my dad to let him know about this really strange person that was out here, and he said he was just a minute away. I stayed on the phone with him this time, and only 30 seconds later, I saw headlights turn on down the road and begin moving toward my car. Once they were right across the road, they parked and turned off their lights. I couldn't see over the ditch, but I heard a door open as I yelled through the phone, "What is going on?"

But then my dad's car pulled right into my view and screeched to a stop. I heard him yell at someone as they got back in their car and sped away. They didn't come back, but my dad said the guy was holding something in his hands that looked like he was going to break into my car. Everything went okay after that, though, and the car ended up not even having much damage to it. I'm not sure what was about to happen that night, but I know I'm really lucky to have not found out. I work part-time

at a gas station in my city. It's more on the edge of the city near the suburbs and overall is just a very typical gas station. It's not super creepy or isolated or anything like that. I only really chose to work here, though, because rent prices were going up and my other job wasn't cutting it. The only shift I could do to work around my other schedule was overnight, and gas stations are one of the few places offering those shifts. Anyway, this was just 10 months ago. It was pretty cold out this night, and there

was some snow on the ground still from a heavy downfall a few days ago, but other than that, the night was going pretty typical. Being in the suburbs, there's not a whole lot of traffic going around the gas station; it's mostly just a couple of cars passing by every once in a while. By 12, only a handful of cars were coming into the gas station every hour. After a bit, I got bored enough to leave the front desk and walk around the shop, rearranging the items on the shelves to look nice. It was just a

couple of minutes later that I heard the door open. I turned around and saw a man walking in right up to the front desk. He leaned over the counter and looked both ways as if he were looking for someone to help him. "Can I help you with something?" I said as I made my way back to the counter. The man turned and looked at me almost as if I'd scared him, but then he hesitated before saying, "No, I'm good," and walking out of the store. It was fairly obvious he did need help with something, but

seeing that made me quickly think of the possible robbery he was plotting. I did work at a gas station, after all, so it was kind of always in the back of my mind. I watched the guy go outside and into a car that was parked in a very strange spot—kind of near the pumps but not actually in the parking section. He got in and drove away. I had no way to tell if he was actually planning something, but all of the signs pointed to it. I figured maybe being behind him when he walked in and

not at the counter threw him off and somehow that was enough to deter him. Whatever happened, I was confident after a few minutes of thinking that this was definitely an attempted robbery, and I called the police to report it just in case they were going to try a different gas station. They said an officer would come by in just a couple of minutes to get a report, so I hung up and waited. But not even a minute later… The same car pulled back into the parking lot. They went right to the spot where they had

parked before, then just waited there with the car on. I was almost positive that I could see movement in both of the front seats, like there were at least two people in there. I quickly locked the front doors and prepared myself for what could soon happen. As I continued looking out the window, though, the car just stayed there, nobody getting out, like they were watching or waiting for the perfect moment. Luckily, though, cops pulled in and immediately recognized the car as I described it. They pulled in behind it, blocking them in. Surprisingly, there wasn't much

of a scene; the officer pretty much just walked up and then pulled two men out, one of whom was the guy that had come in earlier. I guess they were trying to play it off like they weren't doing anything, but that didn't really work out for them. While it seemed to be straightforward what they had planned, their car showed a different, more disturbing possibility. In the trunk, there was a stash of weapons along with rope, tape, and an assortment of similar items. Both men are behind bars, but I still feel almost traumatized after knowing what

they had in the car. If I hadn't reported them after the first strange interaction, I would have been through far worse than just being robbed and possibly would have never been seen after that night. This happened in 2015. I had just moved to a small house far from my hometown the year before, so I was still getting used to the area and hadn't met many people yet. I worked from home as well, which made it even harder. Anyway, for Christmas, I had no plans at all; my family was too far, and I didn't have enough

vacation time to go out and see them. So, this was actually going to be my first Christmas alone. On Christmas Eve, I stayed up working, figuring I'd just get ahead on some things so I didn't have to worry about doing anything on Christmas Day. I was working in the living room, listening to music as well, when through it, I heard something coming from outside. I pulled out one of the earbuds and listened but didn't hear anything else. So, I got up and looked around. With my earbuds in, it was hard to know what direction it

came from, but I was pretty sure it was outside the house, not inside. I looked out the back window, not seeing anything, then moved to the front window and again saw nothing. But then I looked out the front door; on the porch were a set of shoe prints in the snow. They led right up to my doorstep and then back out to the driveway. There was no mail dropped off or anything at all on the porch, just the shoeprints. It was really strange and made me feel a little anxious, not knowing why anyone would be

walking up to my doorstep at 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. I made sure the door was locked and went back to work, then got in bed soon after. It was a bit strange waking up on Christmas morning, feeling like it was any other day. I brewed a cup of coffee and sat in my chair to watch TV. I think I spent the whole morning just sitting there watching shows and movies. I gave my parents a call and talked to them for a bit, but that was really about all I did. I thought about going out,

but it was really cold and the wind was strong, so I just stayed in for the day. By 6:00 p.m., I had basically done nothing all day and made some dinner, planning on going to bed early. But then I heard something outside. It was the shuffling sound of footsteps in the snow coming toward the front door. I stayed quiet, knowing nobody should be here. After a few seconds, the footsteps sounded again, walking away from the house. I went up and checked, seeing almost an identical scene to what I saw the previous night. After that, I

