3 TRUE Creepy Road Trip Horror Stories

Welcome To Dark horror Diaries my friend before the show starts do WR below where are you from let's [Music] go the desert road stretched on endlessly heat rising from the cracked pavement I wasn't sure why I decided to take this trip but when I heard about Travelers disappearing in the area I thought it might be safer to join a group The Convoy was made up of five cars all heading in the same direction and for some reason it felt comforting to drive with others the group was mostly quiet there was Claire who drove the van

and kept trying to start conversations Ethan who had a bit of a cocky attitude and then there was Marcus he didn't say much just kept to himself but there was something about him that made me uneasy it wasn't just that he was quiet it was the way he watched us like he was always observing always waiting for something every time we stopped his eyes would move from one person to the next and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was studying us the more we drove the stranger things got at each stop I'd noticed more

cars joining our Caravan cars I didn't remember seeing before it was as if more people had been there the whole time but I couldn't figure out when they'd arrived I mentioned it to Ethan once but he just Shrugged it off I started to feel like I was imagining things but the feeling of unease wouldn't go away it it wasn't just the extra cars that bothered me it was Marcus he never spoke much but when he did it was always an EC clipped deliberate way he didn't seem interested in small talk like the others and whenever

I looked at him he was watching me always it felt wrong like he was waiting for something and it made my skin crawl at the next stop I took a walk to clear my head as I walked past the cars I noticed something even stranger one of the new cars that had joined the Convoy looked out of place the people inside were silent their faces hidden behind dark sunglasses something about it felt off but I didn't know why I shook it off and headed back to my car but the feeling of being watched didn't go

away Marcus was standing by his truck again his eyes fixed on me it was like he knew something I didn't I tried to ignore it but my gut was telling me something wasn't right the sun dipped below the Horizon and the temperature dropped the desert once harsh and suffocating now felt like an eerie quiet like the Calm before a storm I tried to push the odd feelings out of my mind there was no reason to overthink it I was just tired and this trip was longer than I had expected the other cars still surrounded mine

their headlights the only light cutting through the darkness but something felt different now we were all parked in a small makeshift rest area the gravel crunched underfoot as I walked to stretch my leg CLA was sitting outside her van staring off into the distance lost in thought Ethan was talking to her though he kept glancing at Marcus who stood by his truck as always barely moving I kept my distance from the group feeling increasingly uncomfortable it wasn't just Marcus anymore there were other subtle things that didn't add up the Caravan had grown I realized there

were now two more cars that I hadn't seen pull in but when I glanced at the others they didn't seem to notice Ethan and Claire continued talking oblivious to my growing unease I wasn't imagining it though the extra cars were there and one of them had a driver whose face I couldn't place but whose eyes were eerily familiar they watched me as I walked past and their gaze lingered longer than was comfortable I felt my stomach tighten something wasn't right when I returned to my car I found Marcus standing beside it staring at me without

a word it was the first time he'd approached me directly since we'd started the trip he didn't say anything at first just stood there his expression unreadable you know you look like you don't belong here Marcus said his voice low there was something unsettling in the way he spoke like it wasn't a simple observation but a statement of fact I swallowed hard what's that supposed to mean I asked trying to keep my voice steady though the hairs on the back of my neck stood up he smirked the corner of his his mouth twitching it's nothing

just a thought he took a step back turning to walk away without saying anything else but I couldn't shake the feeling that his words had more meaning than he let on the night stretched on the silence pressing in and I could feel the eyes of the other Travelers on me watching from their cars as I lay down in the backseat of my Subaru I couldn't sleep every time I closed my eyes the sound of tires crunching against gravel echoed in my ears the Convoy had grown and no one had asked why the morning sun rose

too quickly but the air still felt heavy thick with an unease I couldn't shake I had tried to get some sleep but every time I closed my eyes I saw Shadows moving outside my window and the faint sound of tires rolling across gravel echoed in my mind when I woke the Caravan was already packed and ready to go the Convoy was tighter now almost too tight and I couldn't tell if more cars had joined or if I was just losing track of time I watched as Marcus walked past me without a word his heavy boots

kicking up dust as he moved he didn't look at anyone didn't even acknowledge the group but I noticed something else as I climbed into my car the two new vehicles I had seen the night before were still here and their windows were dark too dark like they weren't meant to let anyone see inside I tried to focus on the road ahead but the feeling of being watched never left every time I glanced in the rearview mirror I saw those unfamiliar Vehicles always there always following us the same silent faces inside their eyes hidden behind dark

sunglasses I didn't know who they were but I knew they weren't just Travelers like the rest of us the day wore on but I could barely bring myself to speak to the others Claire and Ethan talked to each other occasionally but Marcus was always quiet always watching I started to feel like the only one who noticed the growing presence of those cars maybe I was just paranoid maybe I was overthinking everything but the more I watched Marcus the more I began to realize something wasn't just off it was dangerous I decided to take a walk

when we stopped for gas again hoping to clear my head as I stepped out of the car I saw the same people from the new vehicles standing outside talking in low voices they weren't speaking to anyone else Their Eyes Were trained on me like they were waiting for something I was starting to feel trapped like I was in a cage and every step I took was being watched as I passed by Marcus I couldn't help but feel like he was planning something his eyes locked onto mine and for a moment I was sure he was

waiting for me to say something do something I turned away quickly my heart pounding I had to get out of this I had to get away from them but I didn't know how there was nowhere to go no one I could trust I was just one more face in this growing Caravan and I was starting to wonder if I would ever make it out alive the desert stretched endlessly ahead and I couldn't shake the feeling of being cornered each mile we drove only made the feeling worse the Convoy had grown again though no one seemed

to notice more cars more people faces I didn't recognize all following in our wake there was no Escape I couldn't even remember how many cars there were anymore it felt like we were trapped in some Twisted version of a road trip one where there was no no Final Destination just more endless Road as the day wore on the tension between the group began to show Ethan who had always been the most talkative started getting irritable snapping at Claire when she tried to start a conversation I noticed that Claire was quieter her eyes darting nervously from

one car to the next she wasn't looking at Marcus anymore I couldn't blame her Marcus of course was the same as always silent brooding standing off to the South watching us it was hard to avoid his gaze even when I tried his presence was oppressive like a weight pressing down on me reminding me of the danger I couldn't see but knew was there by the time we stopped for a rest I was nearly at my breaking point we were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand dunes and cacti the heat of the day still

hung heavy in the air and I couldn't bring myself to get out of the car I wanted to leave wanted to drive off and get away from all of this but I knew it was useless where could I go who could I trust as I sat there staring at the empty stretch of road I saw something that made my blood run cold one of the cars from the Caravan had pulled off to the side far away from the rest of us the engine was running but there was no one inside I watched for a moment

unsure what to make of it then out of nowhere Marcus appeared walking toward the abandoned vehicle without a word I felt my heart race I knew he was part of this I had known it for a while now but seeing it confirmed made something snap inside me I had to get out I had to do something before it was too late I grabbed my keys and forced myself to open the car door my legs felt weak and I stumbled slightly as I made my way toward the rest stop I had no plan I just needed

to move needed to get away from Marcus from the cult that I was sure had surrounded me but as I rounded the corner of the building I ran directly into him Marcus stood there a twisted smile playing on his lips thought you could get away he asked his voice low and cold I froze Panic flooding my veins I didn't know what to do where to go I was trapped my heart pounded in my chest as I took a step back the chill of fear spreading through my veins I could feel the air shift around me

heavy and suffocating as if the desert itself had closed in trapping me with Marcus his smile didn't reach his eyes it was predatory calculating like he already knew what I was thinking I needed to run but my legs felt like lead you're not going anywhere Marcus said his voice low steady he didn't raise his voice but the words were sharp and cutting as if he was speaking from some place of absolute certainty I wanted to scream to shout for help but there was no one not really the others were either too far or too lost

in whatever Twisted game mark Marcus was playing I glanced back toward the rest stop but I couldn't see anyone Claire Ethan they were all inside their cars doing their best to pretend nothing was wrong but I knew better now they were in on it just like Marcus this whole thing this Caravan had never been about a road trip it was a trap and I had walked right into it why me I whispered though I already knew the answer the hollow emptiness in his eyes told me everything I needed to know I wasn't just a bystander

I was the next Target because you're special Marcus replied his voice eerily calm you've been chosen he took a step closer and I flinched my back hitting the rough wall of the building behind me I wasn't sure what I had expected but it wasn't this the calmness of his voice the way he moved like he had all the time in the world it all felt wrong I could see the shadows of other figures emerging from behind the parked cars silent watching waiting the newcomers the ones who had joined the Convoy without a word now I

knew what they were they were part of it part of whatever Twisted ritual Marcus and his people were planning I turned to flee but it was no use another figure stepped in front of me blocking my way they wore a long dark coat their face hidden in Shadow I could feel their gaze cold and unblinking as though they were studying me deciding my fate behind me Marcus chuckled softly a sound that sent a shiver down my spine you can't outrun it he said this is how it ends I tried to push past the figure in

front of me but my breath caught in my throat as I realized I was surrounded the circle had closed they were all here the Colt had been waiting for this moment the last thing I saw was Marcus's face his expression full of dark satisfaction as the others closed in their footsteps silent against the sand the Torches flickered in the night casting long Twisted Shadows on the sand my breath came in Shallow gasps as I struggled against the grip of the figure holding me pulling me closer to the Gathering the heat of the desert had nothing

on the coldness that had settled in my bones the air felt thick oppressive like the very ground beneath me had turned into something foreign something that wanted to swallow me whole Marcus stood at the front of the circle his face illuminated by the orange glow of the Fire Light the others surrounded us silent watching waiting their faces were hidden in the darkness just like the others I'd seen earlier the ones with the dark sunglasses the ones who never spoke but now their faces weren't hidden by Shadows I could see the hollow vacant Expressions their eyes

