3 Terrifying TRUE Night Walk Horror Stories — Transcript

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1. 0:13When I was in high school, my parents
2. 0:15were overbearing.
3. 0:17Not bad parents by any means. They were
4. 0:19loving and somewhat supportive.
5. 0:21They just unfortunately held the leash a
6. 0:23little too tightly.
7. 0:25They were strict and overprotective.
8. 0:28The way I chose to rebel against that
9. 0:29was by sneaking out at night.
10. 0:32Which sounds a lot worse than it
11. 0:33actually was in my case.
12. 0:35I wouldn't sneak out and do anything
13. 0:36illegal or harmful.
14. 0:38I wouldn't even meet up with friends.
15. 0:40I would literally just sneak out and go
16. 0:42for these long walks at night by myself.
17. 0:45At first, it was just something I did
18. 0:47for freedom.
19. 0:48A way to separate from my parents
20. 0:50without them knowing.
21. 0:52My mom was such a nervous person [music]
22. 0:53back then.
23. 0:54If she had found out that I was sneaking
24. 0:56out almost nightly, she would have
25. 0:58probably had a heart attack.
26. 1:00I feel like I also need to clarify
27. 1:02something.
28. 1:03Back when I was in high school, the
29. 1:04internet was relatively newish.
30. 1:07We didn't have this oversaturation of
31. 1:08terrible news.
32. 1:10In my small town, unless you watch the
33. 1:12nightly news, you really didn't have
34. 1:14your finger on the pulse of what was
35. 1:15happening in the world.
36. 1:17As a result, I grew up quite ignorant in
37. 1:19those days.
38. 1:21The area I lived in was quiet, desolate,
39. 1:23and rarely had any crime.
40. 1:25So, sneaking out and walking around
41. 1:27alone in the middle of the night was not
42. 1:28something that terrified me or made me
43. 1:30feel any type of way.
44. 1:32When you grow up as sheltered as I did
45. 1:34in an area like mine, you just aren't
46. 1:36aware of all the horrible things that
47. 1:37can happen to you when you're alone.
48. 1:39This is how I found myself in one of the
49. 1:41most horrifying situations I've ever
50. 1:43been in.
51. 1:45It was a Friday night, so I snuck out a
52. 1:46bit later than I would have if it were a
53. 1:48school night.
54. 1:49I don't know the exact time, but I know
55. 1:51for sure it was after 1:00 in the
56. 1:52morning.
57. 1:54That was always my favorite time to
58. 1:55sneak out because it was so quiet
59. 1:56outside.
60. 1:58You could hear all the sounds of nature
61. 1:59at night that you couldn't hear during
62. 2:00the day.
63. 2:02On the one road that I was walking down,
64. 2:04there were houses on my left and a
65. 2:06heavily wooded area on my right.
66. 2:08As I was walking down the road, I heard
67. 2:10something coming from the trees.
68. 2:13It didn't sound like the wind or any
69. 2:14other sound I was accustomed to hearing
70. 2:16at night.
71. 2:17I stopped walking and looked at the
72. 2:19trees, but I didn't see anything. It was
73. 2:21too dark to see anything except trees.
74. 2:24Just when I was going to start walking,
75. 2:26I heard a voice come from the trees.
76. 2:28I didn't answer.
77. 2:30I know I said I was ignorant, but that
78. 2:32doesn't mean I was stupid enough to not
79. 2:33know the most important rule of them
80. 2:35all. Don't talk to strangers.
81. 2:38While I was just standing there trying
82. 2:39to figure out exactly where the voice
83. 2:41was coming from,
84. 2:42I heard it again.
85. 2:44I don't think I would say I was freaked
86. 2:45out just yet, but I didn't feel great
87. 2:47about the voice coming from the tree
88. 2:48line.
89. 2:50I was about to walk away when the voice
90. 2:52spoke up again.
91. 2:53But this time, it sounded more frantic,
92. 2:55almost nervous.
93. 2:57The voice said,
94. 2:58"Hey, can you please help me for a
95. 2:59second?"
96. 3:01I know this is stupid, but I started
97. 3:03making my way over to the trees.
98. 3:05I was naive, and not to mention, the
99. 3:07last time the voice spoke, it sounded
100. 3:09like it might have been in trouble.
101. 3:11I was taking it real slow as I walked
102. 3:13closer to the trees.