forced myself to stay up later. I kept my eyes open until probably around 10 before I guess I fell asleep on the couch. I remember getting really tired and trying to stay up, but I didn't plan on falling asleep out there. When I woke up, the TV was still on, flashing light throughout the dark room. I sat up and paused it, then got up to go to my bedroom. As I walked down the hallway, though, my eyes instantly locked on my bedroom door. It was open, but I knew I always kept it closed. I walked

over and pushed it open wider, then flicked on the light. Wet shoe prints were scattered around the floor going to and from the window. In a complete state of shock, I spun around and turned on the hallway light, now seeing more shoeprints going down toward the living room. I followed them, but they stopped right outside the living room, looking like they turned and went back right after seeing me on the couch. The shoeprints were nowhere else in the house. Police did what they could, but if I'm being honest, they weren't of much help. The current

theory is that the man had come by the previous two nights to see if I was home; after not answering the door, though, he likely thought I was away for the holidays. I know it's likely that he only broke into my house to rob me, but still, it's extremely disturbing, especially since I was at home sleeping when it all happened. Whoever it was, though, they never came back. This happened last January. I had taken... a week off of work following New Year's, mostly in hopes that everyone else would be back at work by then and

I could enjoy the week without it being busy everywhere. My plans consisted of shopping around and really just chilling at my apartment by myself. On this day, I was out driving around in the snow and going to a few stores, then made my way back to the apartment by 7:00 p.m. I went inside and cooled off, then took a seat on the couch with some snacks I just got. I was watching TV and even dozing off a little bit from the long day out of the house, but then at some time around 8:30, the PA

system in my apartment buzzed, meaning that someone was outside and wanting me to let them in the building. I had no plans of anyone coming over, so I had no idea who it was. They buzzed my room again, so I got up and went to the window that faced the front of the building. I tried to not lift the blinds too much—only enough for me to see who it was at the door to the apartment building. It was a large man. It was still snowy out and kind of dark, but I could tell he was

older, like mid-40s, but I had never seen him before. There were only three other people living in the complex at the time, so I was at least familiar with who lived here, and he was not one of them. I also figured that if he did live here or was visiting one of the other people, then they would let him in. I walked over to the PA system and muted it, then got back to the couch and continued watching TV. I really didn't put any more thought into it and even dozed off several times in the

next hour. Eventually, I shut off the TV and went to bed. By then, it had to be around 10:00. I fell asleep just about as soon as I laid down. A few hours into the night, my eyes shot open to a thud from just outside my room. It was extremely loud, but having just woken up to it, I didn't know what it was or exactly where it came from. My heart was racing as I stared across the room at my door, listening for anything else. It was very quiet now, almost like nothing even happened. I

got out of bed and slowly moved toward the door, then leaned my ear against it to listen to the other side. It was still quiet—nothing more than the walls creaking from the building. I turned the handle and looked out into the living room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The whole place was really dark, though, and for some reason, I still felt like I needed to be quiet and not make myself known, so I left the lights off as I moved through the living room and looked down the front hallway. The door to my

apartment was fully open. I froze up, staring at the open doorway and feeling fear run through my whole body. It almost didn't seem real. I took a few steps back, staying quiet, and made my way back toward my room. Now, on the other side of the door, I could see a huge dent in the wood right by the knob. Once I saw that, I ran in and locked it behind me, then called 911 while hiding in the closet. I was sure that whoever it was had to be somewhere inside my apartment still, and it would

only be a matter of time before they got into my room. But as I waited for the police, the apartment stayed silent. Whoever had broken into my apartment was gone. Even the police couldn't find anything to help in finding them. What they think happened is the intruder tried buzzing all the other rooms as well until one of them was nice enough to let him in. Once he was in the main stairwell, it's not really clear why he chose to go for my room. Maybe they thought it was empty. What's really strange is the dent on

my bedroom door, which was likely the source of the thud that I'd woken up to, but it was just one single hit—not looking like a real attempt at breaking the door down, but more like something out of frustration before he left. I still live in the same apartment, and nothing else has happened. Who it was and what they wanted is unknown. Last year, my roommate moved out of the house we had been renting together for the past four years. By then, both of us had gotten better jobs and were getting paid more, and the house

we had wasn't the best, so it was only a matter of time before one of us moved out to get their own place. After he moved, though, I was able to use more of the space in the house and actually just decided to stay there for another year or two. This happened during this time in early December. Our area was going through a week of some pretty bad snowstorms, and the office I worked at allowed us to work from home for a few days if we wanted to. Obviously, I chose to take the offer. I

used my old roommate's bedroom as an office and worked throughout the day, but at one point while I was working, there was a knock at the front door. I left the room and checked who it was. There was a man on the porch in a heavy winter jacket. He didn't seem to be a worker or delivery person of any kind—just some regular guy. I opened the door. ...while was not unusual. I watched as the person stepped out of the vehicle—a man bundled up in a heavy coat, hat, and scarf. He quickly made his way to

