10x10: Campus Creep - Let's Not Meet

[00:00:00] This podcast contains adult language and content. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. Enjoy the show. My name is Andrew Tate and this is Season 10, Episode 10 of Lets Not Meet, A True Horror Podcast.

[00:00:49] Much to the dismay of my parents, I was one of those girls who selected her college based on where her high school boyfriend was going so she could be with him forever.

[00:01:00] It didn't help that I was and still am very shy and had no other friends when freshman year started. I asked the only other girl in my orientation group to be my roommate. While she was nice, we didn't have anything in common and she eventually found her own

[00:01:17] friend group with whom she spent most of her time. So for the first few weeks of college, I went to class and then hung out in my boyfriend's dorm playing online video games with him and his roommate all night. My sleep schedule was complicated.

[00:01:35] Little did I know, I was about to meet my best friend in one of the weirdest ways I could ever imagine. It was time for my evening history class and I was making my way across campus toward the history building.

[00:01:49] I noticed a guy heading towards the entrance as I approached the door. He was holding a silver bike helmet tucked under his right arm. Just as I got there, he did as well and he graciously opened the door for me with his right hand.

[00:02:06] As I thanked him and stepped inside, I felt something ever so slightly push against my behind. I brushed it off as an accident and I didn't think much of it. I wasn't sure what I had just experienced so I hurried up the stairs to class.

[00:02:21] The path I took to class meant I had to walk between the science building on my left and the mathematics building on my right. Once I passed those two buildings, a brick path led straight to the back entrance of

[00:02:34] the history building with a grassy area on either side. The next time I was on my way to history class, I was walking up to the science building when I saw a shadowy figure leaving the mathematics building.

[00:02:49] The figure turned and started to walk in the same direction, putting them on the same path as me 30 feet ahead. I noticed that they were carrying something silver and quickly realized it was that bike helmet, meaning that it was that same guy I had seen before.

[00:03:07] I had my full attention on the guy this time because we were the only two people on the path and I was still unsure of what had happened the last time he was near me.

[00:03:16] I noticed he turned his head to glance back at me and my blood ran cold, I could sense that something was up. After passing the science building, the guy took a sharp left turn onto the grass and circled back toward me.

[00:03:33] He backtracked so he would be behind me. I hoped he had forgotten something and was heading back to get it, my heart sank as he passed me, only to return to the path.

[00:03:45] I was afraid that he was going to try something, I was confused about why he had so blatantly rerouted himself right in front of me. I didn't want to find out what he had planned so I booked it, I ran the remaining distance

[00:03:59] to the door and charged up the stairs, I felt a wave of relief as I stepped into class. That was it for me, I told my boyfriend about this creep with the silver helmet and asked him to walk me to class next time.

[00:04:12] He agreed and the following night I had history class again so my boyfriend came with me. We were nearing the science building and to my shock and bewilderment, the guy was there. Then I recognized the silver bike helmet and pointed the guy out to my boyfriend.

[00:04:30] He was already on the path by the grass about 100 feet away, this time he had chosen another girl to follow. I watched in horror as the girl reached the entrance and the guy swooped behind her and grabbed the door with his right hand.

[00:04:47] She thanked him and stepped inside. Then I saw him quickly and purposefully touch her butt with his left hand. We were too far away to do anything and before we made it to the entrance ourselves, he darted away quickly into the dark.

[00:05:04] This was a time when phones were not yet capable of recording audio, filming or taking photos in case you're wondering why we didn't immediately start filming this guy as soon as I recognized him. My boyfriend and I were both disgusted and surprised at what we had just witnessed.

[00:05:20] I was thankful that I had listened to my gut and felt validated that my suspicions were justified and this guy was verified a creep. I said goodbye to my boyfriend and he told me he'd return to walk with me after class.

[00:05:33] I felt so violated by that creepy guy with the bike helmet, I wanted to do something. Unfortunately, being awkward and shy has limitations and I wasn't comfortable going to campus police. As I walked into class, I saw a girl.

[00:05:52] I took my seat as the professor was about to start class. I built up the confidence to talk to the girl during the lesson. When class ended, I hurriedly walked up to her. I told her what I saw. I asked if she wanted to go report it.