wide but unblinking like they were in some trance they had all been drawn here I had been drawn here you don't belong here Marcus said again his voice a low whisper but it carried across the group like a command his words hit me like a physical blow making my chest tighten but you will soon enough I tried to push back to move but the grip on my arms tightened forcing me forward and I stumbled into the center of the circle I felt like I was drowning in their gaze all those eyes locked on to me

filling my head with Whispers voices I couldn't understand but knew were speaking to each other it was as if they were all part of something something that was about to come to fruition and I was the offering the realization Hit me hard it was so clear now this wasn't a road trip it wasn't a group of Travelers just passing through it was a ritual I was the sacrifice as they began to chant their voices melding together in a dissonant hum I felt the weight of it all crash down on me the desert the Caravan Marcus

it was all part of some Twisted ancient plan I had been marked from the moment I joined the group I wasn't meant to leave no one was meant to leave but as the chanting grew louder something inside me snapped this wasn't the end it couldn't be the survival Instinct kicked in and I refused to go down without a fight I turned yanking my arms free from the cult member's grip the chance faltered for a moment the collective breath of the group held as I made my move with one swift motion I shoved the closest person

aside and sprinted toward the edge of the circle they were too slow to react caught off guard by my sudden resistance as I ran I heard Marcus's voice behind me sharp and Furious but it didn't stop me I didn't care about the Torches or the fire anymore I just needed to get out the desert stretched before me the cold wind hitting my face as I ran I didn't look back I didn't want to know if they were following if the Shadows were closing in again I pushed forward driven by sheer will desperate to survive it

wasn't until I reached the road barely able to breathe my legs aching that I allowed myself to look back the night was silent again the desert stretched out vast and empty the Convoy was gone I collapsed onto the side of the road gasping for air tears streaking down my face I was alive I had escaped and though I had no idea what the future held I knew one thing for sure I wasn't going to be anyone's sacrifice the desert as ominous as it had been was quiet now the wind whispered across the sand but I

was free the days after I escaped felt like a blur I had no idea how long I'd been running how far I'd gone or if anyone from the Caravan was still out there when I finally stumbled upon a small town miles from where I had last seen the Convoy I didn't have the strength to be cautious I was too exhausted too shaken my body achd in places I didn't know it could and my mind was a constant swirl of fragmented memories images of torches chanting and Marcus's cold smile I went straight to the first Diner

I found collapsing into a booth in the corner my hands trembling as I ordered a cup of coffee the waitress eyed me wearily no doubt because of the dirt and disheveled State I was in but she didn't ask any questions she just brought me the coffee and left me to my thoughts as I sat there trying to gather my strength I noticed something strange the woman behind the counter one of the only other patrons and even a few people walking past the window outside they all looked off like there was something missing in their eyes

it was subtle a shift in How They Carried themselves how they avoided making eye contact but it was enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up the truth Hit Me Slowly like a creeping chill the CT didn't just stay in the desert they had followers people embedded in towns in places where they could watch wait and Recruit new blood maybe I had escaped the desert but the thing that had marked me hadn't let go I had assumed in the back of my mind that leaving the Convoy would mean I was

safe but now I saw the cracks in that illusion the moment I stepped into that Diner I knew I could feel their presence even here even Among The Strangers it was like the cult had stretched its influence out far beyond the desert road I made a decision then I couldn't let this go I couldn't run forever The Whispers from the desert the chanting that still echoed in my mind would follow me until I stopped it stopping them stopping Marcus I wasn't sure how but I had to fight back and that meant digging deeper finding out

who they really were it wasn't just about Survival anymore it was about uncovering the truth I finished my coffee paid the waitress with a shaky hand and stood up the feeling that had gwed at me since my Escape of being hunted watched of not truly being free was stronger than ever I walked out into the cold morning the town just waking up but in the back of my mind I could already hear the faintest whisper of footsteps following me this wasn't over not by a long shot the weight of the desert was still with me

an everpresent Shadow as I walked away from the diner but in that moment something inside me hardened I had escaped once and if I had to do it again if it meant stopping them if it meant ending whatever Twisted ritual they were trying to carry out then I would the world beyond the desert road was no safer but I would find a way to fight back they thought they had me they thought I was just another victim but I knew the truth now they were the ones who underestimated me the night came too quickly as

it always does when the air thickens with Dread I hadn't slept since that moment in the desert where everything had felt like it was falling apart my life being stolen away but tonight was different tonight I had a plan it wasn't much but I had figured out one thing the cult had been following me all along the hollow stairs the strange behavior in the diner and the Eerie feeling I had every time I turned a corner they were still out there still waiting still trying to draw me back into their web but I wasn't going

to wait any longer I couldn't afford to I drove out of the town Before Dawn my heart hammering against my ribs as I headed back to the desert the place where it all started this wasn't a whim I wasn't running away anymore I had come back to face them head on the dry wind of the desert greeted me like an old enemy as I parked my car near the same stretch of road where the Caravan had vanished the place felt different now emptier more desolate as I stepped out of the car the silence pressed in

but I didn't Flinch I was ready I had taken everything I could from the local library records old newspaper clippings anything that might lead me to the Cults roots and what I found was enough to confirm my worst fears the group had been here for decades possibly longer hiding in plain sight using the desert as a cover for their Twisted rituals they weren't just after me they were after anyone they could manipulate I drew in a shaky breath pulling out the knife I had taken with me my last defense the weapon was useless against them

in any real sense but it made me feel like I wasn't completely helpless a noise in the distance made my pulse Spike the Shadows were stirring again I wasn't alone I could see figures moving in the darkness creeping toward me just like they had before Marcus the cult members and from the way they moved too smooth too purposeful they were the same ones I had seen during that nightmarish Circle I could feel them closing in but this time I didn't wait I ran straight at them my heart thundering I wasn't going to be their sacrifice

I was done running they were too slow to react their eyes still too glazed over too caught in their ritual I sliced through the air striking one of the figures in the chest they stumbled back the trance broken for just a moment and that was enough the others hesitated as if unsure whether to fight back or continue their Twisted chant it was the break I needed I fought like my life depended on it because it did I fought for everything I had left for my freedom for the people they had already taken Marcus stepped forward

a cold smile curling on his lips you think you can stop this you think you can stop us the Flames from the Torches danced wildly casting long Jagged Shadows across his face his eyes gleamed with something more dangerous than before a certainty that I had no chance but I wasn't afraid anymore I raised the knife my hand steady I don't have to stop all of you I said my voice Fierce just you in a blur of motion I lunged the blade sank into Marcus's side with a sickening sound and he gasped his grin faltering For

a Moment I Saw the flicker of humanity in his eyes a hint of something weak vulnerable but it was too late for him the cult had already consumed him just like it had consumed the others he crumpled to the ground and the rest of the figures froze it was over without him the others seemed lost disoriented as if they had no Direction anymore the Flames of the Torches flickered and for the first time in what felt like forever I heard the desert silence Again The Haunting chant the oppressive weight of their presence it all dissolved

into the wind I stood there Breathing heavily the Desert Wide and empty before me my victory wasn't perfect it wasn't without loss but I had done it I had broken the cycle and as I turned away leaving the desert behind I realized something I wasn't running anymore when I was a young boy my grandma would take me on trips across the country in her old trusty motor home she was an elementary school lunch lady and had Summers off so like clockwork every mid June we were loading up and hitting the road my grandma and I

lived for it it was our favorite thing most of the time we had a major destination but would stop and see everything there was to see on the way because of her by the time I was in elementary school I had seen every major city monument and natural wonder across the country it affects my personality to this day and I'm grateful to her for it one particular June I will never forget I must have been four or 5 years old my aunt was with us and as a special treat two of my cousins came with

us Gerald and Cole Gerald was slightly older than me and Cole was a little younger Cole was born with Cerebral paly and though was calm and coped well most of the time still had violent bouts of confusion and anger Gerald had a way of talking to his brother that calmed him down Cole trusted Gerald more than anyone else trips with this many made for an interesting sleeping situation my grandma slept above the cab in a twin bed and my aunt got the couch this left the queen bed in the master bedroom for us three kids

I was and still am a violent sleeper blankets make me feel claustrophobic and I kick and flail my arms violently to get them off usually waking up myself and anyone in bed with me in the process this made sleeping with my cousins especially in an RV bed an incredibly daunting task for me that and the fact that Cole occasionally peed the bed I usually opted to sleep where the dining table was you could put the tabletop across the opposing chairs and make a very uncomfortable bed but it beat getting peed on or punched in the

gut for slapping my cousin on accident one night after driving through a full COA Campground we decided to rough it and park down a windy Backwoods highway just a little past the campground off the main road my grandma made tuna fish sand wies for dinner and we got to watch my Gerald's favorite he maned the one with Dolph lungren after the sun set we changed into our pajamas and said good night it was unusually hot that summer I remember tossing and turning all night I could hear my cousins Whispering about how cool the movie was

from the back my aunt had to bring headphones to sleep you could always hear her New Kids on the Block faintly if you concetrated on it enough my grandma slept through everything probably probably because she was doing all the driving and trying to parent us from the driver's seat but not me I tried to plug my ears think about church and count sheep nothing helped the heat was too unbearable there was a window directly next to the makeshift bed I created but my grandma would never let me open it for fear of me rolling through

the screen tonight I was going to have to risk it I opened the window and tried to not make any sound click my heart beat fast as I waited for someone to notice and wake my grandma up who would then force me to sleep with my cousins not a peep success there was just enough of a warm breeze to whisk me off to sleep I woke up from the sound of twig snapping the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Cole was staring right at me he would have episodes where he'd stare

of into space so it was normal but then I realized he was staring behind me there was a man in the window and he was sniffing me I tried to scream but I couldn't fill my lungs with air he looked me in the eyes and I'll never forget it he looked like he wanted to eat me I've really only told my therapist the whole story if I can get up the courage to talk about the whole trip I'll gladly post it part two I don't know what to say I'm Blown Away by the support you