the pump and began filling up his tank. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue, and waited for him to come inside to pay. After a few minutes, he walked into the station, the bell above the door jingling as he entered. He smiled at me and approached the counter. "Hey there! How's it going?" he asked, voice muffled slightly by the layers he wore. "Not too bad," I replied, forcing a smile. "Just another night, you know?" He nodded, pulling off his scarf. "Yeah, I get that. This weather is rough, isn't it? Glad I made

it here before it got really bad." I rang him up and we chatted briefly about the storm. He seemed friendly enough, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of exhaustion weighing down my eyelids. I had half a mind to ask if he needed anything else—a drink or a snack—just to keep the conversation going. After he paid, he turned to leave but paused at the door. "You sure you're okay here by yourself? It can get a little creepy at night," he remarked, a slight chuckle in his tone. I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I'm used

to it. Just gotta keep my eyes open." He gave me a concerned look. "If you need a break or anything, just let me know. Be safe out there." With that, he stepped outside, and the door swung shut behind him. I watched him get back into his SUV, and as he drove away, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creep back in. I glanced out at the storm, the snow falling steadily, blanketing everything in a thick layer. As the night dragged on, I focused on my tasks, trying to keep busy and stave off sleep.

Hours passed, and the sound of the wind outside grew harsher. Around 3:00 a.m., I was startled by the sound of the door jingling open again. This time, it was a different man—taller and wearing a leather jacket, his hair damp and slicked back from the snow. He stepped inside, shaking off snowflakes like a dog after a bath. "Hey, can I get a pack of cigarettes?" he asked, leaning against the counter casually. I could feel my heart racing slightly as I nodded and grabbed the pack from the shelf behind me. He paid without much conversation, but I

couldn't help but feel as though there was something off about him. I brushed it off, chalking it up to being overly tired and paranoid. After he left, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. The night dragged on, and as the clock ticked closer to 7:00 a.m., I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Finally, my shift would be over, and I could go home. As the sun began to rise, I finished up my last few tasks and walked outside to see the aftermath of the storm. The parking lot was covered

in a thick layer of snow, but strangely, I noticed a single set of footprints leading toward the gas station from the direction of the road. Frowning, I followed the trail, my curiosity piqued. It led to the front door of the station, where I noticed that the glass was slightly fogged, as though someone had been staring inside. I quickly glanced around, but there was nobody in sight. The footprints disappeared into the distance, and I shivered, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. I headed back inside, locking the door behind me. That day

marked the beginning of several unsettling shifts. Each night, something felt amiss—strange cars pulling in only to leave without anyone stepping inside, shadows lingering just beyond the reach of the streetlights, and an unshakeable feeling of being watched. I began to dread going into work, the late-night hours becoming more and more oppressive with every passing shift. I didn't know what was happening or who was watching me from the darkness, but I couldn't ignore the sense of danger looming over me. Little did I know that there was more to come, and my life was about to change in

ways I couldn't even imagine. While it was normal, I went back to my phone and scrolled through some videos, not paying much attention for probably 10 minutes, until I looked back outside and saw the SUV was still there by the pump. The headlights were off, and the doors were closed, looking like they should be pumping gas, but it had been so long. I stood up and got closer to the window, looking down both sides of the building, but nobody was anywhere outside. If they had been in their car for the past 10 minutes with it

off, they'd have to be freezing; it was snowy, windy, and cold. So, I honestly got a little nervous for them. I paid more attention for the next few minutes, waiting to see any movement through the dark windows or for someone to get back inside their car, but there was nothing. It was like the car was just abandoned right next to the pump. After some thought, I put on my jacket and went outside. Immediately, I knew I was right; it was way too cold for anyone to be in there with the car off or for anyone

to even be outside for more than a few minutes. I rushed over to the car and looked around, then put my face close to the window and tried to look inside. "Hello? Anyone in there? Just checking to see if you're okay," I called out, but from what I could see, there wasn't anyone inside. It wasn't exactly easy to see, so someone could have been, but I was pretty sure there wasn't. Now even more confused, I backed up and looked around at the empty gas station parking lot before starting to walk back. Now, with my eyes

not focused on the car, I was just looking at the ground and noticed shoe prints in the snow going toward the building—not really the front of the building, but kind of off to the side. I looked back and saw that they seemed to come from the car, but at this point, I was freezing and didn't want to investigate further without warming up a bit first. I went inside and turned on the small heater next to the counter, putting my hands in front of it to warm them up. I was only inside for 30 seconds to

a minute, though, before a thump resonated through the building from behind me. I spun around not seeing anything, then walked around the counter and toward the back. On the floor, there were puddles of dirty water, like snow that had melted off someone's boots. Feeling a chill run through me, I stepped closer to the back room and turned the corner toward where the supply room was. Standing in the dark behind one of the shelves, I could see the outline of a figure. They were tall with broad shoulders and had a large scruffy beard, and they were

looking right at me. My heart stopped for a moment, but after the initial shock, my reaction was to just walk back to the counter. I don't know why; maybe I was just too shocked to react appropriately. After staring at the doorway to the supply room for I don't even know how long, I quietly picked up the store phone and called the police, whispering for help. Then, I endured the most unnerving 10 minutes of my life as I waited. During this time, I didn't hear or see anything from the supply room, which honestly added to my

