1 Hour of True Horror Stories for a Rainy Night | Vol. 1 (Compilation)

This happened in July of last year. My house was having some pretty big problems, and I was left without any power for several days while it was getting repaired. I worked from home, so this was a major issue, and I ultimately had to rent out an Airbnb to stay at for a few days until the power was back on in my home. I don't live in the biggest city, so there weren't too many options for Airbnbs near me. The closest one that was at a reasonable price was about a 45-minute drive from my home.

It was in an even smaller and secluded area of the city, which was often referred to as not the best section to live in. I was only staying for a few days, though, so the amount I was saving was worth it. When I arrived, I went right inside and basically straight to bed, exhausted from everything going on with my house. In the morning, I got up early and started setting up my laptop and workspace. Just before I had to start work, though, there was a knock at the door. I debated whether or not to open

it because it wasn't even my house, but thinking it might be the host or something, I went up and checked who it was. On the porch was a man, maybe in his early 30s, covered in tattoos. He didn't look like an Airbnb host or even like a salesperson. Unsure why he was here and not really wanting to know, I figured I'd leave it. I walked away from the door and back to the desk, finishing getting ready and starting work. I had some meetings and a lot of work to catch up on from my absence the

last few days. I don't think I left the desk until 8:00 p.m., and even then, I was considering going back to work. After going out and picking up dinner, only a couple of minutes after I got back and started eating, though, another knock came at the door. I immediately got up and went to check who it was, and I wasn't surprised to see it was that same guy from before. What could he possibly want from me this late in the day? Though I was actually more bothered than concerned, I just walked away from the door

and went back to eat my dinner. After 30 minutes, around 1 p.m., I decided to work for at least another hour. I was tired, but the work had to get done, and I knew putting it off until tomorrow would just make me more stressed. I put my headphones in and tried to focus for the next hour. I got a lot done, and once I was satisfied, I finally closed my laptop for the night. I hadn't realized how dark it had gotten; I guess my laptop screen was the only light I had on. I went to

the front and flicked on the light, and a chill instantly rushed through me. Going down the front hallway were faint but unmistakable shoe prints. Looking around, they were all over the place, even going right up behind the desk I was working at. Terrified, I slowly followed them down to the back door, which was cracked open. I don't even know how to describe what I was feeling; it was just pure horror. Only moments after this, footsteps started coming down the stairs. They were slow and careful, but when they got to the bottom, a man peered out

into the hallway and looked directly at me. It was that same man, easily distinguishable with all the tattoos and everything, and he looked surprised to see me walking around, but that surprise quickly turned into rage. His face had no emotions other than irritation and anger. I was going to try to say something, but no words came out, and as my heart started pounding in my chest, I turned right back around and sprinted out the back door. I ran through the backyard and into some trees far behind the houses. I sat behind a tree and pulled

my phone out, starting to dial 911, but quickly closed it when I heard footsteps running toward me. I didn't expect them to follow me, but luckily they passed by without seeing me and continued to run out into the dark. Once I got in contact with the police, I went back to the Airbnb and waited for them. I gave a detailed description of the man, and they actually found him. The next day, it was confirmed to be him by the tattoos I had noticed, and he'd actually broken into several homes in the days leading up, doing

horrible things to those who lived in them. I don't know what he was planning to do to me or why he seemed to have left me alone at first, but I can rest easy knowing he won't be able to do anything anymore. I was driving across the country for a kind of hectic trip. I had to get some things done for work at an office way up in Maine and decided that while I was already on the road trip, I’d visit some of my friends and family on the East Coast. During my fourth day of

driving, I was spending most of that day going through Pennsylvania. There were a lot of cool towns, but most of the drive was through nothing and to get where I was going, it was taking me on a lot of side routes, which were these long and empty one-lane highways. As it was getting late, rain started coming down, and my fuel was running low. I hadn't passed any gas stations in a while, so I figured there had to be one soon, but again this road wasn't really going through any towns. I continued through the rain for