guys sent I had my bi-weekly meeting with my therapist tonight and she suggested that talking about what happened may be beneficial towards accepting it I agree with that that mostly there was a comment about my grandma being a rich lunch lady she wasn't Rich by any stretch of the imagination my grandfather was the breadwinner but they had a Loveless marriage and stayed together so that they could raise their family without putting hardships on their children in a way I deeply respect the dedication they had to raising their family they really put their kids and then

grandkids first I only mention this because I feel it's important to understand how much these trips meant to us these trips were her escape from a failed marriage and her chance to revitalize herself while spending quality time with us I was also asked to describe what the man looked like it was very dark and I was disoriented I also don't know how much my mind has warped the image in my brain over the years I'm in my 30s now so it's difficult to say for certain I remember his pale face being gaunt and a long

pointy nose that jutted out at the bridge but mostly what I remember is those eyes they seemed to glow in the dark I gasped for air but my body would not respond at that moment I think I started to understand Cole he must have felt this way all the time the man reached out a hand and placed it on the window his long brittle nails screeching down the side of the aluminum exterior of the motor home the glass fogged as he exhaled out of his nose and smiled exposing his rotten gums and crooked teeth then

he tapped on the window slow and delicately tap tap tap he licked his lips then backed into the darkness he came from I finally got my wind and screamed strange man I'll never forget saying those words it's all I could get out my grandma shot out of bed and squinted her eyes as she reached for her glasses what got into you do you have the window open I've told you so many times Buster Brown no window open when you sleep there by this point the commotion had woke everyone up even my Aunt who sighed and

flipped her cassette tape while covering her head with her pillow Cole started to have a fit my grandmother stopped paying attention to me and ran to his Aid luckily Gerald was there and talked to his brother getting him to relax and calm back down I pleaded with my grandma to leave I told her all about the man sniffing me and that he was probably still out there I got the it's your imagination there's no man Shel great I closed the window and sweat myself to an uncomfortable sleep I awoke the next morning to the feel

of driving on the open road we were back on the main highway headed toward Seattle to see the Space Needle I was just glad that the whole ordeal was behind us and we would be back to our Carefree summer road trip Gerald and Cole were already awake playing Battleship on the shag carpet in between my bed and the couch maybe grandma was right maybe it all was my imagination we stopped shortly after for breakfast and to get a current map my grandma was at the counter paying for our meal and discussing with the waiter what

sights there were to see along the way my cousins and I spotted a park across the street where we could throw our football around when you are in a little motor home with four other people getting out and running around is not a luxury you pass up my grandma agreed to let us run around while she and my aunt play Canasta in the motor home keep an eye on Cole and make sure he doesn't get out of your sight she warned Gerald and I threw the football back and forth while we talked about where all

the warps were in Mario Bros two and which gjo would win in a street fight I picked Snake Eyes after a heated debate we both looked around and realized that Cole was no longer sitting on the bench we left him [ __ ] she's going to be pissed my cousin shouted I had never heard him swear before only people I heard swear up to that point were my parents and when they did it was usually towards one another we got to find him we sped off into the tree line calling Cole's name we were both

so panicked that we got separated from one another while running deeper into the forest if you've ever been in the Pacific Northwest you know how thick and disorienting it can be I stopped when I realized I couldn't hear Gerald calling Cole's name anymore I was alone and I had no idea what direction the way back was the forest felt still I tried to call to Gerald but nothing Gerald this time there was a response it came in the form of Twigs snapping I couldn't see anything through all the trees and brush but I heard the

sound circling around me Cole Gerald I called out no answer I started running back in the opposite direction but there were so many trees and they were so thick that I just kept getting more and more lost I ran until my little lungs were on fire and then stopped to catch my breath no Twigs snapping no circling now I was just lost after what felt like an eternity I found my way back to the park my grandma rushed out and scooped me up in her arms where did you go I was so worried where are

your cousins she asked I had hoped that I just fell behind my older faster cousin and he had made it back but he didn't I explained to my grandma what happened she had already asked one of the people at the restaurant to contact the sheriff who she was told was on his way I waited in the motor home Angry with myself I shouldn't have been such a twerp I should have kept up with Gerald we probably would have found coal and made it back one of the deputies came out and helped us look through the

woods for Gerald and Cole we looked until dusk but couldn't find either of them people came out with their flashlights as the dark approached we walked for hours but found nothing and that was it that was the last time I ever saw them we stayed in the town for a couple weeks while locals helped us search the woods but we never found anything a couple years later my grandma received a phone call the phone call had her in tears and she refused to tell me what it was about I found out when I was a

teenager that they found both my cousins bones in the woods not far from the park they told my grandma that they had marks on them that indicated a wild animal had either killed them or found them and picked the bones clean the guess was cougars since it was not uncommon in the area for them to attack I know deep down that it was the strange man I saw I don't know how he followed us or why he took them and not me but no one ever believed me I eventually stopped trying to talk to my

family about it and accepted that maybe it was all in my head maybe I invented the strange man to cope with the guilt of being the one who got out of the woods now I am an adult with a child of my own I never take her camping sometimes we go for hikes but I don't like to be at anywhere near close to Sunset and I always take my gun with us my wife thinks that I am going to pass on my weird phobias to my daughter I tell her there are things out in the

woods we don't understand and I'd rather her be weird than eaten it had been a long exhausting week but Lisa and I were finally on our way to the cabin we' rented for our honeymoon I could hardly believe I was married and the fact that I had the most beautiful woman beside me made the whole thing feel like a dream my name is Ben I'm a mechanic nothing glamorous I work with my hands fixing engines getting greasy and tired every day but there was something about Lisa that made everything feel clean we'd been dating for

years and when I finally proposed it felt like everything had fallen into place now on our honeymoon I was hoping the world would stop and let us enjoy it we'd rented a car for the trip a Sleek silver sedan that wasn't exactly my type but it was comfortable enough for the long drive we took back roads mostly away from the tourist traps away from noise away from everyone that was our idea of a perfect vacation just the two of us getting away from the stress of the world the drive was peaceful at first the sun

was low casting a Golden Glow over the hills and the trees stretched out like they had all the time in the world Lisa and I joked about how quiet it was like we were the only two people left in the world it wasn't long though before I noticed the pickup truck behind us it was a rusty old thing just barely holding together I didn't think much of it at first but when we pulled into a small gas station for a break the truck was still there parked on the other side of the lot I mentioned

it to Lisa and she Shrugged it off maybe it's just a local she said with a smile but I could couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong the truck seemed out of place like it didn't belong there and when we pulled out again the truck followed us I tried to shake the feeling off telling myself it was probably a coincidence but the truck kept showing up at the next stop at the next Bend in the road it was always there lurking in the distance I could feel my anxiety Rising by the time we crossed

into the next state I was sure something wasn't right I called the police telling them about the truck I was nervous almost paranoid but I didn't know what else to do the officer on the other end promised to look into it but when I looked back at the road the truck had disappeared see it's nothing Lisa said trying to reassure me but I wasn't convinced the feeling noded at me something was off something had changed and I didn't know what to do about it we arrived at the cabin just after Sunset the sky turning into

shades of purple and deep blue it sat at the edge of a secluded stretch of woods miles from any town I knew it was exactly what we needed the isolation the peace we could finally relax and forget about the rest of the world for a while the drive had taken longer than expected and we were both tired but the quiet of the place felt comforting like a warm blanket wrapping around us the cabin was small but Charming with a stone fireplace and wide windows that looked out over the forest there was no one else for

miles which was exactly the way I liked it as I unloaded our bags from the car I noticed that the wind had picked up the trees groaned as the branches shifted and the air smelled of damp Earth and pine Lisa didn't seem to mind it though she smiled as she ran up the porch steps and opened the door the inside of the cabin was exactly as advertised cozy rustic and perfect for two people to escape a large wood burning stove sat in the corner with a few logs stacked beside it the walls were lined with

old wooden beam and a small kitchen nook was tucked into the corner I set our bags down by the couch and sank into the chair stretching my legs Lisa went straight for the Polaroid camera we brought along let's take some pictures she suggested her voice light and playful she snapped a shot of me as I sprawled out on the couch and then a few more of the cabin of the view outside of the Setting Sun the sound of the camera's shutter was oddly soothing almost like a heartbeat we spent the next hour exploring the area

around the cabin taking in the beauty of the untouched Forest Lisa being the nature lover she was wanted to take more photos of the trees and Wildlife while I stayed behind and made us some coffee the evening was perfect just the two of us surrounded by nothing but Wilderness but when we finally decided to settle in for the night I began to feel uneasy again I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't alone it wasn't just the truck anymore though I kept glancing over my shoulder whenever I thought I heard a car passing it was

something else something heavier something that seemed to be watching us we went to bed early hoping to get a good rest before our hike in the morning I turned off the lights and tried to relax but sleep didn't come easy I kept hearing Creeks from the wooden floorboards like footsteps moving through the cabin I told myself it was just the house settling the wind or some animal outside but something deep inside me told me that wasn't the case when I woke up the next morning I found the polaroid pictures we'd taken the night before spread

out across the floor in front of me the images each a perfect snapshot of our memories seemed innocuous at first but then I noticed something strange the pictures were no longer just of us there was one of Lisa standing by the cabin window taken from outside and another of me sitting on the couch but this one was taken from the front door as if someone had been watching us the entire time my heart dropped I looked over at Lisa who was still fast asleep unaware and that's when I saw it a single Polaroid pinned to

the wall showing the front of our car but it wasn't from any angle I recognized this picture had been taken from the woods from the edge of the tree line when we had no idea anyone was there I felt my blood run cold the truck it wasn't just following us it had been watching us us and now it had made its way inside the cabin my mind was racing as I picked up the Polaroids one by one my hands trembling it wasn't just the pictures themselves it was the thought that someone had been there watching

us taking these photos without us ever noticing we hadn't heard a thing and yet somehow someone had managed to sneak into the cabin Capture Moments that were supposed to be private and leave them for us to find I stared at the images trying to find some explanation maybe there was a local we hadn't seen someone who had been keeping an eye on the cabin maybe it was a coincidence but deep down I knew it wasn't I stood Frozen in the middle of the room clutching the photos every sound seemed louder now each Creek of the