103. 3:15I shouted in the direction of the voice
104. 3:17that I didn't see them yet.
105. 3:19I kept creeping closer to the trees
106. 3:21until I was standing at the tip of the
107. 3:22tree line.
108. 3:24I heard the voice much [music] clearer
109. 3:25now.
110. 3:27They said, "Just a little further up. I
111. 3:29could really use a hand."
112. 3:31I was looking in every direction, but I
113. 3:32still couldn't see a person. Nothing but
114. 3:35trees in the dark.
115. 3:37Every time I thought I saw something,
116. 3:39when I would focus my eyes, it turned
117. 3:40out to just be a tree or a branch.
118. 3:43While I was standing there scanning the
119. 3:44dark forest, all I could focus on was
120. 3:47this rancid smell.
121. 3:49It smelled like a dead animal.
122. 3:51I remember thinking to myself that maybe
123. 3:53this person had an unfortunate encounter
124. 3:55with an animal and he had to defend
125. 3:56himself, hence the smell of a dead
126. 3:58animal.
127. 3:59However, I didn't see a dead animal
128. 4:01either.
129. 4:03I decided to call out to the person
130. 4:04again, but this time there wasn't an
131. 4:06answer.
132. 4:08The quietness was almost scary.
133. 4:11Usually you could hear the wind blowing
134. 4:12through the trees, crickets, and a ton
135. 4:14of other sounds in the forest at night,
136. 4:16but it was dead quiet.
137. 4:19I waited about 20 seconds and then I
138. 4:20called out again, this time a little
139. 4:22louder.
140. 4:24Immediately they responded and the voice
141. 4:26was much deeper and sounded almost
142. 4:28sinister.
143. 4:30It said,
144. 4:31>> "No."
145. 4:32>> I was confused at first. I just didn't
146. 4:35have enough time to even form an opinion
147. 4:36of what was happening.
148. 4:38Before I could even act,
149. 4:39>> [music]
150. 4:39>> the voice spoke again
151. 4:41and this time it sounded even more upset
152. 4:43as it screamed,
153. 4:45>> "Leave."
154. 4:47>> I wasn't sure what was going on.
155. 4:49I still didn't see anything even after
156. 4:50the voice screamed at me.
157. 4:52The voice was clearly coming from the
158. 4:54direction I was facing, but nothing
159. 4:55could be seen except trees.
160. 4:58I mean, it sounded like whatever was
161. 4:59talking to me was literally right in
162. 5:00front of me even though nothing was
163. 5:02there.
164. 5:03I was sure that this was someone messing
165. 5:05with me somehow, but I wasn't going to
166. 5:07stick around and find out.
167. 5:09I turned around and started heading back
168. 5:10toward my house.
169. 5:12I wouldn't say I was running, but I was
170. 5:13moving with some pep in my step.
171. 5:16While I was walking back to my house,
172. 5:18I thought I saw something out of the
173. 5:19corner of my eye.
174. 5:21When I turned around, I didn't see
175. 5:23anything.
176. 5:24Having that weird encounter in the trees
177. 5:26had me feeling on edge.
178. 5:28I started moving a little faster now.
179. 5:30I was almost running.
180. 5:32It was about 2 minutes later and I could
181. 5:34clearly hear someone or something behind
182. 5:36me.
183. 5:37Every time I would turn around, nothing
184. 5:39would be there.
185. 5:40Then I started to sprint.
186. 5:42I wasn't playing around anymore. I knew
187. 5:44something wasn't right.
188. 5:46When I got to the end of the street that
189. 5:47I was currently sprinting down, I turned
190. 5:49around one last time.
191. 5:51I still can't fully comprehend what I
192. 5:53saw.
193. 5:54There was a silhouette of a very tall,
194. 5:56strange figure standing in the middle of
195. 5:58the street.
196. 5:59It was too dark to see any features.
197. 6:02All I could see was the unnatural
198. 6:03looking shape of the figure.
199. 6:06I had been looking back every few
200. 6:07seconds while I was sprinting down the
201. 6:08street, and I didn't see anything.
202. 6:11Now, all of a sudden, this person was in
203. 6:14the middle of the road.
204. 6:15I know I should have just turned around
205. 6:17and kept running, but I was so scared
206. 6:19that I felt like I couldn't move.
207. 6:21It was the first time in my life that I
208. 6:23had been that scared.