another 30 minutes, and barely through the fog, I saw a sign for a gas station. A couple of moments later, it showed up ahead of me. It was off the side of the road, nestled in the trees, and was really small; it only had two pumps and a tiny concession building behind it. Having no other choice, I pulled in and parked, getting out and opening up my gas tank. When I pulled the pump off and tried to insert my card, though, it didn't work. I wiped the dusty screen and tried to see what it was

saying, but it didn't say anything; it wasn't even on. I then went over to the only other pump, and it was also off. Frustrated, I looked around. With it raining and being well past sunset, it was really hard to make anything out. Sure, the place looked old and outdated, but so did a lot of other gas stations. After a closer look, though, I noticed a small light inside the concession building. Hoping it was a worker that could help me, I stepped out from under the overhang covering the pumps and ran up to the door. Moisture

was covering the entire glass door, so I couldn't see inside. All I could see was the light reflecting through the glass. I grabbed the handle, and it screeched open. When I stepped inside, I immediately knew something was wrong: the store shelves were empty, some even knocked over, and the place just looked like it was destroyed. The light was coming from somewhere in the back, though, and was now clearly some sort of lamp or something—definitely not a regular store light. I was only in there for a few seconds, and after seeing all of that, I quickly

stepped back outside. I didn't know what was going on in there, but I knew it couldn't be anything good and definitely not helpful for my situation. As I backed out of the store and into the rain, I turned around toward my car, but a person was standing next to it. They were completely drenched in water and were just looking around my car and into the windows. "Hey, what are you doing?" I yelled as I quickly made my way up to them. They shot a look at me, then moved their eyes behind me. I turned back

to look at the building; the front door was open, and a man came out into the rain. He had long black hair and a sickly look. He spent no time assessing the situation and instantly started running at me. The other person by my car just backed away as I got inside, but the man running didn't slow down. He came right up to my door and tried opening it, and as I pulled away, a loud metallic scrape vibrated through the car. I sped out of there and back onto the road, making it another half hour before

my car ran out of gas. Luckily, I had cell service in the area and was able to get help. While I waited, though, I looked at the outside of my car and saw a huge line going across the door. It looked like the man had run a knife along it when I drove away. Police informed me later that night that the gas station I was at had not been in service for at least a decade. Other than that, though, nothing else came of it, and what would have happened if I didn't get out in time

is left to nothing but theories. This was about 10 months ago now. I was spending a few days with my best friend from college in his hometown. I'll call him Chris for privacy. It was a really small town from what I was used to, but Chris was showing me around, and we went to the bars and just hung out and had a good time. On my last night there, he mentioned a place he'd been wanting to explore for a while but hadn't had anyone to go with. It was some abandoned house or town he knew

of a few miles out in the woods. We used to go exploring and backpacking all the time in college, so it sounded like a pretty cool idea. Only 30 minutes after hearing about it, we were already trekking through a path in the woods. We still had some sunlight left, but we brought headlamps just in case. About 20 minutes of walking, the trail ended, and we had to follow a very faint footpath through the trees. It went on for another hour before we made it. We could see a house out in the distance, and as we

got closer, we could see several more behind it. It wasn't what either of us expected, though. The houses didn't really look that old; they looked weathered and heavily damaged but had modern siding and stuff like that that made them look kind of like any other house. There was even a tiny gravel road leading from each of the homes. It looked like maybe they were trying to build a community, and something went wrong, causing them to abandon it. Other people had been there before us, though, evident by the graffiti on the sides of the houses. Chris

and I went up to the first house. Looking through the open doorway, there were weeds growing through the floorboards, but it was otherwise empty. Before we stepped in, though, a loud slamming sound echoed through the woods. Both of us jumped and stared down the gravel road that we thought it came from. After that sound, though, it was quiet. We had no idea what it was, but after seeing nothing, we went inside the house. There wasn't too much to look at, but what made it... So interesting was trying to figure out why anyone would abandon it.