wood each Whisper of the wind outside I wanted to wake Lisa to tell her but I didn't want to panic her she had already been so calm so trusting but I could feel the tension creeping into my chest something wasn't right I went to the window and peered outside but the forest was quiet too quiet the truck was gone but that didn't make me feel any better the Polaroid of our car lingered in my mind how had someone taken that shot how had they known exactly where we'd been when we'd been there my mind kept

spinning but the answers eluded me I was about to walk over to wake Lisa when I heard something a faint scratching sound like fingers against wood it came from the back door door I froze my breath caught in my throat as I tried to listen straining my ears to make out any other noise the scratching stopped and the silence that followed was unbearable I reached for my phone but it was dead I couldn't remember the last time I charged it and now I was regretting it I grabbed the flashlight from my bag my heart hammering

in my chest the cabin felt suffocating like the walls were closing in slowly I approached the back door my breath shallow my hand hovered over the door knob but I hesitated what if it was the person who'd been watching us what if they were already inside waiting my mind raced through a dozen scenarios each more terrifying than the last but I had to know I had to see what was out there I twisted the knob slowly and the door creeped open the flashlight beam cut through the darkness revealing nothing just the night just the trees

but then I saw something movement a figure darting into the Shadows my pulse surged as I slammed the door shut locking it behind me I rushed back to the living room and grabbed my jacket Lisa was still sleeping unaware of the danger that was closing in around us my instinct screamed at me to leave to get in the car and drive far away from this place but I couldn't wake her like that not yet she needed to know but I had to be sure I needed to find out who or what was out there I

stood there in the dim light of the cabin my hand shaking as I tried to think the figure outside the photos everything was adding up to something I couldn't fully understand but the fear gnawing at me was unmistakable I wasn't alone and whoever or whatever was out there watching us was no longer content with just observing I glanced at Lisa still asleep on the couch oblivious to the storm that was quietly Brewing around us she deserved to enjoy this trip this time alone with me I had to protect her but what if it wasn't just

a person what if it was something worse my mind raced as I scanned the room for anything I could use to defend us I was a mechanic not a fighter the cabin had a few old tools hanging on the walls but none of them seemed practical for what was coming the flashlight in my hand suddenly felt inadequate I needed to get out of here but I had no idea what was waiting outside I looked back at Lisa her soft breathing the only sound in the room my heart achd for her she didn't deserve this I

had promised her a honeymoon not a nightmare but the reality of the situation was impossible to ignore we weren't alone and whoever was out there they weren't just watching anymore they were toying with us and they had been for a long time I stepped closer to the door peering out through the cracks in the wood the Moonlight cast Long Shadows across the clearing in front of the cabin but there was no sign of the the truck no sign of the person or thing that had been following us it was almost too quiet and that's when

I realized just how much I had come to rely on the sound of the forest around me without it everything felt wrong I turned back to Lisa and knelt down beside her Lisa I whispered gently shaking her shoulder Lisa wake up we need to go her eyes fluttered open confusion washing over her face Ben what's going on why are you so tense there's someone out there I said my voice low but urgent I don't know who but I can't take any chances we need to leave now her eyes widened and she sat up her body

instantly alert what do you mean someone's out there I don't know but they've been following us watching us taking pictures and I'm not sure if they're still out there or if it's worse than that I explained quickly the words tumbling out as I fought to keep my voice steady we need to leave now Lisa's face went pale and for a moment I thought she might argue but instead she nodded okay let's go we gathered our things in a hurry not even bothering to take the time to pack properly my pulse was pounding in my ears

as I grabbed the car keys and we headed for the door the air outside was cold and I felt the weight of the night pressing in on me as we made our way down the porch steps every wrestling Leaf every snap of a twig underfoot made my heart jump as we reached the car I saw it the pickup truck sitting at the edge of the trees just far enough away that we couldn't make out the details but I knew it was the same one from before the same rusted worn out vehicle that had been tailing

us all this time I froze my hand on the car door unable to move there was no way we could outrun it not on these back RS and yet I couldn't bring myself to back down either we were trapped and the weight of it pressed down on me like a stone I stood Frozen by the car unable to tear my eyes away from The Rusted pickup truck sitting in the shadows of the trees the headlights flickered on for just a moment casting an eerie glow across the empty clearing and then went dark again I could

feel Lisa standing beside me her hand clutching mine but I couldn't look away my mind raised trying to come up with a plan trying to figure out what to do next but the truth was I was out of options I glanced at the cabin one last time the place that had seemed like a sanctuary just hours before now a prison the truck was too close and there was nowhere to run I could feel the cold air biting at my skin but it wasn't just the temperature it was the heavy oppressive silence that surrounded us the

world had gone still holding its breath as though it were waiting for something terrible to happen we need to go Lisa whispered her voice trembling I could hear the fear in her words and it mirrored my own I turned toward her trying to steady my breathing I know but where the trucks blocking the road we're not going anywhere we both stared at the pickup the headlights now completely off leaving us in the dark once again there was no movement no sign of life but somehow I knew that whoever whatever was driving that truck they were

just waiting for us to make a move we can't just stay here Lisa said her voice barely above a whisper Ben we need to do something I nodded but my thoughts were spinning I felt trapped cornered it was like every decision I made only made the situation worse I didn't want to panic her but I could see the terror in her eyes she was scared and I wasn't sure how to keep her safe the wind picked up again rustling the trees and creating a soft almost mocking sound in the distance the cabin was too far

now and the truck was too close I glanced at the road then back at Lisa she was waiting for me to make a decision but I couldn't think straight the next sound I heard wasn't the wind or the trees it was the unmistakable hum of the trucks engine starting up again my heart skipped a beat it was moving slowly at first like the driver was toying with us inching forward bit by bit the headlights flashing on once again blinding us then Lisa's voice trailed off Panic creeping into her tone what are we going to do

my instinct screamed at me to run to make a break for it but where would we go we were in the middle of nowhere miles from the nearest town the truck was too close there was no way we could outrun it then just as quickly as it had started the truck stopped the headlights dimmed and the engine went quiet I couldn't see the driver but I knew they were watching us I could feel it the tension hung in the air like a weight crushing the breath out of me I turned to Lisa my mind racing

we need to get back to the cabin we can't just stand here before she could respond a noise came from the trees a rustling that made my skin crawl something was moving out there something large my gut Twisted with a sense of dread I couldn't shake something wasn't right the truck was just a distraction it was the least of our worries we have to go I said urgently now we turned and ran back to the cabin our footsteps pounding on the dirt road behind us the air felt thick oppressive and every step seemed to Echo

in the silence I didn't dare look behind me but I could feel it the presence following us just out of sight moving in the shadows when we reached the porch I fumbled for the door handle my heart racing my fingers were were slick with sweat and the sound of my breath was too loud in my ears I managed to get the door open and pushed Lisa inside slamming it shut behind us I turned the lock but the sense of relief was fleeting I looked around the cabin feeling the weight of the walls closing in we

weren't safe not here not anywhere the door was locked but I knew it wouldn't hold for long my mind was in overdrive as I scanned the cabin my eyes darting from one shadowy corner to the next the wrestling outside had stopped but something far worse lingered in the silence it was as though the walls themselves were listening waiting ready to give up their secrets I felt a presence cold and suffocating closing in on us Lisa stood Frozen by the window her back pressed against the wall as she peered through the blinds Ben what if we

don't make it out of here her voice was barely a whisper but it cut through me like a blade I couldn't answer her the truth was I didn't know what would happen next the truck outside had become an ominous Spectre its presence far more Sinister than I had first thought the figure we had seen in the shadows the one I had sensed lurking beyond the cabin was it human or something else the Polaroids in my hand burned with their silent accusation their Frozen moments mocking us from the walls I could feel my pulse quickening as

I turned them over in my hands this wasn't just some random stalker who whoever was behind this knew us knew us better than we knew ourselves the photos were proof of that they had been in our car and our most private moments long before we had set foot in this cabin Ben Lisa's voice trembled pulling me from my thoughts I turned to find her staring at something in the corner of the room her eyes were wide with horror her hand pointing to a dark shape near the far wall I followed her gaze and my blood

ran cold there in the farthest corner of the room was a figure a tall shadowy shape its features indistinct in the dim light it was like it had been there the entire time waiting for us to look I could feel my breath hitch in my throat as I stepped backward my heart pounding in my chest but just as quickly as it appeared the figure was gone the cabin was empty the silence pressed down on me suffocating my mind scrambled for some explanation but there was nothing rational there was nothing that made sense we have to

leave now I said my voice firm as I grabbed Lisa's hand I had to get us out of here it didn't matter where we went it didn't matter what the truck was or what the figure in the corner was we had to leave we had to get away from this place from the terror that had followed us all this way we ran for the door but as I reached for the handle I heard the unmistakable sound of tires crunching on gravel the truck was back its engine revving louder this time it's headlights cutting through the

dark Like a Knife I turned to Lisa but there was no time to explain we had no time left I threw open the door pulling her with me into the night the cold hit me like a wave and the air was thick with the smell of dirt and pine we stumbled down the steps my heart racing the trucks headlights now blinding us there was nowhere to run nowhere to hide the truck was between us and the road between us and the only Escape we kept running our feet pounding on the dirt path but the truck

didn't move it sat there waiting watching we reached the edge of the clearing our breaths coming in ragged gasps but I knew it was too late the figure I had seen earlier had found us again its presence looming in the trees just behind us it wasn't human it wasn't anything we could fight we were trapped then without warning the headlights of the truck flared up blinding us completely I heard the sound of the engine roaring to light and just before I turned to look I saw the truck's Grill menacing as though it were coming straight

at us the last thing I remember was the deafening sound of tires screeching against gravel followed by a burst of pain then nothing days later the truck was seen again its rusted frame creeping along the road its headlights fixed on a new set of Travelers unaware of the horrors that lay ahead Ben and Lisa were never seen again the trucks headlights vanished into the distance and the forest swallowed the silence once more it was while I was driving through the vast yellow grass of the Great Plains that my life ended I was on my way

to see my parents who lived in a small town in Western Iowa the fastest route was straight down I90 through South Dakota I knew it was going to be a long and exhausting trip 14 hours to be exact so I made sure to pack plenty of snacks and drinks I always hated stopping too often and making an already long road trip even longer I know the first thing some of you are going to think is why didn't you just fly well if you're from any of the states in the middle of the country you'd know

that you never fly so long as your destination is on the same continent but now after all I've been through I really wish I had flown it's a mistake that I can truly say will haunt me for the rest of my life life I was on a particularly empty stretch of the interstate there were no other cars on the road with me none even driving westbound on the other side absolutely nothing to see and I was used to it I listened to a podcast about something I don't even remember and slowly slipped into a classic

case of highway hypnosis I don't know for how long and I don't know what snapped me out of it all I know is I got the sudden sense that something was off I checked The Usual Suspects my phone still had plenty of reception and my car was at almost a full tank of gas with those being the two things that usually snap you out of that Interstate trance I went back to doing nothing then I realized what it was what wasn't there I hadn't seen a single car in minutes obviously that doesn't sound scary when