fear. For some reason, the man never came out to confront me. When two cops finally pulled in and came inside, I quietly told them where the man was. They searched the room while I stayed by the front, but I was shocked when they came out with nobody else; the man was gone. Watery shoeprints surrounded the back door, but outside were fresh tracks in the snow going straight away from the gas station, straight into the completely dark, empty field that led on for miles. Obviously, nobody could search that at night, but even when they did in

the following days, they didn't find anything. I mean, the field was huge; he could have gone anywhere, but it was so cold and windy that night that I was almost sure that they'd find a body. The SUV was taken in for hopefully more information. I don't know how or why, but for some reason, they couldn't find any history of ownership, so that left us with just what we know from that night. And we are still left with just that: who the man was and what he was doing remains unsolved, and where he is now is

just as much of a question. I do overeat on the weekends and sometimes on days when school is out. This happened just a couple of weeks before our school's holiday break. It was a Friday night, and I didn't have any plans at all, so I figured, why not make a few bucks instead of being bored and laying around the house all day? I started driving and set up the app to start getting orders. It wasn't snowing out, but it was really cold and windy, and there was still a thin layer of snow on the roads

from earlier in the day. I think it was 6:00 p.m. when I started, and I did a few orders before I got one to pick up from a nearby Burger King. Once I got the food, I checked on the app where I was going. It was clear at first that it wasn't a house address, but when I zoomed in, I was a little more confused to see it was at the corner of two streets, looking like maybe a gas station. Although I found it to be unusual, I clicked "begin route" and started driving over. I

didn't think it was anything bad; I just thought… It was going to be an awkward interaction, since I'd probably have to find the person in the parking lot and give it to them directly. Usually, I never see the customers and just do a quick drop-off. As I got closer and drove up to the intersection it was at, I saw that it was a gas station that was right in the spot the directions were taking me. The gas station itself looked normal, but no cars were in the parking lot. I pulled in and parked in one

of the spots at the back, then stayed in my car and tried to look around for anyone. The app should have let them know that I'd arrived, so I was expecting someone to be out here waiting for me. But even after a couple of minutes, nobody was here. I sent a text through the app just letting them know that I was in the parking lot and waiting for them. Then, I got out of my car to see if I could get a better look around. The whole intersection was empty; no cars were passing by, and

all the stores across the street seemed to be closed for the night. The longer I stood out there, the more unsettled I got. I checked my phone, still seeing no response from the customer. I was just about to get back into my car before a truck pulled into the gas station. They passed the pumps and drove right up to me, parking just a couple spots away. It was an older dark red pickup with tinted windows. The first thought to come through my head was, "Why would they order for delivery if they were just going to

end up driving here anyway?" I'd thought before that maybe they were a worker at the gas station or were just hanging out here for some reason, but now this was far more suspicious than it already was. The driver’s door opened and a man stepped out of the truck. From one look at him, he had a very disheveled appearance, like something you'd expect from someone living on the road. Even his clothes looked dirty, stained, and torn. As he got out, I held up the bag with a slight smile, but the man didn't even look at it.

He kept his eyes locked on me as he approached, and something struck me, giving me the feeling to get out of there immediately. I set the bag on the ground, and almost right away, the man started walking faster, as if he knew I was going to leave. I got in my car and started backing out just as the man got up to my door, but then he ran right back to his truck, leaving the food on the ground. As I left the gas station, I saw him back out quickly and start speeding toward the exit

I was leaving from. I floored it, going through a red light and just speeding down the road until I got to where more cars were. The truck tried to follow me for a minute but then turned away. Once I was safe, I called the police, but really nothing came of it. In the heat of the moment, I never even thought to check the man's license plate; though thinking back, I'm not sure if he even had one. I don't know what he was doing or what would have happened if I didn't leave when I did, but

knowing that I was so close to finding out is still horrifying. I do deliveries for my local Papa John's. I'm in college, so this is just one of the few jobs I could choose from. A few of my friends work here too, but we're all delivery drivers, so even when we have the same shifts, we don't really see each other. Anyway, this happened to me last December while I was picking up some extra shifts before Christmas. That night, it was snowing a good amount, making deliveries take longer than usual, while also getting more deliveries than

usual. I was never too stressed about work, though; having to go non-stop for hours on end was definitely not as enjoyable. At 9:30, I grabbed my next set of orders to deliver and got in my car to get the directions up. I had two orders, and the houses were just five minutes from each other, but they were both pretty far from the shop: they were fifteen minutes away, which was more like twenty-five minutes in this weather. The first part of the drive was normal, but then it began taking me toward the less visited part of

town. The houses here were older, and most of the shops in the area had closed. Nobody ever came around here unless they lived here because it was so old and just wasn't up to today's standards. After twenty minutes of driving, I pulled into one of the neighborhoods and drove down the road toward the first house. The road was very bare; no cars parked on the side, and most of the houses kind of looked empty. Once I got to the first address, I parked on the road and walked up to the front door. A kind old

man answered the door and paid for the pizza. Then I went back and set the directions for the next house. It was in the same neighborhood, but I realized as I drove that it was taking me deeper into the neighborhood, to the point where there were fewer houses and more space between them. By the time I got to the address, I couldn't see any other houses around; it was just trees surrounding the area. Again, I parked on the street and walked up to the front door. I knocked and waited patiently on the porch. It was