[00:06:08] She looked surprised and shook her head, saying that she didn't want to. She assumed that he had accidentally bumped into her just like I had. My boyfriend informed me that he managed to find the guy after he dropped me off and watched

[00:06:23] him do the same thing to other girls around campus. My boyfriend being very much like me was not a fan of confrontation. He never said anything to the guy. I felt horrible knowing what had happened to me had happened to others.

[00:06:38] They were all probably assuming it was an accidental bump when in reality it was an intentional thing. The following day, when we were at lunch on campus, I spotted this creepy guy standing near the entrance of a nearby building. He was holding his silver bike helmet as usual.

[00:06:54] I pointed him out to my boyfriend. Luckily, my boyfriend's resident advisor was sitting nearby eating his meal and we rushed over to tell him about the creep. After hearing our story, the RA abruptly stood up, lit his cigarette and charged out of the

[00:07:10] lunchroom making a beeline for the guy's last known location. Fortunately for the creepy guy but unfortunately for everyone else he had mysteriously vanished so nothing came of it. The next time I had history class, I was definitely on edge.

[00:07:27] I was on high alert waiting for the guy to come out of the shadows again. However, to my surprise and relief, the creep was nowhere to be seen. I sat through class, thankful that I didn't have to encounter him and I focused on the lesson.

[00:07:41] After class ended and everyone slowly made their way into the hallway, I ended up right behind the girl from before. We slowly shuffled with the crowd descending the stairs back toward the exit.

[00:07:53] As we stepped off the stairs and turned down the hallway towards the door, I looked up and my heart stopped. At the end of the hallway, he stood right next to the exit pretending to read a newspaper.

[00:08:06] If I weren't so scared, I would have probably questioned why a student would be reading a newspaper while standing in such an awkward place but at that moment, I was just trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get out those doors without incident.

[00:08:18] I saw him peek over the newspaper at the group of students coming his way. That's when this girl looked back at me and our eyes met. I believe at that moment she realized it wasn't an accident.

[00:08:30] Time stood still and my mouth went dry as I slowly shuffled along, fearful of what was to come. I'm now wondering why I didn't just turn around and take another exit but I suppose I thought that he wouldn't do anything with so many people around.

[00:08:45] I was wrong with that assumption. As the girl got about five feet from the guy, he looked up from his newspaper with her now having his full undivided attention. My heartbeat quickened and I watched in horror as the guy folded the newspaper and tucked it under his arm.

[00:09:02] As she stepped closer, she addressed him saying, you go first and gestured for him to walk out the door in front of her. In a quick shift, he darted his arm out between him and the girl and his hand flew towards the lower half of her body.

[00:09:18] She threw her body up against the wall to prevent this action. Her abrupt movement caused his attempt to fail and at that point he realized he no longer needed to be sneaky and he lunged at her.

[00:09:32] Since she had cemented herself to the wall, he had only managed to touch her hip before darting out the exit. I was amazed that he did this with so many people around.

[00:09:44] As soon as I left and looked at the girl, I said, now do you want to go to campus police? She said, hell yes. We made our report to the campus police and thankfully they found the creep a few days later.

[00:10:00] We talked during our walk to campus police. She seemed nice. I told her I didn't know anyone on campus and she invited me to hang out after we made our report. I had to share my experience with the school administration in front of the guy and his

[00:10:16] dad which was very difficult. Still, I knew it was necessary so he wouldn't be able to harass or violate anyone else on campus. Thankfully, he was expelled and I appreciate that the school took action. The girl and I are still very close.

[00:10:30] We became roommates and lived together for three years of undergrad. When I told her I was writing this, she was supportive. To the creepy butt-toucher guy, let's not meet again. It was a hot January night. My parents were having a party at our house.

[00:11:00] Family friends were invited along with their families to this party so adults and children were in attendance. The children and the adults split up and sat in different rooms. The kids hung out in the front lounge while the adults were in the back of the house.

[00:11:17] Since people were coming and going, all of the doors in the house and the front gates were open. With it being so hot, it helped bring in a cool breeze. The kids were sitting in the lounge playing truth or dare.

[00:11:30] My brother who was 17 then was in charge of the music. He has some weird taste in music and was playing a bunch of indie surf songs. While chatting and laughing, I thought somebody yelled, hey bitches.

[00:11:45] Some of the music we listened to had explicit lyrics so I initially thought it was the music. I ignored it and carried on with my conversation. Then there was a massive bang on the front door. We all swung around to see what it was.