I say it it really wasn't but it was very strange I had gone an extraordinarily long time in the middle of the day on a Saturday without seeing a single car my brain told me not to worry that it was perfectly ordinary and that I would see someone else sooner or later and hell maybe I saw a bunch of cars in the last few minutes and just Zone them out but then I noticed something else that was missing something that I absolutely would have come across not a single exit not a single billboard and once

I began to pay attention not a single mile marker that's when my stomach got a little uneasy when my brain started sending out some serious red flares I grabbed my cell phone from its mounted charger and switched apps to my GPS I had left it on in the background to occasionally check the time and distance left on my trip if I stared at it the whole time I would drive myself crazy pun intended but if I switched over every once in a while just to see the numbers go down it was like a little treat

a tiny dopamine rush to get through this log but when I switched to the app I saw nothing on on it but a straight line no time until arrival no distance to destination not even a road label on the line through the screen I slowed the car to a stop and turned on my hazards then after a moment of hesitation I pinched my fingers on the screen to zoom out and see once again nothing but a straight line no matter how far out I went it wasn't possible that I was on anything else but I

90 it made absolutely no sense that there were no drivers signs exits or literally anything other than yellow grass fields I got out of my car and looked around I kicked at the pavement which to me seemed completely ordinary then I realized that my phone probably just lost signal and that's why my GPS app was acting up I even chuckled to myself for being so dramatic as I looked to the top right corner of the screen only to see a full connection a million thoughts ran through my mind some of them were less sane than

others I closed out of the app and reopened only to be met with a popup that I'd never seen before no GPS connection I double checked but obviously my location settings were still on I hadn't touched them since I started my trip I had no need to yet still my phone couldn't Place me I dialed in my mom's number my heart rate raised just slightly with every chime of the tone but to my relief I heard the familiar voice of my mother answering we talked for a bit and I told her what was going going

on she laughed it off it's very empty out there you know and those silly phones bug out all the time honestly your generation puts too much trust in them I rolled my eyes but thought that maybe she was right was it really out of the question that my GPS app had a server failure I told her I'd get back on the road and call her when I was closer we said our goodbyes for some reason I felt it especially important to tell her that I loved her before hanging up as I got back into the

driver's seat I remembered one of the other details that really unnerved me no exits sure it's the middle of nowhere no Billboards fine a little out of character for the Midwest but possible no mile markers though my brain's only logical justification was that when I was panicking earlier time seemed to slow down and what felt like forever was actually less than a mile yeah it was a stretch longer than the road I was on but it was the only Poss possibility I could think of to ease my worries so I set off this time paying

extra attention to my odometer one 2 3 5 10 15 eventually 50 miles 50 mil without seeing a single green marker at the side of the road I stopped my car again I looked at my phone which thankfully still had a full connection mom yeah it's me again no I'm not any closer don't laugh but this is really starting to freak me out would it be dumb to call the highway patrol you know just see if they can look out for my car yeah yeah okay I'll call you back after goodbye I love you mom

I called the highway patrol to their credit they sent people out despite how crazy I must have seemed the lady on the other end asked me what mile marker I was near I tried to explain to her that I couldn't find a mile marker not a single one in over 50 Mi she asked me what the last town I remembered going through was Murdo I said then she told me to stay put and to turn on my hazards I gave them the description of my cars make and model and hung up the phone just for

a moment before I called my mother back I stared off into the distance into the vast empty PLS I realized I saw no Hills no trees no shrubs I described the situation to my mom I told everything and we talked for several hours about our plans when I arrived about some drama between my mom and her co-workers anything that would make my situation seem normal we went on until I got a call from the highway patrol what the lady on the other end of the line told me shot my anxiety past anything leading up to

this point as I stared Into the cloudless Blue expanse and at the sun in the middle of the sky what was unmistakably that same noon on a Saturday the lady said to me we're calling off the search for the night because of the dark and the storm if you're still in need of assistance please call back I hung up the line and I sat in Silence the dark the storm eventually I turned my car back on the dashboard said 937 I had a half tank of gas now that little orange needle bobbed ever so slightly

back and forth as I thought I made my decision and shifted into drive into and through the grass median onto the opposite stretch of road wherever I was however I got there I knew I didn't want to go any farther into it my best Hope was to return the way I came so I did I drove and I drove and I continued like nothing was the matter until my music was interrupted by the jingle of a phone call my dad he told me it was nearly 10:00 a.m. the next day he told me how my

mother was hysterical how the highway patrol couldn't find me he asked me what I was doing what my surroundings look like were there any defining features I told him straight there was nothing The sun hadn't moved not an inch the road never curved or dipped there were no signs and no animals and no clouds in the sky not a single Rocky Bluff or lone cottonwood tree nothing but empty grassland twin belts of gray asphalt to split it and me I told him that my gas was almost out and I joked hoped that he should bring

me some more my worry only worsened when my usually jovial father couldn't spare a chuckle we talked for a while he told me stories from my childhood the first time we played ball the first time he took me to work with him I teared up when he told me how proud he was of what I had become I had to stop the car my throat was tight and nearly swollen shut from the sorrow and then my mom took the call she told me all about the day I was born every little detail what time it

was how much I weighed about what she ate for breakfast that day and how hard I was to deliver but also about how worth it I was in the end I could hear her sobbing as she told me she loved me and I was a mess as I set it back I told them I would call again in a moment that I needed to get my bearings right then I drove until the little orange needle kissed the E I stared at The Haunting zero on my Dash the number that told me how many miles I

had left and I coasted it out as long as I could until my car slowed to a stop I didn't react I just sat there munching on a granola bar I had packed then I slipped into an uneasy Slumber and I awoke to the bright Sun above me into a car so sweltering I could have easily overheated for a while I cooled down in the little sliver of shade on the side of my car that's when I stared down at the pavement I studied every minute detail every crack and dip there wasn't a single ant

no fly in the air not any kind of bug I emptied my car of all the food and drinks that I had put it all in one of my duffel bags that I emptied of clothes that I no longer needed as I slung the bag over my shoulder and continued my journey on foot I realized that I had to take this last chance to warn anyone else 100% battery I left it on the charger as I drove because I knew deep down that once this device ran dry I lost all connection to the outside world

before this phone is dead I will call every person I can think of I will say my farewells I will forgive what I can I will hope to be forgiven it's a better end than most get I suppose maybe somehow my loved ones will get closure though I doubt anyone will ever truly understand what has become of me but I didn't want my mother to blame herself I don't want her to live the rest of her life in grief so I did call her back I told her I'd found an oasis cool water so many

animals to eat so many trees to use I told her that even though we'll probably never see each other again that I will be alive and well over here as I told her all those fairy tales while simultaneously staring at the same expansive nothingness we both knew I was lying but neither dared say so at this point I am certain I will die will I go slowly from starvation or thirst or find find a way to end it sooner will I cling to the last shred of life I have left fill my mouth with Prairie

Grass SLO on until the malnutrition takes me I am not sure my delusional mind still wants to debate it wants to believe these are choices that I won't have to make but deep down I know that's where this path will take me though I do not know where this cursed Road leads I do know where it will end at least where it will end for me and so now I write this all out I write it as I sit in the center of the road so far that even my car is now lost I eat

the last of my rations and I leave you with one final message never take this road Never follow it into the middle of nowhere and if you must do so pray that you do not end up where I have to everyone who knew me goodbye this happened in passig city Philippines during my sixth grade I was 12 or 13 years years old what you will read is all according to my memory my parents were always at work my mother had a full-time job at a college while my father worked abroad I have a brother who

was s or 8 years old around that time we had a made I'm not sure if that's the right term but I'll call her that it was around February I believe and we had upcoming exams for context our school year starts in the first week of June and ends in the 2 or third week of March whenever exams were approaching everyone in the house would leave to give me the peace and quiet I needed to study our classes started around 6:45 in the morning and ended at 3: in the afternoon it was Wednesday and we

had exams scheduled for Thursday Friday and Saturday I went home immediately after class carrying my wallet with the house keys attached I was known for hating noise I would always shout if I heard Whispers while reading a book even though people were trying not to distract me our house was a small one-story building surrounded by houses with a second floor when I arrived our maid was just getting ready to go to the mall with my brother my brother wasn't very studious so he often went to the mall with the maid instead of studying once they

left I was alone in silence it wasn't creepy because I didn't believe in ghosts I appreciated the silence I had no idea if any neighbors were home as I mentioned our house was just one story you could walk in a straight line from the living room to the bedroom which was the only one we had I grabbed a quick snack before getting my books to review when I studied I had a habit of raising my right foot to the side of the bedroom door and swaying it left and right creating a sound I found comforting