The house looks like it would have been nice before it was left behind. After walking around the first floor, we went upstairs to the second. Oddly, it got way darker upstairs, like no windows were letting in any light. The hallway was short, with only two doors and what looked like an attic in the ceiling. We went up to the first door and opened it, seeing another empty room. But we were quickly interrupted by hearing something downstairs. There were shuffling footsteps coming through the grass and up to the house we were in. We stayed quiet, but

we were sure that whoever they were had probably seen us outside. But why would they try to approach us? They walked up to the front doorway and then stopped just before they entered. “Hello?” We didn't respond. “I just want to talk. No harm at all.” He sounded older and almost like he was missing teeth or something, stumbling a bit over his words. After that, though, there was a whole minute of silence. He didn't say anything else, but we didn't hear him leave either. We waited another few minutes, still not hearing anything, before Chris quietly went

down the staircase and looked over at the front door. He turned and looked back at me with a pale face. “There's nobody there.” I quickly went to see for myself, but he wasn't lying; he was nowhere in the doorway. We carefully made our way down and over to the doorway, looking out. There was one line of footprints in the grass coming from where the other houses were, but no footprints leaving. Both of us figured it out at the same time and bolted for the trees, knowing the guy must have been hiding inside the house somehow.

We got out of the woods as fast as we could and went back to his place. Who that guy was and why he wanted to talk to us, we don't know. I'm sure if he'd found us, though, we probably wouldn't be here. I was backpacking through a route I'd found in the Cascades National Park. It was an out-and-back trail that typically takes three days one way and three days back. I didn't know too much about it or how popular of a trail it was, but when doing these long backpacking routes, it usually doesn't matter because

you'll most likely not run into many people anyway. On my third day out, though, I passed by one of the campsites and saw a man sitting by his tent. I took a break, and we talked for a bit, where he mentioned he was staying there for the night and heading to the peak of the trail on the following day. I told him that that's where I was heading today and that I'd probably see him when he gets there. I left shortly after and got to what would be my campsite for the next two nights. The

view was something I'd never experienced before and made for a great rest day and peak of the trail. For that whole day, nobody passed through, and when it came to night, I was still the only one camping there. I thought back to that guy I'd met at the campsite a day behind me, who said he'd be reaching this trail peak on this day. He never showed up, though. I thought he maybe decided to turn around for some reason or just camp out for another day at the place he was already at. In the morning, I

packed up and started back down the way I came, though I got a late start. So, at the very least, I was hoping to make it to that same campsite the man was at. I was really sore for some reason too, which didn't help. Before I knew it, there was almost no daylight left. I put on my headlamp and continued on the trail, walking for another hour past sundown before I made it to the camp. The tent that the man had was still there, set up like he never left. Knowing his plans to continue hiking

and just knowing that staying at one camp for several days while backpacking is unusual, I called out, asking if he was okay. There was no response. I walked up a bit closer and said I just wanted to check in on him, but the flap on his tent was partially open, and nobody was inside. I felt a lump in my throat, like my body knew something wasn't right. I stood and looked all around, not seeing a single sign of him anywhere until I saw a glimmer in the distance. There was a faint light sitting still far

out in the woods. I began walking up to it, going about 40 yards from the tents before I found the source. It was a headlamp laying on the ground, like it had been accidentally left behind, and the light was so dim that it must have been nearly out of batteries. It was just then that I noticed someone watching me. They were standing not too far, just 10 yards away, clearly trying to not be seen. I knew in my gut that this wasn't the man from before, but I felt like I had to say or do

something. “Hello? Do you need help?” They stood still and quiet. “I'm sorry. I'll leave,” I said shakily, then hurried back to the tent. Luckily, I hadn't unpacked anything yet, so I put my backpack on and started walking out of the campsite. As I did, the headlamp in the woods turned off. I got away and walked as far as I could, going another three miles to the next camp. I reported it as soon as I could as well, and unfortunately, it... was just what I thought it was. The man that I had met was missing. There

are almost no traces for them to follow, and out in the backcountry, it's nearly impossible to search for anyone. Who that person I saw out there was is likely the biggest unknown that could give us answers as to what happened, though it seems like most of us are aware of the most probable scenario that took place. I had booked an Airbnb several weeks in advance in a town I'd never been to. A client I was meeting for work lived in the area, so I was only staying there for a day and then driving back home