[00:12:00] Standing at the front gate was a man wearing a big coat and pants. It was strange because it was so hot. Too hot to be wearing a big coat like that. Being the oldest, I stood first and walked out the open front door.

[00:12:17] I looked down and lying on my deck was a wing mirror which appeared to be ripped off a car. I picked it up and marched towards the man standing at the gate. I'm not one for confrontation and I hate it.

[00:12:33] Despite this, I had been the first to go out and I couldn't back down since I was already walking toward the guy. I had become tunnel visioned and only stared at the man's face.

[00:12:46] He appeared to be only a couple of years older than me but was disheveled with patchy stubble. I stared into his eyes and his pupils, they were huge. He was swaying back and forth on his feet and mumbling something. Obviously high on drugs.

[00:13:04] What the fuck do you think you're doing? I asked. He mumbled incoherently in response. At this point, I was shitting myself. I finally wished I hadn't walked over to this guy that I was now face to face with.

[00:13:20] The other kids had gathered behind me on the front deck and I said, I'm calling the cops. My brother was saying something but I was too busy trying to stay composed so I ignored him.

[00:13:32] The adults who had been in the kitchen heard the bang and were slowly gathering outside behind the kids. Then my mother shouted, he has a knife, come back here now. I didn't even glance at the man's hands to see if this was true.

[00:13:46] I spun around quickly and retreated to safety. My parents took control of the situation and told this man to leave the property. When the man started to leave, my father along with his friend who was a cop followed him.

[00:14:00] Both of my parents are mental health nurses and my father wanted to make sure that he didn't do anything else. They followed him around the village until an armed defense squad came and they arrested him. My father and his friend gave their account of what happened.

[00:14:15] When the armed squad arrested the guy, they found a knife on his person. My mother scolded me for not assessing the situation properly. She told me it could have ended very differently if he were to use that knife.

[00:14:27] I'm so glad it didn't and we all got through it unharmed. But to that creepy guy lingering at the gate, let's not meet again. I'm a mom of two beautiful children. I have a daughter who is 12 and a 5 month old son.

[00:14:59] This particular story focuses on my daughter as I was pregnant with my son when this happened. Every few years, we take a family trip to Florida because my boyfriend has family down there that we like to go and visit.

[00:15:13] Normally it's always a great time with some family drama but we typically enjoy ourselves. This year we decided to go for Christmas and New Years to surprise my boyfriend's family with the news that we were expecting.

[00:15:29] We stayed at his aunt and uncle's because why spend thousands on a hotel? And besides, they had invited us to a Christmas party with some of their friends. My boyfriend's aunt's friends are mostly married to rich men. After we finished dinner, we sat around chatting.

[00:15:46] I noticed one family that consisted of a woman, her son, and an older gentleman who was not the father of the woman's son. This man was insisting that the boy made friends with my daughter.

[00:15:59] The boy seemed very quiet and shy but you may put those pieces together as to why by the end of this story. The boy didn't seem interested in talking to my daughter so I just shrugged the whole

[00:16:11] thing off as pre-teens being awkward about talking to the opposite sex. A little while later, my boyfriend and I talked with his aunt and uncle. I saw my daughter eating some things off of the dessert plate in the kitchen.

[00:16:25] This older gentleman and his friend were in the kitchen talking to my daughter. It immediately put me off but I didn't say anything. I made sure to listen in on the conversation though. Thankfully my boyfriend's aunt also noticed and was listening as well.

[00:16:43] These men were asking my daughter questions like her name and the town that she lived in. I assumed they were just trying to be friendly since we weren't from there but my daughter just played it off like she didn't know the answers to their questions.

[00:16:58] They then tried to get her to tell them her home address. My boyfriend's aunt was trying to warn me of this at the same time that I noticed it and that's when I stepped in.

[00:17:11] I swooped my daughter up and took her back to the table with me, keeping her very close. As we left the party, my boyfriend's aunt was saying goodbye to her friends. My boyfriend and I noticed these men staring at my daughter very creepily so we shielded

[00:17:26] her with our bodies so that they couldn't. I wanted to scream at them and rip their eyes out for being so blatantly creepy. Since we were at a stranger's house in a state thousands of miles from home, I kept myself as calm as I could.