pretty cold out, though. and the snow, making my clothes soaked, wasn't helping. Finally, after a minute, the door opened. It was a middle-aged woman who looked like she'd just woken up. Her hair was messy, and she had tired, emotionless eyes. "I have your order here for two pizzas," I said, holding out the boxes and giving her the total to pay. She took the boxes and placed them on the table next to her, then told me to wait a moment for her to get cash. Another minute went by before the door opened again. She started sifting

through some cash, counting it slowly and trying to add it all up. There was definitely something weird about her; it's hard to pinpoint what it was exactly, but everything she was doing was just very odd. Then, as if she wasn't struggling enough counting the cash, she started up small talk with me—normal stuff like how my day was and all that. I responded politely, but it was just really weird, like she was stalling. At some point while she was talking, I looked back at my car just to distance myself from the uncomfortable situation for a moment,

but I was quick to see a man standing right next to it. He was looking in the windows and doing something to the door, but when I looked back at the woman, her face had shifted into anger. I figured it all out too late, though, as she reached out and grabbed me, then started yelling to the man by my car. He turned around and started sprinting toward us as the woman tried to pull me into the house. I pushed her away and broke free; then my instincts took hold of me, and I sprinted into the

trees. I could hear the man's heavy footsteps crunching in the snow behind me all the way through the forest, until finally they started to fade away. After two minutes of sprinting, I stopped to catch my breath. Luckily, the moon was lighting up the forest enough for me to navigate through it and back to one of the streets in the neighborhood. I called 911 once I got service, and after ten minutes of waiting in the cold, an officer arrived. Another patrol car went to the house, finding the man outside in the act of trying to break

into my car. To keep things from dragging on, basically the motive was likely due to the couple running out of money and resorting to robbing my vehicle. The whole distraction was so that the man could rob my car without me ever knowing, but since I saw what he was doing, it's not really clear what they would have done. Maybe they would have just let me go, but it's obvious I would have reported them, so I don't think it's likely they would have. I'm just thankful for getting away unharmed and for being the first victim they

tried it on before getting arrested and never having the chance to do anything to anyone else. It was January, and I was renting out a winter cabin that was by an ice fishing lake. It was a very small, bare-bones cabin with only the essentials and was only there for people like me who liked going out to the lake for fishing or ice fishing. I'd usually bring a friend along with me, but sometimes I went by myself and never had any issues with it. I had planned out three days there, with no other real plans in

mind except sitting out by the lake and fishing. On the first day, when I got there, I set up my things in the cabin and made myself at home, brewing some hot coffee and relaxing by the fireplace for most of the afternoon. This cabin was only a single room, so the bed, fireplace, and everything else were all in one area. Anyway, I fell asleep early and woke up at 7:00 a.m. to go out to the lake. It was about a ten-minute walk from the cabin down a short forested path that was entirely covered in snow.

Once I reached the lake, I found a good spot, got my things situated, drilled into the ice, and started fishing. I find it to be really stress-relieving to just sit there and fish, though I do know a lot of people find it to be boring. I stayed on the lake for several hours—probably three or four—then packed my things as the snow was starting to pick up and the wind was getting heavier. I walked off the lake and back onto the path, but immediately noticed a set of footprints in the snow going alongside mine from earlier.

They went right up to the edge of the lake I was at, then turned around and went back down the path toward the cabin. Feeling a little uneasy that someone was out here and had been right behind me, maybe watching me, I chose to follow the prints and see where they led. They mostly went along with the path, going right back to the cabin, but instead of going up to the cabin, they veered off into the woods. As far as I could see, they continued in a straight line, going through the trees. Even more confused

and slightly nervous, I went back inside the cabin and warmed up by the fireplace. There was nothing else out here for miles, from what I was aware of, so anyone being out here was just odd, especially in the winter. I made food and stayed in the cabin for the rest of the night, keeping the fireplace running and mostly just reading. But about an hour after sunset, I heard movement outside—a very light crunching in the snow, but in the recognizable pattern of someone walking. I moved over to the window and... looked instantly, seeing a figure out

by the trees walking toward the path. They were wearing thick clothing covering every part of them, making it hard to get any details on what they looked like. Once they got to the path, though, they turned and started coming right for the cabin. I ducked my head down, now just listening to the footsteps getting closer and closer until they were right up to the wall. The footsteps moved to the side, coming right up to the window I was hiding under. Their shadow moved around like they were peering inside the cabin, but then they stopped. I

tilted my head up, seeing their eyes staring right back at me. I jumped away, now standing a few feet from the window as the person quickly tried to lift it open. I ran and grabbed a nearby knife, but after a few more attempts at opening the window, the person ran off. I watched their figure disappear into the snowy woods, going in the same direction I had seen them come from. After that, I packed up and ran to my car, leaving the area only a few minutes later. I don't know who they were or what they

wanted, but they knew I was staying there after seeing me at the lake and willingly came back in the middle of the night to try and break in through the window, so they definitely had something horrible in mind. Luckily, I got out unharmed, but I have a feeling that that night was close to being my last. Two years ago, I spent Christmas with my roommate. We were both in college and were splitting rent on a small home in the suburbs outside of the campus. Neither of our families apparently were really big on Christmas, and we