209. 6:25I was sure that this person or thing was
210. 6:26about to charge at me, but it didn't.
211. 6:29In the brief time that we had this
212. 6:31standoff, I tried to take in every
213. 6:33detail I could.
214. 6:34When I say the figure was tall, I mean
215. 6:37it was extremely tall.
216. 6:39It was also very skinny, which somehow
217. 6:40made this much worse.
218. 6:42Something about the height to weight
219. 6:44ratio just felt unnatural.
220. 6:46Instead of coming after me, it turned
221. 6:48and walked into the woods, disappearing
222. 6:50into the trees.
223. 6:52But the most disturbing part was the way
224. 6:53it looked when it walked away.
225. 6:56It wasn't like a normal person walking.
226. 6:58It was the most unnatural walk I've ever
227. 7:00seen.
228. 7:01Its legs flung out as it took a massive
229. 7:03step.
230. 7:04Once it had fully disappeared into the
231. 7:06trees, I was finally able to move. And
232. 7:08when I did, I ran back to my house as
233. 7:10fast as I could.
234. 7:12Every few seconds, I would turn around
235. 7:14to make sure this thing wasn't chasing
236. 7:15me,
237. 7:16even though it wasn't.
238. 7:18It didn't make me any less scared.
239. 7:20I kid you not, when I got home, I
240. 7:22checked every single window lock in the
241. 7:23house and made sure everything was
242. 7:25sealed shut.
243. 7:27I sat next to my bedroom window and
244. 7:28stared out into the street for the
245. 7:30entire night.
246. 7:31At any moment, I expected to see
247. 7:33whatever that was unnaturally walking
248. 7:35down the street.
249. 7:37I never saw it again.
250. 7:39Not that night or any other night.
251. 7:41That's probably because I never snuck
252. 7:43out ever again after that.
253. 7:45I don't know if it was a prank or
254. 7:46someone who meant me harm.
255. 7:49This happened to me many years ago now,
256. 7:51and I still can't explain it.
257. 7:53In all the years since this happened, I
258. 7:55have never once experienced anything
259. 7:57even remotely like this.
260. 7:59The memory of whatever or whoever that
261. 8:01was walking into the forest is something
262. 8:03that is burned into my head forever.
263. 8:13>> [music]
264. 8:17>> When I was 20, I worked the closing
265. 8:19shift at a grocery store about 2 miles
266. 8:21from my apartment. I usually drove, but
267. 8:24one afternoon my car would not start,
268. 8:25and my roommate dropped me off on his
269. 8:27way to work.
270. 8:28He was supposed to pick me up when my
271. 8:30shift ended, but around 11:00 he texted
272. 8:32me that he had been drinking at a
273. 8:33coworker's house and couldn't drive.
274. 8:36I could have called a cab, but I didn't
275. 8:38want to pay for one when the walk home
276. 8:39took less than 40 minutes.
277. 8:41The route followed a two-lane road
278. 8:43through the edge of town.
279. 8:44There were houses for the first half
280. 8:46mile, then a long section of woods and
281. 8:48undeveloped property before the road
282. 8:50reached my apartment complex.
283. 8:52I had walked it during the day several
284. 8:53times. At night, it was a completely
285. 8:56different story.
286. 8:57There were no streetlights after the
287. 8:58last row of houses.
288. 9:00I turned on the flashlight on my phone
289. 9:02and walked along the shoulder facing
290. 9:03traffic.
291. 9:05It was cold enough that I could see my
292. 9:06breath.
293. 9:08There were no cars and no lights coming
294. 9:09from the houses behind me.
295. 9:12About 10 minutes into the walk, I heard
296. 9:14something moving [music] in the trees on
297. 9:15the opposite side of the road.
298. 9:17It sounded too heavy to be a squirrel,
299. 9:19but deer were common in that area, so I
300. 9:21kept walking.
301. 9:23A few seconds [music] later, I heard it
302. 9:24again.
303. 9:26The sound moved through the leaves at
304. 9:27roughly the same pace I was walking.
305. 9:29[music]
306. 9:30When I stopped, it stopped.
307. 9:32I pointed my flashlight across the road,
308. 9:34but it only reached the first few trees.
309. 9:37I saw nothing between them.
310. 9:39I started walking faster.
311. 9:42The movement continued.
312. 9:43Every few steps, there would be a quick
313. 9:45series of crunches followed by silence.