[00:17:43] I just wanted to get the hell out of there and never see these people again. It's safe to say that we'll never return to one of those parties. I hope everything is well for the poor little boy who has to live with that monster.

[00:17:54] I worry the older gentleman does awful things to that boy and I always wonder what he would have done had he gotten my daughter to give him any information. So to the creepy old disgusting men who tried to get my address and other information from

[00:18:10] my 11 year old daughter to do god knows what, let's never meet again because next time this mom won't be so nice about it. Last summer I started a side job as a wedding videographer. I bought a ton of equipment and hoped for the best.

[00:18:38] Surprisingly I got a lot of work doing this as the past two years have been huge for weddings. I realized my love for videography, turning it into my biggest hobby. I got a few gigs for YouTubers. I've helped edit, film, and produce some work.

[00:18:55] I've had no negative experiences in the field. I joined a filmmaker group on Facebook where people post about all kinds of things, headshots, mixers, casting calls, everything. I was there for equipment rental opportunities.

[00:19:13] Since my work tends to vary so much, I like to ask to rent equipment from someone local rather than buy something for every single job. I had done this a few times already and it went well.

[00:19:25] I typically needed lighting or audio equipment as that usually wasn't needed for weddings, but that type of equipment comes into play with most other work. I was browsing Facebook one night and I saw a post from a familiar face, a guy I had borrowed

[00:19:41] a wireless audio receiver from, I'll call him Greg. Greg had put out a casting call. His post read something along the lines of, female lead needed, attractive 18-22 year old. Must be comfortable with adult content. His post didn't elaborate beyond that.

[00:20:01] I'm not an actor, but I noted the post because I recognized Greg, not because I was interested in the role. That same night, I got a message from him. Greg asked if I could help him with a project that he was working on.

[00:20:14] He said he was trying to shoot a multi-camera scene and needed a second partner. I loved opportunities like this so I accepted the request. He gave me a shoot date, asked me to be there around 5, and informed me that this would be a long shoot.

[00:20:30] On the day of the shoot, I pulled up to a house I assumed was his own. I left my equipment in the car and knocked on the door. Greg met me at the door and seemed happy to see that I showed up, as if he were assuming

[00:20:43] that I would have flaked on him. He walked me to where they were setting up for the shoot. It was such a creepy atmosphere. All the lights were off in the house and the main floor had a thick haze.

[00:20:56] Directors tend to use haze for atmospheric effect so it didn't seem that out of place, but it was still eerie. When I walked into the dining room with him, I saw a guy holding a camera and a bunch of studio lights set up around the dining table.

[00:21:12] They mentioned that they were testing the hazer before I arrived, which is why it was already so hazy in the house. I noticed that there was nobody else there. Greg's casting call post specifically mentioned a female lead, but the crew seemed to be the only people on set.

[00:21:29] Greg mentioned that we were waiting for the actor to show up, so we had some time to discuss the scene. He described the scene in detail as we waited. He was the director and the co-star. The scene was odd.

[00:21:41] He would profess his love to a female lead since his character had loved her from afar for some time, and she would admit that she felt the same. They would then share a passionate kiss and the scene would end with them entering the bedroom.

[00:21:55] He said he would try and shoot a sex scene but he wasn't sure if the female lead was up for it. The other camera guys scoffed at Greg's comment as if to say, why wouldn't she want to shoot a sex scene?

[00:22:06] I remember that his casting call did mention adult content, but he didn't mention it when he messaged me about working with him on the project. It did catch me off guard that this was the scene that he hired me to help him with.

[00:22:19] He spoke a bit more about the rest of the film to us. It sounded like the rest was of him following the woman around. He mentioned that it was about a desperate guy that was hopelessly in love. But to me, it sounded like stalking.

[00:22:35] I didn't say any of this to him. It was his film and I didn't care if it was bad, I just wanted the experience and the paycheck. About 20 minutes passed before he called the actor that we were waiting for. He seemed to be upset on his phone.

[00:22:49] He argued for a bit, then returned to the crew shortly after. She cancelled, Greg muttered angrily. I apologized and said that I could reschedule. His eyes shut up to mine. You could do it? He said as he smiled.

[00:23:06] He must have felt so smart and lucky right then for having this idea. I don't act, I softly declined. It's fine, he assured me. The role has 10 lines in the whole script. I just need somebody beautiful with a good body and you fit those criteria.