afterward. The drive was three hours, and when I pulled into the driveway and got out, the neighborhood it was in was very quiet. Most of the houses' lights were off, and trees covered the lawns, blocking out most of the view. The only thing I really saw was a person walking down the road. They were far down, and nothing really looked off about it, but for some reason, it just gave me a strange feeling. I went up and unlocked the door, going inside and situating myself. It was a very average house—nothing really special about it—but it

was great for what I needed it for. After making my rounds and checking the place out, I opened the front door to get my other bag from my car. As I stepped onto the porch, though, I noticed someone standing in the road. It was the person I'd seen walking a few minutes ago, but they weren't walking anymore; they were just standing in the road and facing the Airbnb. As I started walking toward my car, they noticed me and started walking away. I kept my eye on them while I was out there, getting suspicious about whatever

that was. They seemed to just keep walking, though, continuing down the street. I went back inside and made sure it was all locked up, then opened the garage and pulled my car in just to be safe. Throughout the next couple of hours, I did a few checks outside to see if that guy was still walking around. I didn't see him anymore, though, and having to get up early the next morning, I went to bed. I slept decently, waking up a few times during the night, but my alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. for me to

finally get up. The sun was still down, so it was still dark outside, but I groggy sat up in my bed and right away saw a light coming under the bedroom door. I didn't remember leaving any lights on, though; I thought I somehow must have just overlooked a kitchen light or something. I got out of bed and walked up to the door, but just before I opened it, I heard something on the other side. It sounded like something moving around at the end of the hallway. I opened the door, seeing it was the living room

light that was on, which I immediately knew I definitely would have turned off. The sound continued, though, as I walked down the hallway and looked into the living room. A guy was in the corner, searching through one of my bags. He had a black hoodie and ripped-up jeans, which was exactly what the person I saw walking around was wearing. I only looked at him for a second before he turned around and faced me. He didn't look startled at all; it was almost like he was expecting me. He dropped the bag on the ground and yelled

at me to stay where I was. He began making his way over, and I only had a split second to decide what to do. I turned and ran back to the room, slamming the door shut just before he caught up to me. He rammed into it and tried to kick the door down, then started messing with the lock on the other side. I thought quickly and opened a window, jumping out and running away. By the time I was able to get police there, the man wasn't in the house anymore. My bags were gone too, of

course, and to make things more terrifying, the bedroom door was open. He had picked the lock and gotten in, so if I had just stayed and hidden in the bathroom or something, who knows what would have happened? The police seemed to think there was more intent behind this man's actions aside from just robbing me, so I pray he doesn't find me again. Earlier this spring, I was camping in the woods four hours north of where I live. There was a small lake that I'd go to a lot; it was never crowded or even really known

about, I don't think, so it made for a nice, peaceful getaway every time I went. When I got there on the first day and set everything up, nobody else was there. The lake wasn't too big and was surrounded by a grassy beach with the woods around it, so I could see pretty much all around the lake. Not too long after I arrived, I saw a man come out of the woods on the other side and set up a tent. He looked like an average camper and was keeping to himself for the first little while. Before

sundown, though, I saw him making his way around the lake and over toward my campsite. He had a friendly smile and introduced himself as William. He said he wasn't sure if I saw him set up camp or not, but he saw me across the lake and just wanted to say hi since we were both out in the middle of nowhere at a lake that nobody usually comes to. We talked for a while, and he was really cool, actually. William. was 26, which was around the same age as me, and we both liked this camping spot

because of how secluded it was. After talking for 30 minutes, he went back to the other side of the lake as the sun was coming down. Not much else happened that night, but in the morning, we ended up talking and hanging out for most of the day. He shared a six-pack of beers with me, and we sat on the beach and had some good casual conversations. When we went back to our tents at the end of the day, I was sitting by my small campfire and was really happy I'd met William. He seemed like the