were also kind of broke, so we stayed home for winter break. We still did a bit of decorating and had gotten each other some cheap little gifts so we could have our own small Christmas, but other than that, we mostly planned on watching movies and maybe going to a party at night. On Christmas Day, we opened up our gifts and hung out, and around 5, my roommate wanted to go to a party by the campus. I had planned on going too, but for some reason, I was just tired and not really in the mood to

go out. I encouraged him to go if he wanted to, and he took up on the offer, heading out by 6. I sat back and ate some junk food, watching TV and just relaxing, I guess. But then, around 8, I just felt like getting up and doing something. With no places open, I grabbed my jacket and decided to go for a walk to look at the houses with Christmas lights. It was cold out but not insanely freezing. I walked around the neighborhood and through one of the nearby parks, but while I was walking through a

portion of the path, I passed by a man sitting on a bench. Now, this part of the path was covered in trees and not by any houses, and the man was just sitting there alone. It was actually kind of sad, but when I passed by, he looked up at me and just gave me this really cold look. It was very strange and made me even more curious why he was out here. I walked quicker, reaching the end of the path and turning back to go home. The rest of the walk, all I was thinking about

was the man and what he was up to. Something about his look just gave me a bad feeling. I got to the house and opened the front door, closing it behind me and taking my shoes off. But before I even started walking away, I heard a thump right outside the door. It startled me, having come so quickly after I'd gotten inside. I leaned over and looked through the peephole. It was the man from the path, standing on the porch and staring at the door. His face was completely blank—no smile or frown, just empty. I cracked

open the door. "Are you okay?" The man looked at me with his emotionless eyes and didn't say a word. I asked again if he was okay or if he needed anything, but he didn't speak. Getting weirded out, I closed the door and went back to looking out the peephole. The man stayed there for at least a whole minute, then walked off to the side of the door until he was out of my view. I looked over, seeing the window curtains were open, giving the man a view into my house. For some reason now, I didn't

want the man to see me, so I was afraid to go close the curtains. All he could probably view, though, was the Christmas tree and the couch, but it was still really unnerving knowing he was looking into my home. As I stood in place, trying to think of what to do next, a dull thud came from outside the window. I quickly stepped back and looked, seeing the man slam a large rock against the glass. His eyes were still glazed over with no emotion, making it look even more terrifying. I ran and locked myself in a

room while I dialed 911, hearing the man continue to repeatedly hit the window. After a few hits, there was a pause, then it began again, but it sounded like he may have moved to hitting the front door. This went on for what felt like several minutes before finally it went quiet. When police pulled in, the man was nowhere around. Outside, though, there were multiple cracks in the window, and the door had entire chunks of wood smashed out and laying on the ground. The police seemed to... think that it was just an intoxicated person based on

the information I told them, and he likely had no real reason to target me specifically. Whatever the case, the way he was acting was just insane, and if he had gotten in, there's no saying what he would have done. I've been a police officer for my county for almost a decade; I've seen some crazy and disturbing things, sometimes making me question why I even chose this career path. But what happened on this night still sticks with me and is often the event that I think about the most. It was nearing the end of winter, but

where I'm located, it stays cold until about mid-spring. This night, I was set to be on patrol of the major highway for most of my shift. On a typical night, I would probably stop two or three cars for speeding and otherwise wouldn't do much else. Sometimes a call for backup would come in, but usually, patrol shifts were the most boring and uneventful. I was driving along the highway, doing the usual circle, until about 2 a.m. when I passed a car on the side of the road that wasn't there before. Its lights were off, and it

was far on the shoulder of the highway, so I didn't see it until I was already passing it. I turned off at the next exit and made an entire circle, taking 15 minutes before I got back to where I'd seen it. I was under the assumption it was just an abandoned, broken-down vehicle that maybe I didn't notice before, so I wasn't in a rush. I pulled in behind it, parking about 15 feet away and leaving my headlights on. I called in to report that I was investigating a presumably empty vehicle on the southbound highway. Then

I got out with my flashlight and walked up to the car. My first impression was of how old it was; it looked like something from the '90s and was rusted all over, along with dents and scratches. I walked up to the driver side window and held my flashlight up. Nobody was inside, but as I shined it around, I happened to notice some really worrying signs. There was a pile of clothes in the back seat looking like they belonged to a young woman, but the way they were scattered around just didn't look right. I moved around

to the other side of the vehicle, but a faint sound from behind me caught my attention. I quickly turned and pointed my flashlight out into the woods surrounding the highway, and immediately the sound stopped, but I had heard enough to know that it was footsteps. Someone was walking out there, maybe even watching me. I yelled out, directing them to move into the light with their hands raised. A moment passed; then I yelled again, but it was silent. I felt my heart beating in my chest as I called in to update on the situation and get

backup to come. I stood there staring into the woods and honestly fearing for my life; if something had happened here, there would be reason for whoever was out there to try and stop me from finding out. I held up my firearm and moved further behind the car, still keeping an eye on the tree line but not exposing my whole body. The next five minutes were brutally nerve-wracking, but finally, another officer pulled onto the scene, and right away I heard footsteps sprinting further into the woods. We immediately got to searching the vehicle, and it was clear