[00:23:23] I don't know, I attempted to decline again. I felt so gross. Not only was his compliment about my appearance unwanted but I wasn't interested in acting whatsoever. Let me just grab the script and you can see for yourself, Greg begged, quickly running out of the room.

[00:23:40] The camera guy and I locked eyes. He seemed uncomfortable as well. A few seconds later Greg returned with the script, handed it to me and begged me to read it. I skimmed through the script and good lord, there were scenes where Greg's character mentioned

[00:23:56] the female lead would be in high school. One of the lines during the sex scene would have been, I have to get home I have homework. What the fuck? I pretended to read further while I sat and thought of the best way to get out of there.

[00:24:11] I wasn't about to do this, no chance in hell. I wouldn't have been okay filming it let alone starring in it. As I sat there Greg piped up, I think if we just go all in on the sex scene we won't

[00:24:24] have to do more than a couple of takes. Fuck that. I placed the script down on the table and stood up. I'm not comfortable with any of this, I stated. Greg looked dumbfounded and asked, why not? I didn't want to argue, I just wanted to go home.

[00:24:40] I told him it wasn't for me and I started to exit. Greg followed me out to my car. He begged the entire time and offered to pay me twice as much. He offered to let me keep my top on during the sex scene.

[00:24:53] At one point he sounded mad because he said, every hot chick thinks they're too good for this small role. I wanted to scream or talk some sense into him, but I also knew it wasn't worth it. I kept saying no or I'm good as I left.

[00:25:09] Thankfully he let me leave without doing more to make me stay and film. He stood in the driveway looking pathetic as I backed out. I feel lucky that he didn't do anything that would warrant additional action from me.

[00:25:23] He hasn't texted me or posted anything else on the page about the project. I'm glad that the other camera guy was there because Greg might not have been aggressive, but he was worked up. The other camera guy probably didn't know what he was hired to film.

[00:25:38] I hope I never see Greg or the filmmaker's Facebook page saying, watch my short film with a post linking to this creepy film. I went to high school in a small town of less than 7,000.

[00:26:08] My ambition was to be an actress, singer, and Broadway star, so I auditioned for the Fall Musical. I quickly realized that some seniors had been leading stars since their sophomore year, so I was cast as part of the chorus.

[00:26:24] I figured I had to pay my dues, which was fair enough. The chorus involved very few rehearsals, but after that month, I started hanging around the rehearsals after school in hopes that there'd be some random line or solo to dole out. Spoiler alert, there wasn't.

[00:26:41] As I had spent most years of my life being mercilessly bullied at this point, I tried to bother the others as little as possible, including the seniors and leads. I knew a few sophomores and juniors from my old daycare years, so I'd quietly chat with

[00:26:57] them while awaiting my chance for the spotlight. I don't even remember how this happened, but one of the seniors who had a mirror role, let's call him Sam, started talking to me. He wasn't particularly handsome or charming, but I felt vulnerable since I was a freshman

[00:27:14] deprived of positive interaction for years. By the time the show rolled around, we were dating in that old, naive boyfriend-girlfriend-who-has-never-been-on-an-actual-date-together way. It was a weird relationship in hindsight. Though Sam was 18, he didn't have a driver's license and I vividly remember his mom driving

[00:27:35] us to see Happy Feet in theaters. It was also an extremely strange experience to be 14 with my 18-year-old boyfriend in a theater full of small children watching CGI penguins sing the PG-13 version of Let's Talk About Sex. He also wasn't a particularly good actor or singer.

[00:27:57] He only got mirror roles due to his parents donating heavily to the funding of the school's brand new state-of-the-art auditorium. It was one of those I'm a nice guy people that used to be so prevalent.

[00:28:09] He was the type of guy who didn't understand why nobody wanted to be with him. He wore fingerless leather gloves like it was a fashion statement. He had a semi-obsession with things like anime and katanas and made it clear that he was ready to have sex.

[00:28:26] He was used to being in a very Christian town with a Christian background. It never sat well the many times he'd ominously say, I can't wait until you turn 18. I felt unsettled knowing his graduation plans were to attend a very expensive private university

[00:28:42] in the city just 30 minutes down the road. He made it obvious that he thought this would be a long-term relationship. The cast party after the show wrapped up was in the basement of his parents' house. It was very G-rated.

