32 Stories From Internet Strangers That Will Have You Looking Over Your Shoulder Constantly

31. CJ_Guns

One evening I went on a walk with my father. We meant to just go around the neighborhood, but decided to go to a nearby college campus (Vassar) and walk. In one corner of my development there is a service road that leads to the campus through some deep woods. We made it there fine and with daylight to go, and wandered around looking at the architecture of the buildings and whatnot.

Daylight was dwindling, so we decided to start heading home. We could have taking the roundabout way that was completely lit, but decided to cut back the way we came in. As we approached the beginning of the road, it was almost completely dark. Neither of us had any light source either. (I was 13, didn’t have a cellphone yet or anything.) Luckily it was a clear night so the moonlight lit the path a bit.

As we were walking through the woods, I was understandably a little creeped out, but I had my father with me. About half way through, we heard motion behind us. We stopped and looked back, there was nothing there. Walking again, we heard the same sort of motion, and stopped a second time.

We turned around and saw a shadowy figure in the faint moonlight. You could tell he was large in stature, but couldn’t make out any details in the face. Perhaps thinking it was just a fellow wanderlust, my dad spoke an assertive “Hello.” The man didn’t move. After a few seconds, my dad yelled “HEY!”; once again, no movement.

I was witnessing the stuff of nightmares..and was particularly vulnerable at the time as one of my best friends had just committed suicide.

My father turned his attention to the ground around us, and picked up a hefty stone. He whispered to me “____, if anything happens, I want you to run.” His voice had that shit-is-serious tone to it. I was so scared, and that sentence is still as poignant in my mind as it was then.

The standoff lasted but a few moments more, and the shadowy man turned and started walking the other direction…never speaking a word. All the way home my dad was walking backwards making sure we weren’t being followed. I love my dad.

32. zersch

My friend and I were at the mall with my mother. Like every good parent she was in one place and we were roaming around the food court. After tossing back some Chick-fil-A (hey, it’s not Sunday, is it?) we wandered back a winding hall towards the restrooms and the payphones. As we got to the end of the hall one of the phones rang and for whatever reason, I picked up the receiver. The guy on the other end asked me if I would kill him. He offered me an amount of money I no longer remember and said if I agreed to come meet him at the exit to the Mall. I flake at that point and push the phone off on to my friend. He repeats the offer to my friend and he hangs the phone up. We looked at each other and silently tracked down my mother and didn’t leave her sight for the remainder of the night. I never answered another ringing payphone. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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