swaying it also allowed me to see the windows in the living room near the front door I studied in front of the computer because I often had questions about the topics since we all had keys to the house I didn't worry about opening the door for anyone an hour passed the sound of the door annoyed me so I stopped moving my right foot and left it resting on the door frame I decided to open Spotify and play instrumental music with no vocals as I was multitasking asking my classmates's questions on Facebook and highlighting important parts

of my book I heard faint kn on the front door I decided not to look because I needed to study I continued knowing that if it were a relative they would have a spare key another knock I looked through the windows from my seat in the bedroom there was no one there I looked back at my book my mind racing with thoughts then multiple knocks they were louder than before making me realize I wasn't imagining things I closed my book and looked at the windows again still no one was there there annoyed I opened my

book and tried to focus until a loud knock came from the front door I felt someone was watching me so I quickly looked at the windows with an angry expression he was there his face showed no emotion he was like a statue staring at me through the windows as if I were an unwanted visitor my heart pounded my right foot dropped slowly his lips formed a smile and his eyes widened with each passing second I I wanted to shout to scream if not for the music from Spotify the silence and his stare would have been

unbearable I tried to call for help but fear rendered me speechless my heart raced as he violently tried to turn the NOG I tried to move but I was paralyzed when he realized he couldn't open the door he stopped I froze what would he do next would he surprise me with a key show me a family relative through the window did he have another way to get in luckily I heard a car slowly driving down our road the man glanced to his right presumably at the car then back at me he nodded with a smile

before hurrying away I jumped onto my bed and screamed into a pillow I didn't review much that day but fortunately I still passed my exams for some reason I chose not to tell my relatives what happened I still looked through the windows hoping no one would be there staring back at me it made me wary of the bathroom Windows too as anyone could be watching even if the house was locked so this was about 3 years ago when I was 15 I was one of those guys whose parents wouldn't trust him with a pencil but

this night was different very different actually I had made complaints prior to this that my parents needed to grant me more Independence so in the true Spirit of trust they decided to leave me in charge of the house for the whole of Friday night the following is an account as best as I can remember though is hard to forget of that night parents would be gone when I came back from school spent whole school Day celebrating on the playground I got back and immediately started up Minecraft a few hours of mindless entertainment ensues I'm at

my laptop in the dining room some kind of tashiba I still have it the curtains are open a top our glass sliding door eerily a layer of condensation has formed covering most of the pain outside creepy but not unmanageable I Soldier on PW and this guy in full iron but get interrupted mid loot by slap slap two noises right from the window two handprints on the glass I don't dare move the darkness is scary enough without this [ __ ] happening to me the cupboard Under the Stairs yields tennis rackets of plenty I managed to

take one out my eyes still locked on the window my character's death is preferable to my own so I close the computer I slip out of the room and turn off the light the way I figured it is that there's definitely someone outside they're most probably human and they will invariably have similar issues with the darkness as I also I didn't want them to be able to see me inside moving about I slip out into the Hall tennis racket gripped firmly I'm moving towards the back door did I lock it do I want to even

go near it the sitting room is an inkai pit of potential death so I decide that it really isn't worth going for the home phone I'd rather stay alive and be scared bam a sound from upstairs sends me spinning around to look up at the steps I move backwards a warm sensation trickling down my leg I know what it is no need to look just keep on looking up into the dark heavens of the second floor I step back once more F the lights come on upstairs [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ]

I don't leave the house I let my mind explore all the possibilities of what's out there waiting for me and then I realized that I had accidentally walked back into the light switch time to embrace my inner horror movie Avatar and check out the upstairs I turn the lights on right it should be safe I make my descent naturally I'm walking backwards up the stairs as most of the landing lies behind all rooms have their doors closed except for my parents room do I check it out nope then as if it weren't bad enough the

lights shut off I'm up on the landing by now Darkness has enveloped me nothing to do this is surely when I die I back down into a corner for safety looking frantically across the landing and down the steps maybe shutting the light off in the dining room room wasn't such a good idea I hear some rustling coming from the downstairs area someone's in my house a draft rolls in and up to meet me door must be open maybe it was the wind maybe it was a power cut but what about the handprints I steal myself

eyes have started to adjust to the dark can now confirm that it is the back door that's open like I used to do I slide down the steps on my bum rack it out in front of me in the hall way I momentarily slip on the product of nerves regain control and sneak into the kitchen no one's in the kitchen but the draft from the open door is freezing cold I can't hear any other movement behind me in the other rooms I March up to the door grip the handle and I'm about to close it

now you know when your mind forces you into the stupidest decisions ever yeah well I looked out into the garden a man really tall like 6 8 in or thereabout is standing silhouetted against the street lights beyond my fence close the door lock the door don't sleep the entire night my parents came back to find the urine but that wasn't all they also found a few broken windows upstairs let's just say that they don't leave me on my own anymore and I'm glad of it finally my parents were gone my sister was at her friend's

house for the day and my brother was at summer camp that left me at home alone I was eating some ravioli when I heard a bump upstairs so I went to check I didn't see anything I started eating again and there were no noises for a while then when I was watching TV I heard a bump bump I immediately grabbed a knife and went to check the steps creaked as I went to the second floor as I turned a corner I saw a shadow coming from my brother's room I froze in fear it moved but

I didn't hear anything it got closer closer and then it stopped I dropped the knife and ran as I went out the door I heard you're not home alone I cried and ran to the neighbors telling them there was someone in the house the police found nothing but an open window and the words not Home Alone written all over the walls my parents decided to get a security system and I was never never left home alone again I've tried everything but it follows me everywhere if I'm walking to school and for some reason I turn

onto an empty Street the spirit is behind me when I go to the playground I see the spirit there too if again there is no one there the spirit seems to appear when I'm all alone it can't show its existence to anyone I'm not quite sure why but I've come to that irrefutable conclusion on my way home from school wondering why the teachers didn't show up I walked the gravel roads home and Marvel at the countryside at home my mom is playing hide and go seek I think at least that's what the spirit says on

the rare times it chooses to be nice to me my dad isn't around he left before the spirit even came I'm all alone here the houses in my immediate neighborhood are empty but if I walk the mile or so to the next group of houses I can see kids playing cars driving around so I'm sure this isn't the end of the world I know other people exist it's just the spirit told me never to approach those kids I can look at them smile but only if they don't see me if I smile and they see

me start to come over the spirit looking like ash screams into my ear I'm so lonely though I've only been alone for about 2 weeks but I feel like I been alone for years I stand on top of that Hill overlooking the houses filled with children and buzzing with cars and activity and emotions like love joy jealousy then I sigh and go back home make lunch there's enough food since I can just take some from next door if we need anything I like spaghetti with mushrooms but I try to ration it out because I might

run out of it eventually like I said food is plentiful but specific things aren't always easy to come by when when lunch is cooked and still steaming on the plate I get sick to my stomach the spirit hovers over me aren't you going to ask if your mother wants some the spirit asks a gnawing nausea takes over and I swallow audibly nodding I'll go check I say I remove the bits of clothing from underneath the door the windows are usually open because of the smell my shaking hand turns on the light and I glimpse a

lump of curly brown hair and a pool of red mom would you like some spaghetti nothing but cold Darkness responds I shut the light off sometimes slamming my own arm in the door out of fear before I managed to close it I stuffed the bottom of the door with bits of clothing not just because of the smell but also as another layer of protection as irrational as it sounds the evil spirit looks at me angrily like I didn't do enough I sit down to eat my spaghetti I used to think the spirit killed my mother

but now I realize the spirit is my mother she's not angry because she can't eat she's angry at me because I wasn't here when the force came through my small neighborhood and killed the people living here I was out in the woods playing by myself I've been afraid to come home ever since but I don't have a choice I've peaked into every one of the houses by now there's no dead bodies in them but for some reason there's one in mine it torments me each and every day I come home it doesn't move or anything

but it remains in the bathtub day after day waiting for me to ask if it wants spaghetti I can't sleep at any of the other houses even though no one is around to mind because it feels like a betrayal I'll admit I tried it once and the spirit screamed at me it told me to go home I know there are other kids nearby little more than a mile off I can't interact with them because the spirit gets angry with me it tells me to eat my spaghetti remember to chew or I'll get a belly achee

the house my mother my brother and I lived in for several years until I graduated was never that spooky I lived in well populated area no abandoned houses nearby no weird Legends I can think of there was a lot of gang activity in the area but that's a different kind of scary but somehow once in a while I would randomly just get a creepy feeling when I was home alone as I got older things got a little weirder I'd see spoons rattle on their own hear things fall off their shelves when no one was home

nothing in your face Gary but stuff that made you look twice and just wonder what the hell was that well it was all small stuff until one night when I was 16 I was home alone my mom was at work and my brother was staying at a friend's house I took a shower and I noticed the shower curtain kept moving inward then outward okay that's not very weird could be the a moving it but it kept coming closer each time then faster as if someone kept trying again and again to reach in on the other

side of the curtain I'd back away so it wouldn't touch me but finally the curtain came so far and I swatted at it not sure why and it felt solid like there was someone's hand pushing it inward I was spooked I got out of the shower and as I walked to the bedroom to get dressed I saw someone or something run down the hallway through the kitchen and out the garage which is also weird because the door to the garage was open but I always leave it shut and locked when I'm home alone I get

dressed sit in my room for a while grab my composure and think to myself okay I was just imagining things nothing is out there pull yourself together and walk out to the living room we were redecorating my bedroom so most of my furniture was in the garage and my bed was in the living room I'd be sleeping in direct view of the garage door where I saw this thing earlier run out I turn out the lights except for one small light in the kitchen that's always on and go lay in bed everything is fine for

a few minutes until the garage door swings open again on its own I'm paralyzed with fear I see this person or Spirit or whatever run down the hallway towards the bedrooms then back again to the garage back and forth for several minutes it looked like a male pale skin and dark hair but I couldn't make out a face it never stopped and looked at me just kept moving around finally it makes it back to the garage and shuts the door I never told my mom or brother about this but I wonder if they've ever see