314. 9:48I figured it was an animal following me
315. 9:50because it was curious.
316. 9:52Then I heard a cough.
317. 9:53>> [laughter]
318. 9:55>> It was quiet and muffled as if whoever
319. 9:57made it had tried to suppress it.
320. 9:59I stopped in the road and aimed my light
321. 10:01into the woods.
322. 10:02I waited for someone to step out or
323. 10:04identify by themselves, but nothing
324. 10:06happened.
325. 10:07I called my roommate and he didn't
326. 10:09answer.
327. 10:10I called again [music] and let it ring
328. 10:12while I kept walking.
329. 10:14I had reached the darkest part of the
330. 10:15route where the road crossed a drainage
331. 10:17channel through the woods.
332. 10:19A concrete culvert ran under the road
333. 10:21and metal guardrails bordered both
334. 10:22shoulders.
335. 10:24I had to pass directly over it.
336. 10:27The noise in the trees stopped as I
337. 10:28approached the guardrail.
338. 10:30I noticed a bicycle lying on its side in
339. 10:32the weeds.
340. 10:33It was an old mountain bike with no
341. 10:35reflectors.
342. 10:36It had been placed far enough away from
343. 10:38the road that a driver probably would
344. 10:39not see it.
345. 10:41I knew then that the person in the woods
346. 10:43had not wandered there by accident.
347. 10:45My roommate finally answered, but he was
348. 10:47drunk and could barely understand what I
349. 10:49was saying.
350. 10:51I told him someone was following me and
351. 10:52asked him to stay on the phone.
352. 10:54He suggested it might be a deer.
353. 10:57While I was trying to explain that I
354. 10:58heard a person cough,
355. 11:00a small rock rolled out from the woods
356. 11:01behind me and struck the pavement.
357. 11:05I turned around.
358. 11:06A man was standing behind the guardrail
359. 11:08about 60 ft away.
360. 11:10I could only see his outline.
361. 11:12He was tall and wearing a hooded
362. 11:13sweatshirt.
363. 11:15He didn't move when my light passed over
364. 11:17him.
365. 11:18I asked what he wanted. He gave no
366. 11:20response.
367. 11:22My roommate heard me and became more
368. 11:23alert.
369. 11:25He told me to run.
370. 11:26I crossed the culvert and [music]
371. 11:27sprinted down the shoulder.
372. 11:29For several seconds, I heard nothing
373. 11:31except my own shoes hitting the
374. 11:32pavement.
375. 11:34Then footsteps began behind me.
376. 11:36They were fast and uneven, coming from
377. 11:38the road rather than the woods.
378. 11:40I looked back and saw the man running
379. 11:42after me.
380. 11:43He wasn't close enough to grab me, but
381. 11:45he was gaining.
382. 11:47I left the road and climbed over the
383. 11:48guardrail on the far side of the
384. 11:49culvert.
385. 11:51There was a steep dirt slope leading
386. 11:52down the drainage channel.
387. 11:55I slid most of the way and landed in
388. 11:56shallow water.
389. 11:58My phone flew out of my hand and went
390. 12:00dark when it hit the rocks.
391. 12:02I could hear my roommate's voice coming
392. 12:03from it,
393. 12:04but I did not stop to pick it up.
394. 12:07The channel continued toward my
395. 12:08apartment complex and was bordered by
396. 12:10thick brush.
397. 12:11I ran through the water hoping the man
398. 12:13would stay on the road.
399. 12:15I made it about 100 yards before the
400. 12:16channel narrowed and became blocked by
401. 12:18fallen branches.
402. 12:20I crawled beneath them and climbed onto
403. 12:21the bank.
404. 12:23There was a large uprooted tree nearby.
405. 12:26The hole where its roots had been formed
406. 12:27a shallow depression in the ground.
407. 12:29I got inside it and pulled dead branches
408. 12:31over myself.
409. 12:33Less than a minute later, I heard
410. 12:35something moving along the channel.
411. 12:37He was no longer running.
412. 12:39He walked slowly through the water,
413. 12:41stopping every few steps.
414. 12:43I could hear him breathing.
415. 12:45He reached the fallen [music] branches
416. 12:46and stood on the other side of them.
417. 12:49The light from his phone moved across
418. 12:50the bank and passed over the tree where
419. 12:52I was hiding.
420. 12:53I pressed my face into the dirt and
421. 12:55tried not to move.