perfect buddy to go camping with. Maybe some other time. As it got later, though, I started getting ready to stomp out the fire and go to bed when I saw William walking around the lake. His campfire had gone out a while ago, so I thought he was in his tent already sleeping, but apparently not. He walked up to my campfire, and right away, something was different about him. "Hey, everything good, man?" I said. He smiled and was suddenly back to how he was before, but he said he came over to ask if I wanted to

see a cool spot he found that had a great view. I said it was kind of late to be going out, but he assured me that the view was great because it was dark out. The way he was hyping it up made me feel like I couldn't not see it, and what would be the point in camping out in the woods if I just passed up the good views? I got up and followed him to the other side of the lake, then trailed behind him as he led us through the woods. There was no path

or anything, so I pretty quickly knew that whatever spot this was, William had to have been there many times before to know the exact way without getting lost, especially out in the dark. We walked for maybe 15 minutes before William started slowing down. He pointed ahead and smiled like this was the view, but when I walked in front of him and looked out, there was a small structure. It was an old RV or camper that looked like it had been abandoned and succumbed to the elements for years. Moss grew all over it, and holes of

rust covered the siding. I turned back to look at Willie, wondering what this was, but his face was now cold and empty. "William, what is this?" He didn't answer. Feeling a rush of fear, I started frantically looking around, and that's when I heard the rusty metal door swing open behind me. I only saw for a quick second as someone else came running out before I started sprinting away. I could hear both William and the other person following close behind, but I gave it my every strength to keep going until I lost them. By then, I'd

run so far into the woods that I had no idea where I was. I just kept walking and keeping my eyes on the trees until the sun came up. By the time I found my way back to the lake, I saw from the tree line that all of my camping gear was gone. It looked as if I was never even there. I stayed hidden and got back on the trail, making it back to my car. I made a report with the local police, but they never mentioned finding anything. I don't think they even really looked,

to be honest. What was planned for me that night is horrifying to think about, but at least I got out before having to witness it firsthand. I was on a road trip from Portland to Chicago. It's nearly a 3-day drive, so I had some places booked to sleep at along the route. I didn't get too particular with what places I chose, but I went with Airbnb so I could at least enjoy the road trip a bit more rather than staying in a crowded hotel. My first Airbnb was in Wyoming, and the route through the state

doesn't pass through any big cities, really, so it was in a really small town. It was probably no bigger than 2 or 3 miles long. As I passed the border into Wyoming, it started snowing heavily, only dragging on the long day of driving. By the time I got into town, the roads were covered in snow, and the sun had already set. It was pretty dead, though. I mean, I don't know much about small towns, but this seemed exactly how I thought it would be, especially in a low population state like Wyoming. I was hoping there

would be a McDonald's or something that I could get a quick dinner from, but it was very clear that there wasn't going to be. So I drove through the town and turned down the road to my Airbnb. It was a long driveway leading up to a small home in the middle of a field, with tall, snow-covered pine trees lined up in the front yard. I parked on the side and got out with my bag, then walked around to the front. I put in the code and got inside, closing the door behind me and turning on

the lights. It was small, probably 500 square feet, with just a living room and bedroom. I took my shoes off and dropped my bag next to the bed, then sat on the couch. When I did, a thump came from the bedroom. I looked back at the doorway I had just come from. It was pretty loud, but I had no idea what it could have been. I got up and... the hallway flickered on, revealing a dimly lit space. I froze, unsure of what to do next. A moment later, a figure emerged from the shadows—a woman, dressed

in a dark coat, with an expression that was difficult to read. She seemed as startled to see me as I was to see her. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked, her voice low and cautious. I explained my delivery and mentioned the name on the order. She nodded slowly, but there was a hint of tension in her demeanor. "I think you might want to leave," she warned softly. "It’s not safe here." Her words sent a jolt of fear through me. I glanced around the dim hallway, suddenly aware of how isolated I felt. I took a