that something was going on, but searching the woods in the middle of the night while someone likely dangerous was out there was not a safe option. Along with indicators of violence, we found an empty ammo package, so it's also likely that they had a firearm on them. Knowing someone was out there watching me the whole time, maybe even having me in the sights of their weapon, is one of the most unnerving feelings—even to just think about. The following day, we were able to get more information and run a more thorough investigation, but the car was

untraceable, and although some shoe prints were found in the woods, they faded out pretty quickly without any direction. What really happened that night still remains an open case with no leads on suspects or victims, which now just leaves me unable to stop thinking about it. Four years ago, I rented an Airbnb to stay in for the holidays. I was seeing my family for the week of Christmas, so I got a place that was just a few miles away. When I arrived on December 20th, everything was exactly as I thought it was. The place was a

very regular house in a very normal neighborhood. Overall, I was satisfied. I'd gotten there around 6:00 on that first day, though, and I didn't feel like going out to see anyone until I'd gotten a good night's rest, so I stayed in and relaxed for the rest of the night, watching some TV and even getting a little bit of work done as well. I got in bed just before 10:00 and fell asleep, but in the middle of the night, I slowly woke to a noise coming from downstairs. I was still half asleep and didn't even check

the time, but it sounded like a few small thumps against the wall coming from somewhere in the house. As I listened to the noises, I didn't really feel worried or anything, but rather just thought that it was the house making these sounds. I only stayed awake for a minute before drifting into sleep again, and I don't recall waking up any other times during the night. By morning, I had forgotten and didn't even think about those noises. was hearing again. I was pretty sure it was just the AC unit or something. Anyway, I let my family

know I’d made it into town, and we got our plans set for dinner at their place. I relaxed at the Airbnb for the whole morning and afternoon until I was ready to head out. I grabbed my bag and keys, then walked up to the front door to exit the house. But when I opened it, I was face to face with a man standing right in front of me on the porch. It completely caught me off guard, and I just stood there looking at him for a second before even saying anything. "Can I help you?" I

asked. The man didn’t knock or ring the doorbell, which made me start thinking about how long he could have been standing there and just why he was here to begin with. He didn’t respond to my question, though, and instead just nodded, then walked away. I watched him go down to the sidewalk and continue walking down the street until he was gone. I can’t see any situation where this wouldn't be strange and creepy. Why was he at the Airbnb, and how long was he standing there without knocking? I made sure the place was locked up, then

drove to my parents' house for dinner with the family. I brought up the situation as an interesting story, and everyone else seemed to think it was just as creepy as I thought. Dinner was still nice, and we had plenty of other great conversations catching up on life and everything, but that whole night I couldn't stop thinking about that man and whether my things I’d left at the Airbnb were going to be stolen or something. I ended up leaving the dinner get-together around 9:00 and getting back to the Airbnb 15 minutes later. I parked in the

driveway and walked up to the front door, looking around for any obvious signs of someone having been there while I was gone, but I didn’t see anything. I unlocked the door and stepped in. I walked down to the end of the hallway and into the kitchen, dropping my keys and bag on the counter. But then there was a sudden thump. It was just the same as the ones I’d heard the previous night, but now that I was downstairs, it was far louder and clearly coming from one side of the house. I slowly stepped into the

room near where the sound was coming from, but then the thump came again from a door right next to me. I jumped back, getting a surge of adrenaline, and then after staring at the door for a few seconds, I could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing from the other side. I grabbed my keys and ran for my car. I still didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I was not going to stay to find out on my own. I called 911 and waited for them to arrive. When they did, I watched them go

in and search for a few minutes. Then they came out and told me something horrifying: the door the person was behind was the garage door, which showed signs of distress from the person likely trying to break the lock and get inside. Unknown to me, there was a side door connected to the garage that led outside, which had been left unlocked by whoever had stayed here before me. I didn’t ever plan to use the garage, so I never checked it. Whether the man I’d seen on the porch was the same person that was in the garage

is unknown, but just knowing that I was asleep while someone was right below me trying to break into the house is terrifying. What they were trying to achieve after breaking in, we have no way of knowing. Obviously, after that, I went and stayed at a hotel for the rest of the week, but I still find myself thinking about that situation even four years later. It was early December. I was at home this night, spending my day off inside by the fireplace. It was way too cold and snowy out for my liking. I did a bunch

of things around the house that needed to get done, but otherwise, it was a relaxing day. I had the news running in the background, listening to how high winds and possible blizzards were to be expected starting tonight. By 5, I was already starting to notice it getting worse outside. I sat on the couch and turned on a different channel. Around 7, though, I could hear wind slamming against the house, and it really did sound like there was a blizzard. I got up and went to the window facing the backyard to see how it looked outside.