422. 12:56He climbed around the blockage and came
423. 12:58closer.
424. 12:59His shoes scraped over the rocks until
425. 13:01he was only a few feet away.
426. 13:03The light moved across the branches
427. 13:04above my head.
428. 13:06I could see part of his face through a
429. 13:07gap.
430. 13:09He looked older than I expected,
431. 13:11possibly in his 40s.
432. 13:13He had a thin gray beard and a deep cut
433. 13:15or scar running from the corner of his
434. 13:16mouth toward his chin.
435. 13:18He stayed there for almost a minute.
436. 13:20At one point, he crouched down and aimed
437. 13:22the light directly into the depression.
438. 13:25A branch was covering most of my face,
439. 13:26but I was sure he could see me.
440. 13:29His light remained still.
441. 13:31Then it moved away.
442. 13:33He stood and continued along the
443. 13:34channel.
444. 13:35I remained in the dirt until I could no
445. 13:37longer hear him.
446. 13:39I was afraid he had only pretended to
447. 13:40leave, so I waited several more minutes
448. 13:42before crawling out.
449. 13:44I moved uphill through the woods instead
450. 13:46of following the channel.
451. 13:48I could see the glow from my apartment
452. 13:49complex through the trees.
453. 13:51I had nearly reached the rear fence when
454. 13:53another light appeared behind me.
455. 13:56It was moving quickly from side to side.
456. 13:58The man had doubled back.
457. 14:00I ran toward the fence and began
458. 14:01climbing.
459. 14:03It was chain link and about 8 ft tall.
460. 14:06My jacket caught on the wire at the top.
461. 14:08I pulled hard enough to tear it and
462. 14:10dropped onto the other side.
463. 14:12I landed badly and twisted my ankle, but
464. 14:14I kept moving.
465. 14:16The fence enclosed a row of ground-floor
466. 14:18patios.
467. 14:19I banged on the first sliding door I
468. 14:21reached.
469. 14:22The apartment was dark.
470. 14:24I tried the next one and saw a TV on
471. 14:26inside.
472. 14:28A woman opened the curtain and looked at
473. 14:29me.
474. 14:31I pointed toward the fence and begged
475. 14:32her to call the police.
476. 14:34She hesitated, then saw the man standing
477. 14:36among the trees on the other side.
478. 14:39He had turned off his light, but the
479. 14:40security lamps from the complex made him
480. 14:42visible.
481. 14:43He was watching us through the fence.
482. 14:45The woman let me inside and locked the
483. 14:47door.
484. 14:48Her husband called the police while I
485. 14:50watched the tree line.
486. 14:51The man remained there until we heard
487. 14:53sirens approaching.
488. 14:55Then he walked back into the woods.
489. 14:57Officers searched the area with dogs,
490. 14:59but they didn't find him.
491. 15:01They recovered my phone beside the
492. 15:02culvert and found the bicycle in the
493. 15:04weeds. The bike had been reported stolen
494. 15:062 weeks earlier.
495. 15:08One officer found a backpack hidden
496. 15:10beneath the bridge.
497. 15:11Inside were bottles of water, rope, duct
498. 15:14tape, a folding knife, several pairs of
499. 15:17disposable gloves, and a stack of
500. 15:18women's clothing.
501. 15:20Some of the clothing looked old and
502. 15:22dirty, but one sweatshirt was still damp
503. 15:24from [music] being washed.
504. 15:25The police took everything as evidence.
505. 15:27They told me the man may have been
506. 15:29living somewhere in the woods, although
507. 15:30they never found a camp.
508. 15:32No one was arrested.
509. 15:34A few months later, I moved to another
510. 15:36part of town.
511. 15:38I tried to forget about the walk, but
512. 15:39one detail continued to bother me.
513. 15:42When the woman let me into her
514. 15:43apartment, I had looked through the
515. 15:45glass and seen the man at the fence.
516. 15:48He had not been looking at me.
517. 15:50He had been staring at the woman who
518. 15:52opened the door
519. 15:53before he disappeared. He raised one
520. 15:55hand and slowly pointed at her.
521. 15:58About a year later, I saw her husband at
522. 16:00a gas station.
523. 16:02I asked if they still lived in the
524. 16:03apartment. He said they had moved soon
525. 16:05after the incident because someone began
526. 16:07leaving dead animals on their patio.