step back toward the stairs, but the woman stepped closer, her gaze darting over my shoulder as if she sensed something behind me. "Please," she said, her voice urgent. "Just go. You don't want to be here when they come back." My heart raced. Who was she talking about? I had no time to ponder that question. I turned and bolted back toward the staircase, taking the stairs two at a time. I could hear her footsteps following closely behind as I reached the bottom and raced toward the entrance. Just as I burst through the door and into the

parking lot, I looked back to see the woman standing at the top of the stairs, peering down at me with an anxious expression. I jumped into my car, heart pounding, and drove off without looking back. As I navigated through the empty streets, the night felt suffocatingly quiet, the eerie atmosphere making me doubt my own sanity. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something dangerous had been lurking just out of sight. The rest of the night’s orders felt like a blur, my mind racing with questions and a lingering sense of unease that I couldn't shake off. I

knew I wouldn’t forget that night, the woman’s warning echoing in my mind. The strange delivery, the empty building, and the darkness that had seemed to swallow everything whole—it all felt too surreal, as if I had stepped into a different world where safety was an illusion. That room was off, but a man emerged from behind the door and stepped into the hallway. He was wearing street clothes and just didn't look like an office worker at all. However, he stood in front of me and pointed past me at the stairwell. "232 is up there," he said. I

nodded but didn't move, and neither did he. He just looked me in the eyes with a look like he was suppressing his anger. After an intense few seconds, I dropped the bag on the ground and started quickly walking to the exit. The man didn't follow me, but I heard his footsteps go into the stairwell and up the stairs. As I left the building, I got in my car and left. I didn't know what that was or if I was maybe overreacting about it, so I didn't call the police. The following day, though, the police actually

called me. Apparently, the office reported a break-in, and in the CCTV footage, they saw my car and license plate, tracking it back to me. They also had footage of the break-in, so they called me in to question me about any information I might have. I didn't have much to give, but it turned out there were actually three people that broke inside. One was downstairs, whom I saw, but the other two were shown on the cameras to be hiding at the top of the stairs, seemingly waiting for me to go up. Disturbingly, several other delivery orders

were made to that same office that night. All of the other drivers were smarter than I was, though, leaving the orders outside by the front door. What would have taken place in that office had any of us gone up to the second floor is unknown, but hopefully, the police can find the three men before anyone falls victim to it. My wife and I take yearly vacations to different places. It's our way of taking a break from regular, everyday life as well as getting to spend some quality time together. This year, we had a cabin booked

in Washington state. It was far out and described online as being quiet and peaceful, away from any other places or people. Most of our life is in crowded cities, so this sounded great for us. When we flew in, we walked to a grocery store to pick up what we needed, then took a taxi out to the cabin. We didn't rent a car because we knew we'd only be there for three days, so we wanted to spend it just at the cabin, and if we changed our minds or needed anything else, we could always just order

an Uber. The taxi ride was just over an hour from the town we landed in. Most of the drive was between huge mountain ranges and tree-covered landscapes. It was really beautiful and got us both excited for our stay. Then, at just about 7:00 p.m., we arrived at the cabin. It was completely alone in the middle of the forest; even the driveway leading to it wasn't much more than some tire tracks in the dirt. We got out, paid the taxi, then brought our stuff inside. The cabin itself was small: there was the main floor that had

the kitchen and living room, with a ladder leading up to a loft area that had the bed in it. The bed area on the loft was short, though; you literally had to crawl into the bed, kind of like one you'd see in a tiny home. Anyway, we unpacked the groceries and made a very quick dinner since we were tired from the flight. Then we opened a bottle of wine to settle in for the night. We lit up the fireplace and chatted about how we were looking forward to the next few days. It was around 11:00

p.m. at this point, and as we talked, we both suddenly heard something outside. Someone was walking in the grass near the cabin. It was loud too, like they were really close. My wife looked nervous, so I tried to put a brave face on and told her it was fine. I got up and looked out the window. It wasn't until then that I realized how dark it had gotten outside. I looked around, seeing nothing but large trees everywhere and pitch-black darkness around them. I told her I didn't see anyone, then went over to the front door