At first, all I saw was snow rushing to the ground with almost no visibility, but then I saw something else: a figure walking through my backyard. My backyard was pretty big and didn’t have a fence, so it wouldn’t have been that unexpected if it weren’t for the blizzard going on outside. Whoever was out there was just walking at a regular pace, going toward the end of my yard, before the snow and darkness took over any sight I had of them. I stayed by the window for a minute, trying to catch one more look and figure

out what they were doing, but I didn’t see anything. I was honestly scared for them, but also couldn’t see why they’d be out there at all. The end of my yard that they were walking to led to a road, but it wouldn’t get them anywhere for miles, which was not doable on foot. I went back to the TV, but I still couldn’t help thinking about it. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I went over and cracked it open. It was a man in a heavy winter jacket; his nose was bright red, and

his face was pale white, like he'd been out in the cold for a while. I couldn't know if this was the same person I'd seen in my backyard, but my immediate guess was that it was. "How can I help you?" I asked. The man let out a humble smile and spoke through shaking teeth that he was waiting for a ride to pick him up and asked if he could stay in my house for a few minutes to shelter from the cold—just until the ride got here. I took a moment to respond because I actually considered

it. Given the state of the weather, it's easy to say that under no circumstance would you let a random man inside your house, but when they're practically freezing to death on your doorstep and asking for your help, the answer on what to do isn't as black and white. I told him he could wait on my porch, which had an overhang that blocked the snow, and offered to give him an old jacket of mine if he needed it. The man didn't look too happy but just nodded and went off to the side and sat on the

chair I had out there. I closed and locked the door, then went upstairs to grab my old jacket. It was way too big for me and was in horrible condition, but obviously that shouldn't matter in this kind of scenario. I picked it up and walked downstairs, about to unlock the door and open it, but something stopped me just a moment before. I don't know what it was, but it made me hesitate. I leaned over and looked through the peephole. The man was now standing right up against the door with his hand on the handle, like

he was preparing to push it open as soon as I unlocked it. I felt my heart rate increasing as I took a couple of steps back and quietly pulled my phone out to dial 911. As I whispered into the phone, I just stared at the door with wide eyes, knowing what was waiting for me on the other side. Once the police said they were on their way, I slowly crept over and looked out again. The man wasn't there—not on my porch or anywhere in my front yard. He was just gone, like he knew that I

had called the police. Nothing else was found that night, and no signs of him ever showed up again. What he would have done if I had opened the door, I can't be sure of, but hopefully, he never comes back. I was visiting my family for the holidays last year. They live 15 hours away, and I usually try to tough it out in one long drive, but this year snow had come early and made driving a lot slower, so I was prepared to stop at a hotel somewhere along the way. I didn't book anything in advance

since I didn't know how far I'd get before wanting to stop; I was just going to pull into wherever and see if they had a room available. When I left, it was barely snowing, but the further out I got, the more snow seemed to be coming down. Roads were still clear, but everyone was definitely driving more slowly and carefully. Around 8 hours into the drive, I still hadn't made it halfway there. I was getting frustrated, as it was already 9:00 p.m., and it was just taking so long. I should have been over halfway there at

this point, but now I felt like I had to keep going so that my drive tomorrow wouldn't be even longer. The snow had let up a little bit, but it still had accumulated on the road because there were no plow trucks. I drove as long as I could, making it to 12:00 a.m. before deciding I'd had enough and needed some sleep. I pulled off the next exit and into a small motel parking lot. It was a long, one-story building with 10 or so rooms. As expected, it wasn't the nicest looking place; the outside looked really

old, and even the lights on the sign were dim and half burnt out. I parked in a random place near the rooms and got out, walking up to the main entrance area. Inside, it was a very small room with a front desk, but there was a sign propped up on the counter. It said, "Be back in 15," with a little picture of a coffee cup on it. The chances of me arriving while the worker was taking their break just showed my lack of luck on this drive. I walked out and back to my car, but

this time when I looked around the parking lot, I noticed something that I hadn't before: it was completely empty. I stood there in the cold and looked for a minute and didn't see a single car; from the looks of it, it didn't look like any cars had even been in the parking lot tonight. I got back in my car and turned on the heat to warm up while I waited. Seeing no cars and nobody at the desk had me second-guessing whether the sign was actually for someone taking a break. There were no places within 15

minutes anyway, so I don't know where they could have driven off to if they were taking a break. I sat back and tried to think of what to do next, but my eyes and head were so tired that I ended up passing out in my seat. When I woke up, a few hours must have passed; the snow had started pouring. Down again, and the wind was making my car sway. I sat up and looked toward the front entrance of the motel, but I immediately made eye contact with a man peering in through my window. I

jolted back as he stepped away and yelled something toward the parking lot. I looked behind him, seeing a truck on the other side. Another man got out of the driver's side and started walking up the side by me, then walked around my car trying all the door handles. I snapped out of it and put my car in reverse, trying to back out before the wheels spun under me. Now the men were moving quicker, one yelling at the other to come over to his side and break the back window. I continued moving my car back and

forth, trying to get through the thick patch of snow, but the sudden shattering of the back window only made it harder. I was trying everything now as one of the men was reaching in for the door handle, and just when he put half of his body through the window and opened the door, I finally got traction and spun the car around. The man fell out, and the other tried to get in his truck to follow me as I turned the car and made my way out of the parking lot. Once I was back on the

road, though, they stopped following me. Although I don't feel like it was entirely my fault, I definitely should not have let myself fall asleep in that parking lot, especially in the middle of nowhere like that. What those men had planned could have been anything; they were obviously prepared, though, and it almost seemed like they knew that this motel parking lot was an easy place to target people. But whatever it was, I will probably never know.