527. 16:09The first was a bird, the second was a
528. 16:11rabbit, the last was a cat with a strip
529. 16:14of gray fabric tied around its neck.
530. 16:17Her husband didn't know why my
531. 16:18expression changed when he told me that.
532. 16:20I did.
533. 16:22The fabric matched the hooded sweatshirt
534. 16:24that the man had been wearing the night
535. 16:25he followed me.
536. 16:37This happened 5 years ago when I lived
537. 16:38with my parents in a quiet neighborhood
538. 16:40outside Columbus.
539. 16:42I had recently started working from home
540. 16:44and spent most days sitting in my
541. 16:45bedroom.
542. 16:46To get some exercise, I began taking
543. 16:48walks at night.
544. 16:50I preferred going after midnight because
545. 16:52streets were empty and the temperature
546. 16:53was cooler.
547. 16:55My usual route made a large loop through
548. 16:57several connected neighborhoods and took
549. 16:59about an hour.
550. 17:01The area was considered safe.
551. 17:03Most of the houses were newer with small
552. 17:05yards and video doorbells.
553. 17:07I never carried anything for protection
554. 17:09because I was rarely more than 15
555. 17:10minutes from home.
556. 17:12One Friday night, I left around 12:30.
557. 17:15It had rained earlier and the streets
558. 17:17were still wet.
559. 17:18Fog had settled over the lowest parts of
560. 17:20the neighborhood.
561. 17:22I was about halfway through the loop
562. 17:23when I noticed a white cargo van parked
563. 17:25beside some playgrounds.
564. 17:28It was facing the wrong direction and
565. 17:29had no lights on.
566. 17:31I had seen work vans parked around the
567. 17:33neighborhood before, so I didn't think
568. 17:35much of it until I passed the driver's
569. 17:37side.
570. 17:38Someone was sitting behind the wheel.
571. 17:40The interior was dark, but I could see
572. 17:42the red tip of a cigarette near the
573. 17:44person's face.
574. 17:46I kept walking without looking directly
575. 17:47at him.
576. 17:49When I reached the end of the block, I
577. 17:50heard an engine start.
578. 17:52The van pulled away from the playground
579. 17:54and drove past me.
580. 17:56It continued through the intersection
581. 17:57and disappeared around a curve.
582. 18:00I assumed the driver had been waiting
583. 18:01for someone.
584. 18:03A few minutes later, I saw the van
585. 18:05again.
586. 18:06It was parked on a side street ahead of
587. 18:08me with its lights off.
588. 18:10This time, the driver's door was open.
589. 18:13I crossed the road and [music] turned
590. 18:14down another street before reaching it.
591. 18:16I walked quickly, but tried not to run.
592. 18:19I could hear an engine idling behind the
593. 18:21houses,
594. 18:22though I could not tell if it was the
595. 18:23same van. [music]
596. 18:25I took out my phone and called my
597. 18:26father.
598. 18:27He was asleep and didn't answer.
599. 18:30I considered calling the police, but all
600. 18:32I could report was a suspicious van that
601. 18:33had passed [music] me once.
602. 18:35I decided to shorten my route and head
603. 18:37directly home.
604. 18:39The fastest [music] way back was through
605. 18:40a narrow paved path that connected two
606. 18:42dead-end streets.
607. 18:44The path ran between wooden privacy
608. 18:46fences and was about 200 yards long.
609. 18:49There were no lights along it.
610. 18:51I had used it a dozen times, but as soon
611. 18:53as I entered, I regretted it.
612. 18:56The fences were too high to climb
613. 18:58quickly, and the path was only wide
614. 18:59enough for two people to walk side by
615. 19:01side.
616. 19:03I turned on my phone's flashlight.
617. 19:05About halfway through, I heard the faint
618. 19:07squeak of a gate behind me.
619. 19:09I looked back and saw the beam of
620. 19:11another light enter the path.
621. 19:13It was far enough away that I could not
622. 19:15see who [music] was holding it.
623. 19:17I picked up my pace.
624. 19:18The light began moving faster. Whoever
625. 19:20was behind me did not call out or tell
626. 19:22me to stop.
627. 19:24I reached the far end of the path and
628. 19:25ran into the next street.
629. 19:27Several houses [music] had porch lights
630. 19:29on, but every window was dark.