and opened it, stepping onto the porch and turning on the outdoor lights. All I could really see out there was a small portion of the driveway, but I didn't see anyone there either. The forest was very calm and quiet too, so if they were still walking around, I felt like I would have been able to hear them. I went back inside and asked my wife if she heard the footsteps anymore, but she said the sound didn't seem to fade out; it just stopped. Suddenly, from somewhere behind the cabin, a thump shook the cabin. I looked

up at my wife, who was looking up at the ceiling—someone was on the roof of the cabin. I stayed inside and called the police, going over lengthy directions on how to get to the cabin we were at. Over the course of the hour that we had to wait, we could occasionally hear a few footsteps walking across the top of the cabin. About 45 minutes into the wait, though, we heard their boots hit the ground, followed by them calmly walking away. I looked out the window once more, seeing their outline disappearing into the forest. Police took

our report and gave us a ride into town, where we spent the rest of our vacation. What that person was doing miles away from civilization, in the middle of a forest, is terrifying, seeing as they were likely waiting for us to either go to bed or go outside. We’re just thankful that we got out of there before something else could have happened. I’ve owned and lived in the same house for eight years; it’s a normal family-sized home, which was relevant when I had roommates. But when they moved out and it just became me living here,

I had nothing to do with the extra space. It was technically a four-bedroom house, but I only used two of the bedrooms: one is my main bedroom, and one is the gaming room. The other two rooms were on the far end of the upstairs hallway. One had a few storage boxes in it, and the other was completely empty. After getting out of work at 9, I picked up Wendy's on the way home and pretty much went right to the game room. I was off tomorrow, so what better to do than game all night? I put

my headphones on and loaded up COD, but before I had time to even load into a match, I thought I heard something that sounded like a knock at the front door. I took my headset off and listened but, not hearing anything and figuring they would have knocked again if there was someone there, I went back to my game. Probably a whole two hours went by, and then I heard it again. It sounded like either a knock or a door closing or something like that, but with my headphones on and with my room door closed, it

was way too quiet for me to tell. I got up and opened the door, looking out into the hallway and waiting for that sound to come again. After a minute, though, I went downstairs and looked out the front door. Nobody was outside my house, and everything seemed normal. Having been hearing these sounds, though, I obviously made sure the door was locked before going back upstairs to be a bit more cautious. I left my room door open this time, so if it happened again, maybe I'd hear it better. I put my headset back on and continued

gaming. I played through a whole round, so like 20ish minutes; as the game ended, and I leaned back in my chair, a figure rushed past the open doorway, just off to the side of my view. I immediately threw my headphones off and jumped from my chair, horrified and unsure what to do. I just stared at the doorway. I didn't get the courage to finally move for several minutes. When I looked into the hallway, though, and eventually the rest of the house, nobody was there. But the front door was unlocked again. When police came and investigated,

it was clear that the person had been hiding and very likely living in the empty room. I hadn't been in there for weeks, or maybe even months, so all this time they could have been just on the other side of the wall from me, and I had no idea. It’s really scary to think about, especially if I'd happened to confront him. There's no saying what he would have done. [Music] When I was 19, I worked as an Uber driver. I hadn't figured out quite what I wanted to do with my life yet, so I hadn't

started college or anything. I was just doing Uber to pay my bills until I could figure it all out. This night, I was driving from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., or that's what I was planning to do. Most other drivers weren't working around those times, and I was always more of a night person, so this was just when I liked to work. Around 11:00, I picked up a lady from a bar and drove 35 minutes away to drop her off at home. It was pretty much at the edge of the city, in a much more

secluded, quiet area. After that, another pickup request came through from somewhere 10 minutes away. I was reluctant to accept it because the drop-off location wasn't back toward the city, but instead further out. I still ended up accepting it and just hoped that the next person would be going towards the city, where there would likely be more work. I pulled onto the road and started driving to the pickup spot. The road to get there was through a bunch of farmland and not much else. It was pretty empty of any other cars, too. Once I got to