anything like this too I live in a two-story house just your standard detached house in a decent estate yet I can't shake the feeling that recently I'm being watched or that I'm not alone sometimes I live with my family and obviously they laugh it off when I'm home alone and browsing Reddit in my room I sometimes hear little noises nothing major just the sound you hear when you tiptoe through your house and the floor creaks ever so slightly when I go downstairs to investigate stupid right sometimes little things are different or at least I think

they are like sometimes a door is more open than I remember but there is no evidence to suggest that anyone has come into my house it may sound stupid but I have always thought that there could be someone living in my house hiding in crawl spaces living in my attic I thought this as a very young child at the age of five I would always ask my mom to check around the house for a Madman most children are scared of the biman but I'm scared at the prospect of a psychopath living underneath my floorboard s

and right now I'm sitting in my room in my empty house listening to every little noise I hear and I swear I just heard the stairs Creek before my divorce I thought being home alone was so relaxing so freeing a moment in which I didn't need to worry about anyone but me and if I laid on the couch the whole time and left the dirty dishes in the sink till later there was no one to criticize me after my divorce when the kids were at their dad's it just felt lonely not all the time sometimes

it really was nice to just eat chips and do nothing or take an hourong bath with a bath bomb and a good book but today I was feeling lonely I needed friends part of my bedtime routine is to go around the house and pick up any last dishes in trash as I turn the lights off the dogs normally walk with me but tonight night they were in the backyard and hadn't been quite ready to come in as I reached my son's bedroom and reached for the light switch I frowned I had thought I already turned

this one off maybe I was more tired than I thought I flicked the switch picked up a plate off of his bed and moved on after I convinced the dogs to come in I made my way to my own bedroom my son's light was on I had turned that off didn't I My Husky Chloe stood next to me this time ears back flat a low growl sounded from her throat I quietly made my way to my bedroom and grabbed my phone and my gun nine 1.1 keyed in ready to hit the call button Chloe and

I walked through the room joined by my lab Max I checked under the bed as they sniffed Corners we checked the closet together nothing no one I checked the windows still locked Chloe relaxed as we walked back out of the room I flicked off the light I walked through the rest of the house with both dogs by my side it's a small enough house three bedrooms but barely no basement no attic my skin prickled with goosebumps I made sure the doors and the windows were all locked maybe I was losing my mind maybe there was

an electrical issue I would call the electrician if it happened again I brought the dogs into my bedroom and shut and locked the door phone plugged in nearby gun went in the bedside table drawer normally I kept it locked tied in a safe I swear I'm a responsible gun owner but the light thing had me on edge and the kids weren't there I'd felt both relief and loneliness at being home alone before some anger at my ex for putting me in this position fear was new I didn't like it much as I lay in bed

I reassured myself that it was just me being silly the doors and windows were all still locked and I had two dogs who barked if anyone so much as walked past the house if someone was here I would know I needed more sleep that's why I must have forgotten to turn off the light twice I fell asleep with my face to the door I woke up to my dogs barking it took one groggy second to realize that my bedroom door was open it was still Dark Through the Windows but light streamed through the open door

I had nine 1.1 dialed before i' formed my next full thought and I fumbled in my drawer for my gun my heart stopped as I emerged from my bedroom to find every light in the house on I was sobbing on my neighbor's porch when the police car pulled up minutes later my dogs barked from behind her front door as she did her best to comfort me with a blanket and a cup of tea they searched the house but didn't find anyone as kindly as they could they asked if I was on any medications or if

I've been drinking I wasn't and a glass of wine didn't make me sleep walk around my house and turn the lights on they cleared me to go back in but my neighbor offered to let me sleep in her spare room if I wanted and I took her up on it when I went back the next morning it was with a heart that beat too quickly and with dogs who could sense my nerves we reinspected every part of the house but everything seemed fine the lights were still on probably left that way by the police though

it was fine I checked every inch of that house made sure all of the doors and windows were locked and sat on the couch trying to decide what to do next I got a locksmith it was more expensive than I would have liked especially asking them to get there that day but reing all of the doors seemed like a good idea given that someone had entered my house and my locked bedroom door I shivered thinking about it I had one more night alone in the house till next week end I wasn't sure if I felt

worse about being alone or the possibility of someone trying this when my kids were here I decided it was better that I was alone for it I couldn't imagine the added Terror of someone breaking in with my kids when bedtime came I was methodical room by room starting from the furthest point turning off all of the lights I made it to my room and glanced back down the hall the kitchen light was on I had started in the kitchen gun gripped in my hand I took a step back down the hall the light flipped off

I screamed and locked myself in my bedroom as I called the police I spent the night at my neighbors again I called my ex-husband and explained the situation I asked if the kids could stay with him while I figured out what was happening and he agreed in the morning I called an alarm company another expense I didn't need they put sensors on each window and help me install cameras at the front and back door if someone triggered an alarm and I didn't punch in the code they would send someone out at least if whoever was

messing with me tried something the psycho would be caught that night no lights were turned on as I made my way to bed I barely slept waking up from a dream of someone standing over me several times I walked out of my bedroom and the lights were on I called the police who checked the house for the third time in his many days and told me they couldn't find anyone the sensors hadn't been triggered and there was no one on the cameras when I watched them was I doing this maybe I was sleepwalking stress could

make you do that couldn't it that night I triple checked everything the dog slept in my room with the door locked I awoke to the sound of glass shattering my bedroom door was open dogs nowhere in sight light flooded through the door I ran to the kitchen and sto stopped just short of stepping in the floor was covered in glass my cabinets were all open every single glass plate and Bowl were on my floor in pieces I was on the phone with the dispatcher as I looked around frantically for my dogs I heard Chloe bark

and peered out the window into the dark they were outside after the police showed up for the fourth night in a row I cried myself back to sleep in my neighbor's spare bedroom in the morning she helped me clean up the glass and we sat down and watched the security footage together I wasn't sure how whoever was doing this had gotten in now that I had changed the locks and secured the windows but surely they couldn't avoid being on camera as they lured my dogs out of the house and yet there was no one we

went through the footage for both the front and back door no one comes anywhere near my front door we slowed down frame by frame when we got to the point that the dogs went outside the back door opens my lights are already on Chloe appears in the doorway head coocked her ears are up as if she's paying attention to something but she doesn't appear nervous or frightened Max walks up next to her and appears to jump up as if he were greeting someone then both dogs run outside after a minute the back door closes again

I need to move I need to move now I can't live here anymore my neighbor helped me pack it was a halfhazard rush job I stayed with her the next few nights and only packed during the day each morning when I came in all of my lights were on boxes would be overturned I got a nice apartment similar living space size really even if there's no backyard I started moving boxes in at the end of every day I was relieved when everything was moved in I've been in my new apartment for a week and today

when I awoke all of my lights were on when I was 12 we my two brothers my mom and I lived with my grandma my mom wanted to move out and she finally found a house she loved she took us there one day but my older brother and I hated it the moment we saw it it had an awful Vibe and there was something about it that was just scary the realtor took us inside and told my mom that if she wanted it he would give it to her cheaper obviously she asked why and he

explained that it had been broken into multiple times and that someone had actually been shot there this didn't phase her and she ended up getting the house one day she went to pick up my older brother from wrestling practice leaving me home alone with my little brother I was in the living room watching TV and my little brother was in his room playing with Legos all of a sudden I started hearing someone saying my name at first I thought it was on the TV so I muted it I kept hearing my name being called so

I went to check on my little brother he was in his own little world I asked if he was calling for me and he said no I started getting freaked out our house phone had a speaker function so I thought maybe someone had the phone and was saying my name to scare me I walked over to the phone Dock and listened but it stopped so I unplugged it a few minutes later I heard it again someone repeatedly calling my name at this point I was panicking I ran through the house locked all the windows and

doors grabbed my little brother and sat in the living room for a minute to make sure it wasn't him trying to scare me as we sat there it started again and it clearly wasn't coming from my little brother I grabbed him and ran to my mom's room locked her bedroom door grabbed the phone in her room and hid under her bed I was so scared I was balling I called my friend friend's mom my mom didn't have a cell phone at the time she rushed over and brought some cop friends with her they checked the

house inside and out under the house and even in the woods but they found no one I am extremely worried there is a strange man standing in my hallway I am writing this on mobile I will explain why later let's start from the beginning I have lived in this house for about 5 years only me no strange or paranormal experiences at all it really is a peaceful and comfy place I really like it it all started when I got home one night from work at about 900 p.m. I parked my Prius in the garage don't

judge me it has great gas mileage I walked into my home walked through the hallway that leads into my bedroom sat down at my desk and started to browse YouTube I Heard a bang at at around 10: p.m. this was strange I was home alone and did not have any pets I thought someone may have broke into the house well I wasn't wrong I paused the Vsauce video I was watching and tiptoed to my nightstand I kept a knife in the top drawer just for this occasion I slowly opened the drawer and grasped the newly

polished knife I really didn't want to dirty it it looked nice I tiptoed to the door making sure I didn't make any noise on the old wooden floor I looked at the dim antique brass door handle I slowly put my right hand on the handle and turned it the door creaked open and I quickly peaked out of the slightly open door I saw a silhouette it looked like a person I could not make out much of it all I saw was a tall lanky black silhouette standing beyond my hallway it was not taking anything or

doing anything it was just stand there it made it so much more creepy it's standing perfectly still I shut and locked my bedroom door and dashed for my cell phone I dialed 9 1.1 and went back to the door 9 1.1 what is your emergency the operator asked there is a man in my house I whispered okay I going to ask you to lock yourself in a room what your name and the address the operator asked with urgency 1457 redacted drive and my name is Luke I stuttered do you know if the Intruder has any

weapons the operator asked I don't know it was just standing still I said all right a unit is being sent to your location stay calm and stay put may I ask where you are in the house the operator said I'm locked in my bedroom I told the operator all right the unit has arrived at your location they will take it from there stay safe the operator said before hanging up the call as I looked around the only light coming from my laptop screen I could hear the police sirens outside I heard them gain entry into

the house Newcastle sheriff's office if you are here make yourself known one officer shouted I am the owner on the house Luke I shouted all right Luke come out and stay in the living room while we search the house the other officer shouted I guess they did not see him yet I walked toward my door grasped the door knob with my right shaking hand and opened it I saw two officers searching the house I walked and sat down on my couch rubbed my face with my hands and sighed what a great night 20 minutes go

by and the officers come back the house is clear Bud if anything else occurs call 9 1 Point .1 again the officer on the right said all right I said I walked back into my bedroom and sat back down on my laptop continuing my vauce video as I listened to Mitchel talk about the most dangerous place on Earth I heard Footsteps in the hallway I paused my video once again and opened the door there it was standing there but closer even with it in some light this thing was still a silhouette it looked like the

air around it was orbiting it I looked away to grab my phone and I went back to the door it came closer the closer it came the faster the air orbited around it and the more rotten the smell around me came I guess when you look away from it the closer it comes after a few more nine 1.1 calls the sheriff's office told me that if I call again I will go to jail all of this was 2 days ago I have moved my chair from my desk to my door frame staring at this thing