631. 19:32I looked back and saw a man step out
632. 19:34from between the fences. [music]
633. 19:36He wore dark pants and a light-colored
634. 19:38jacket.
635. 19:39He stopped when he realized I was
636. 19:41watching him.
637. 19:42I asked if he needed something.
638. 19:44He tilted his head slightly but said
639. 19:46nothing.
640. 19:47Then he took one step toward me.
641. 19:50I ran.
642. 19:51My house was eight blocks away.
643. 19:53>> [music]
644. 19:53>> I cut across front lawns and checked
645. 19:55behind me whenever I reached a street
646. 19:56light.
647. 19:57I did not see the man again, but I could
648. 19:59hear a vehicle moving slowly on the
649. 20:00parallel roads.
650. 20:02I took several turns and entered my
651. 20:04neighborhood from the opposite side.
652. 20:06By then, I had convinced myself I had
653. 20:08lost him.
654. 20:10I reached my house at 1:20 in the
655. 20:12morning.
656. 20:13The porch light was off and my parents'
657. 20:15bedroom windows were dark.
658. 20:17I unlocked the front door and went
659. 20:18inside.
660. 20:20Our dog Murphy was standing in the
661. 20:21hallway.
662. 20:23He was normally excited when anyone came
663. 20:24home, but he did not approach me.
664. 20:27His body was stiff and he was staring
665. 20:29toward the kitchen.
666. 20:31I assumed he had heard an animal
667. 20:32outside.
668. 20:34I locked the door behind me and checked
669. 20:35the rooms on the first floor.
670. 20:37Everything seemed normal.
671. 20:39When I entered the kitchen, I noticed
672. 20:41the door leading into the garage was
673. 20:43open a few inches.
674. 20:45My parents always kept it closed because
675. 20:46the hinges squeaked whenever it moved.
676. 20:49I pushed it shut and checked the lock.
677. 20:52It had not been locked.
678. 20:54I blamed my father who had taken the
679. 20:55trash out earlier that evening.
680. 20:58I went upstairs, changed clothes, and
681. 21:00got into bed.
682. 21:01Murphy followed me but remained near the
683. 21:03bedroom door.
684. 21:05Around 20 minutes later, I heard the
685. 21:07garage door squeak.
686. 21:18Murphy stirred and growled.
687. 21:21I grabbed my phone and locked my bedroom
688. 21:22door.
689. 21:24I called my father. His room was on the
690. 21:26other side of the hall, and I did not
691. 21:28want to shout if someone was downstairs.
692. 21:31He answered after several rings.
693. 21:33I told him I thought someone had entered
694. 21:35the house through the garage. He said he
695. 21:37would check.
696. 21:38Murphy continued growling.
697. 21:41My father reached the first floor and
698. 21:42switched on the hallway light.
699. 21:44A few seconds later, he called up that
700. 21:46the garage door was open again.
701. 21:49He closed it and locked it, then
702. 21:51searched the garage.
703. 21:53No one was there.
704. 21:54He checked the large overhead door and
705. 21:56found it partially raised, leaving a gap
706. 21:58of about a foot at the bottom.
707. 22:00He closed it and blamed a faulty sensor.
708. 22:03I told him about the van and the man who
709. 22:05had followed me.
710. 22:07He became concerned and called the
711. 22:08non-emergency police number.
712. 22:10While he was speaking to the dispatcher,
713. 22:13I looked out my bedroom window.
714. 22:15A white cargo van was parked three
715. 22:17houses down. Its lights were off.
716. 22:20I told my father, and he relayed the
717. 22:22information.
718. 22:23An officer was sent to our street.
719. 22:25Before the police arrived, the van began
720. 22:27moving.
721. 22:29It passed our house slowly.
722. 22:31As it went under a street light, I saw
723. 22:33that the driver's window was down.
724. 22:35The man behind the wheel was looking up
725. 22:37at my bedroom.
726. 22:38I stepped away from the window.
727. 22:40The van turned at the end of the street,
728. 22:42and it didn't return.
729. 22:45The officer arrived 10 minutes later and
730. 22:47searched around the property.
731. 22:48He found muddy shoe prints beside the
732. 22:50garage and a fresh scrape near the
733. 22:51bottom of the overhead door.
734. 22:54Someone had used a tool to lift it high
735. 22:55enough to crawl underneath.
736. 22:57The officer believed the person had
737. 22:59entered the garage before I got home and
738. 23:01had been inside when I walked into the
739. 23:02house.