the last turn, it was down a thin dirt road going between a field of tall grass or wheat. At the end, I could see a farmhouse on top of a small hill; that was the location that the app said they were at. I pulled up and parked in the open grass just in front of the house. The lights were off, and nobody was outside. After a few seconds, I lightly honked to let them know I was here. I had my windows rolled down, and the crops blowing around in the wind was really loud. I only

say that because a sudden tap on the passenger door startled me. I hadn't thought to look back at the road I just came from, because I obviously assumed he would be coming from the house. The man leaned his head through the open window and looked at me. There was a strange moment as he held a straight face and said nothing before I spoke, asking if he was the one who ordered the Uber. His eyes moved to the… "Back seat, looking around before he nodded and looked back at me. 'Can you help me carry something out

to the car?' Technically being at work, my reactive answer was, 'Sure,' assuming it was just some luggage or something. But I quickly regretted answering without thinking about it. He began walking toward the house, so I got out of the car and followed loosely behind him. Once he got up to the porch, he opened the door and somewhat rushed inside without even looking back at me. As I matched his pace and got onto the porch, the wide-open door showed an empty hallway with still no lights turned on and the man was nowhere to be seen. I

couldn't even hear any footsteps of him walking around. Standing there, an eerie feeling loomed over me. 'Sir?' I called out. The house remained quiet, with no response or movement from inside past the doorway. It quickly fell to nearly pitch black, and with it being eerily quiet, there was no way I was going in there. I turned and ran back to my car, then drove back through the field and down to the main road, canceling the Uber. My biggest regret from that night was not saying anything. I thought since nothing happened, I had no good reason

to notify the police. But every time I think back on it, there seems to be less of a chance that it wasn't something horrible. I even looked up some information on the farmhouse about a month after this happened, and all I could find was that it was last sold in the 1960s. So, the man I saw almost definitely wasn't the owner; he probably didn't even live there. What was waiting for me inside that house had I followed him in is something I'll never know for sure. This happened to me just a bit over a year

ago. I'm 24 and have a townhouse in the suburbs. I live alone, which for me gets really boring, so I try to have friends over whenever I can. My closest friends come a couple of times a week and sometimes even sleep over to escape their parents' houses. I didn't have any plans that night, but I had plans for the next day with my friend Sarah, who was supposed to be coming over to have a movie night. So, I really was just trying to get this night over with and looking forward to the next day. I

went to bed early, like 9:15. In the middle of the night, I woke up. I looked at my nightstand and saw it was 2 a.m. But the way I woke up was odd. My heart was pounding for some reason, and my brain was very alert and aware, as if something was happening. I thought maybe I had just woken up from a nightmare or something until I heard a click from downstairs. I sat up; a door slowly screeched open, and I could hear someone's footsteps entering my home. Although terrified, I thought this had to be Sarah

or one of my other friends, as they all had keys to my house in case they needed somewhere to stay. I got up from my bed and walked over to the door, opening it and stepping into the hallway. 'Sarah?' No one responded. I waited in the hallway for what felt like forever, but then a bright light suddenly flickered on, lighting up the whole downstairs. A second later, a soft chattering noise came from the living room. Whoever it was had turned on the TV. For a moment, I felt relief, thinking it was definitely one of my

friends who had one too many drinks. I went down the stairs and into the living room and felt my whole body turn ice cold in an instant. Some random man was sitting on my couch, looking at the TV screen. He looked maybe 50 years old, with patchy long black hair and dirty clothes. As I stared at him in fear, he glanced over at me and showed a crooked smile, then waved his hand as if to invite me over to the couch. I turned around and sprinted right out the front door. I banged on my neighbor's

door until they let me in and called the police. By the time they made it, though, he was gone; no trace of him at all. What's worse is the police didn't take it all that seriously, suggesting it was probably just some harmless homeless man wanting a place to sleep. The way I see it, everything points to otherwise. He picked the lock on my door, sat on my couch, and turned on the TV. Then the sick man smiled at me and invited me over to the couch. I think he may have been a stalker or something,

and now I find it hard to even sleep at night when I'm alone, thinking that there's a chance that I'm not really alone."