I have survived off of the accumulated water bottles on my nightstand I guess it was good I didn't throw those away the smell is getting unbearable and I am about to run out of water and I have not eaten in 2 days I am afraid what it will do to me if I go out of my bedroom staring at this thing for 2 days straight is driving me insane I am starting to have hallucinations from the sleep deprivation I am also AF afraid if I fall asleep will I ever wake up again this may sound

crazy but I need your help please if any of y all live in Newcastle Texas please help if you don't please tell me what this thing may be and what it will do to me I have no one please help I was 18 years old and I was alone at home with my mother since my dad worked abroad BR one night I told my mom I'm going to take a shower she was sitting in the living room watching the TV as I'm showering I hear a loud knock on the door I asked yeah thinking my

mother wants to fetch something from the bathroom but no answer came then a couple of seconds later came another four knocks this time quieter I again asked what's up but nothing I put a towel on me unlocked the door and opened it there was no one there suddenly my mom comes from the living room and asks what's the problem I asked her why were you knocking she said me I came here because you were knocking at the door and shouting I thought that you got stuck inside I looked at her dead serious in the eye

and said that I wasn't knocking we stood there confused and told each other what we heard and how we experienced it and we both experienced the same a very loud and clean knock at first and a quieter after that one other thing that was interesting that the lights in the hall that joins the living room and the bathroom were off whereas I clearly did not turn them off because the switch is closer to the living room and I wouldn't be able to see if I were to leave it off on my way to bathroom we

were both very terrified and decided to sleep together for the night and that actually stayed that way a week before we went to sleep we even agreed that sometimes during the night we can hear carpet noises in the hall like someone is crossing there with socks to this day I get chills thinking about it I am so happy none of us lives in that house anymore edit the worst thing is owning a cat eye a house like this my cat who was sleeping with me would often just jump up and stare into the door and

would go up to it and asking me to let him out after I open the door he wouldn't immediately leave he would be staring into the dark abyss of the hall looking around with hyped up stance he would then go out inspect the room calm down and come back I was looking if it is some bug that he's hearing or something that is more sensitive for him than for humans but I just never found any explanation for his behavior funny thing is that he wouldn't react to the clear carpet noises I guess he's used to

that because we walk on the carpet too then what is he hearing or seeing I'm trying to understand if I'm going insane or if there's a ghost in my apartment I'm home alone most days since my boyfriend is always at work and I'm used to it I'm never paranoid about being home alone however today I was in the bathroom when I heard my cabinets opening and closing I also heard heavy footsteps and felt the vibrations as someone walked across my floor I have envelopes lying on the ground near the door and I heard them crunch

under someone's feet I'm on the top floor so I never hear or feel anyone else's footsteps except for my boyfriend's when he is home it sounded like someone wearing boots was walking around my kitchen and living room it's a small apartment so I hear everything I panicked and decided to call nine 1.1 because the footsteps did not stop once they arrived no one was here the door was locked just as I had left it and there were no signs of forced entry my cabinets were indeed slightly open and I never leave them that way all

of my things were still in the same spot I left them no one else in the apartment building was home the other two occupants were both at work so the footsteps couldn't have possibly come from anyone else there was absolutely no sign of someone else being here with me besides the slightly open cabinets I'm not a person who gets paranoid from a few strange noises while home alone but this sounded way too much like someone was here with me was it a Hungry Ghost was I paranoid for some reason did someone break in for no

reason lock the door and leave I'm so confused I female 17 had experienced some possibly paranormal stuff in my house leading up to this point and this experience shouldn't have been as scary as it was since worse has happened for some reason I was particularly shaken by it that night my parents had gone out of town over the summer so my brother male 19 and I were staying in our house alone my brother was out late that night and I had decided to sleep in my parents' room for some reason I had turned all the

lights off and was ready to go to sleep when my friend called me I proceeded to talk to her with all the lights off suddenly the TV turned on to a blank screen I kept talking and then the Amazon Fire TV home screen came up and started moving slowly I told my friend I had to go and hung up I turned the lights on because I was freaked out my two dogs were in the bed so I started looking under them assuming they were on top of the remotes then I looked at the side table

and both remotes were laid perfectly flat face up with nothing around them at this point I texted my brother asking him when he was coming home and fled to my own room I couldn't sleep because I had to have all the lights on due to this odd fear that had come over me this was about a year ago and I asked my dad today if he had the remotes to that TV on his phone somehow he told me that he did not have those remotes on his phone without knowing the context of the story I

also don't think it would be that funny of a prank from any of my family since none of them got to see my reaction let me know if you have any ideas as to what happened before we bought our house the previous owner which we knew died of the same thing that causes mad cow disease well we were just two days in our new house and my husband was already gone for work it was just me two dogs and the two babies and we were all still sleeping all the external doors had at sensors on

them and would go off if the door opens next thing I hear is the door slam so loud it woke me up and the alarm went off the dogs were going nuts and I was afraid of an intruder but who slams doors I go around and there was no one there and all the doors were locked it turned out it was the day before the previous owner's birthday so it's not quite unexplainable anymore but a couple of years ago I was about 15 my parents went out of town on an overnight trip to take my

brother to a specialist doctor in the city leaving me home alone I took the opportunity to stay up all night and play video games around 3:00 a.m. I heard my neighbor dogs go absolutely mental I don't know what breed they were but they were huge they'd stand on their hind legs and watch me over the neighbor 6 feet fence when I walked home from school every day they just started going nuts for no apparent reason it lasted maybe 60 seconds and I just thought whatever and went back to my game very shortly after I heard

the sound of my front gate opening it's a really loud and distinctive sound of course I freaked out ran around the house looking through all the windows for an intruder turned all the lights and TVs on so they'd think the house was more occupied than it was and ended up sitting out in the lounge room with my own dog until the sun came up I figured that no one would be dumb enough to try breaking in at 8:00 p.m. so I went outside and had a look around the yard there were no no Intruders but

the fence separating my house from my neighbors had massive bloody handprints all over it I was so spooked I called my parents who in turn called the cops it turns out my neighbor's side of the fence also had the bloody handprints apparently a bloke tried to break into my neighbor's house he was also out of town for the evening but was thwarted by his dogs who ripped into the Intruder realizing his mistake he climbed the fence over to my house and made his Escape by limping straight through my front gate and yes they did catch

him when he turned up at the hospital a couple of days later with some slightly infected and very suspicious looking dog bites I went home for Christmas it was the first time in several years that all of my siblings and I were going to be together under the same roof we're in our 30s now so whatever things we couldn't stand about each other when we were growing up have grown into other things about each other that we can't stand I couldn't stand them weightlifting or distance running or playing soccer or getting drunk on Friday nights

they couldn't stand me playing my guitar everywhere I went why don't you go play that stupid thing in the basement they'd say so I would I picked up the guitar so that I could meet girls only I was 15 acne riddled awkward average and accidentally picked up the base in dead a girl I was trying to impress asked me if it was a beginner's guitar because it only had four strings if that's indication as to how my attempt at winning over women went but I was bitten by the music bug there was nothing I could

do about it I dreamed of being a musician of touring the country in a van bouncing from state to state and playing to 38 people in Dayton Ohio and feeling like the most important person in the room of having a room full of guitar when you grew up because that's what you do when you're 15 I joined a band I bounced around a van every time it was my turn to pick a movie to watch in the van my band members would groan because I would always choose Army of Darkness there were fights with other

bands jaw-dropping moments when a band 100 times better than mine played before mine sleeping in a haunted house refusing to enter an apartment in Brooklyn because someone had scrawled you're dead on the the outer door and realizing that the White Stripes somehow ended up at your show One Night in Nashville and actually bed their heads along to your music there was the label dropping your band because you only sold 3,000 copies of your record there was the band breakup which was worse than the time my now ex-girlfriend cheated on me twice there was the reunion

show that people surprisingly showed up for so I did the semi- sensible thing I stopped playing guitar for a living I grew up got a real job bought a house relegated myself to playing songs on my couch in front of my TV while watching reruns of Futurama and cops but there was a room full of guitars when I grew up too a dream that took almost 20 years to realize I came home from out of state a couple of days after Christmas and someone had broken into my house my TV gone my MacBook gone my

spare car keep e gone every musical instrument I've owned since I was 15 gone my dream of having a room full of musical instruments that brought me so much joy since the even before that woman asked me if I was a beginner was empty this hurt the worst this was every good show bad show good record bad record good fight bad fight Good Tour Bad Tour and free beer all rolled into one this was worse than the girl that cheated on me twice this was worse than the girl who said it's not there for me

this was worse than the bartender who told us we weren't good enough this was worse than the guy in New York telling me to just quit that room is hollow now someone stole every guitar I own thanks for listening if you like our work do subscribe because your support helps us keep this channel alive