740. 23:04That explained why Murphy had been
741. 23:05staring toward the kitchen and why the
742. 23:07door was already open.
743. 23:08The intruder must have hidden behind one
744. 23:10of the cars or storage shelves while I
745. 23:12checked the garage entrance.
746. 23:14He probably waited until I went
747. 23:15upstairs, then opened the interior door
748. 23:18to enter the house.
749. 23:19When he heard my father coming down,
750. 23:21he escaped through the garage.
751. 23:23The officer took a report, but we had no
752. 23:25cameras and could not provide a license
753. 23:27plate.
754. 23:28My parents installed an alarm system the
755. 23:30next day.
756. 23:31I stopped walking at night.
757. 23:33For several weeks, nothing else
758. 23:35happened.
759. 23:36Then my mother found a phone beneath a
760. 23:38hedge beside our driveway.
761. 23:40It was an old prepaid phone wrapped in a
762. 23:41plastic bag.
763. 23:43The battery was dead.
764. 23:45The police charged it and found that
765. 23:47almost everything had been deleted.
766. 23:49There were no contacts, messages, or
767. 23:51internet history.
768. 23:52The photo gallery contained 11 pictures.
769. 23:55The first six were photographs of me
770. 23:57taken during different night walks.
771. 24:00Some had been taken from inside a
772. 24:01vehicle. One showed me passing the
773. 24:03playground where the van had been
774. 24:04parked.
775. 24:06Another showed me entering the narrow
776. 24:07path between the fences.
777. 24:09The last five photographs were of our
778. 24:11house.
779. 24:13Two were taken from across the street.
780. 24:15Three were taken from our backyard.
781. 24:17The most recent picture showed the
782. 24:18kitchen door leading into the garage.
783. 24:21According to the timestamp, it had been
784. 24:23taken four nights before I noticed the
785. 24:25van.
786. 24:27The police checked reports from
787. 24:28surrounding neighborhoods and found
788. 24:29several complaints about a white cargo
789. 24:31van, but none included a license plate.
790. 24:34They were unable to identify the owner
791. 24:36of the phone.
792. 24:38My parents sold the house the following
793. 24:39spring.
794. 24:40On the day we moved, I helped my father
795. 24:43clear out the garage.
796. 24:44Behind a metal shelving unit, we found a
797. 24:47small circular hole drilled through the
798. 24:49wall into the laundry room.
799. 24:51It was positioned at waist height and
800. 24:53hidden on both sides by furniture.
801. 24:56The edge of the hole was clean and the
802. 24:57exposed wood was pale, which meant it
803. 24:59had been drilled recently.
804. 25:02My father thought the intruder had made
805. 25:03it while hiding in the garage, but that
806. 25:05didn't make sense.
807. 25:07He wouldn't have had enough time, and
808. 25:08drilling through the wall would have
809. 25:09made too much noise.
810. 25:11Someone had entered the garage before
811. 25:13that night and spent enough time inside
812. 25:15to choose a hidden location and make the
813. 25:17hole.
814. 25:18The police inspected it, but found no
815. 25:20fingerprints.
816. 25:22After we moved, I tried searching online
817. 25:24for similar incidents.
818. 25:26I found a post in a neighborhood group
819. 25:28written by the woman who bought our
820. 25:29house.
821. 25:30She said her family kept hearing noises
822. 25:32from the garage after midnight.
823. 25:34Tools had been moved. Food had
824. 25:36disappeared from the refrigerator, and
825. 25:38the overhead door was sometimes open in
826. 25:39the morning.
827. 25:40People in the comments blamed animals or
828. 25:42a defective motor.
829. 25:44I contacted her privately and explained
830. 25:46what had happened to us.
831. 25:47She did not respond.
832. 25:49The post was deleted that evening.
833. 25:52Two weeks later,
834. 25:53the house appeared for sale again.
835. 25:56It had been vacant for less than a month
836. 25:57when a fire started in the garage.
837. 26:00Investigators ruled it accidental,
838. 26:02although the electricity had been
839. 26:03disconnected and there were no vehicles
840. 26:05inside.
841. 26:06The house was repaired and eventually
842. 26:08sold to another family.
843. 26:10I sometimes look at it on street view
844. 26:12websites.
845. 26:14I'm not sure if it's still vacant or
846. 26:15not.