[00:28:57] There was no alcohol in sight, just pizza and general theater kid debauchery. The plan was for Sam and his mom to drive me home after the party. However, my mother's expectations of the time the cast party ended and when it truly ended were very different.

[00:29:13] Fearing the wrath of my mother, I instead got a ride home from a senior girl who I knew well from church, much to Sam's annoyance. To this day, I'm eternally grateful that I made that choice as I don't recall Sam ever knowing where I lived.

[00:29:29] While I was in another state during a holiday break, the relationship wasn't sitting well with me. Saying I love you too in response to Sam made my stomach churn. Even though I was still out of state, I decided before New Year's that enough was enough.

[00:29:44] I didn't want to be in this long-term relationship. I called him and I broke up with him over the phone. Yes, this was a very cowardly thing to do but 1. I couldn't stand the idea of being in this relationship any longer and 2. I was 14.

[00:29:58] Give me a break on the maturity scale. At that age, I still thought I could make it in Hollywood so remember, I was pretty naive. Though he didn't want this, I don't remember the breakup going over particularly poorly. It was a brief conversation.

[00:30:16] My friends wasted zero time in telling me how much they disliked him. As soon as they knew about the breakup, some leads from the show came out of the woodwork. They caught up with me in the choir room or auditorium to ask if I was okay.

[00:30:31] They also asked why I dated Sam in the first place and said that he was very creepy. When I explained to them that I was just trying to go with the flow and not bother people,

[00:30:41] I learned that they all liked me since I was one of the freshmen that didn't desperately follow them everywhere trying to impress them. It was surprising to find out that I had a group of upperclassmen in my corner.

[00:30:54] Though knowing Sam was a creep earlier would have been some nice info. While our class schedules often kept Sam and me separate during passing periods, we unfortunately shared the same lunch period. There were only two so this wasn't some cosmic event.

[00:31:14] Every lunch period, he would be staring at me. Whether hiding behind pillars or just a few tables away, he was always staring. He had this ominous stare like he was undressing me with his eyes or plotting nefarious things.

[00:31:28] His stare is something my mind just cannot erase even years later. Needless to say, it was uncomfortable as hell. If he somehow saw me in the hallway, he behaved the same way. Though he didn't know where I lived, I could hardly sleep at night.

[00:31:45] I would just stare at the window next to my bed, watching for shadows in the moonlight popping out from behind the closest tree. I had always been terrified and I was convinced somebody was watching me through that window

[00:31:57] while I was sleeping, plotting to break in and murder my parents and me. This was thanks to my family's too close for comfort proximity to an active serial killer from the 70s to the 90s. They were apprehended in the early 2000s, but that's another story for another day.

[00:32:17] When April and prom rolled around, Sam cornered me in the commons at school. He asked me to be his date even though we had broken up four months ago. While I should have told him off by now for being an utter creep for that entire time,

[00:32:33] I in one of my greatest displays of Midwest politeness gently declined. My cousin had the most well-timed wedding, which happened to be during the weekend of prom so being out of state was an excellent excuse.

[00:32:46] This didn't stop the relentless staring and feelings of being stalked until the end of the school year though. After graduation, he likely went to that nearby private college. My family stayed put and his parents probably still live in the same house to this day but

[00:33:00] I never saw him again. A year later, I learned I was the subject of many rumors after we broke up. Imagine my surprise to learn that I had been assaulted, pregnant and had an abortion at Sam's hands. It's probably for the best that these were all gross exaggerations.

[00:33:19] Shout out to my male friend who squelched the mistruths by threatening anyone who dared repeat such falsehoods about me. Sam had never physically harmed me though I was psychologically damaged. It took me years to cultivate a healthy romantic relationship with someone who wasn't awful to me.

[00:33:39] I've never seen Sam or heard from him on social media after that though I may have found and blocked him when I joined Facebook years ago and conveniently forgotten I did so. If there's anything I've learned from this experience and the stories collected from

[00:33:53] others over the years, seniors have no business dating freshmen and freshmen should be wary of anyone much older showing interest in them. I now live happily in another state 18 hours away with my significant other who is a serious upgrade from that shit show.

[00:34:08] And Sam, let's definitely never meet again. I was 16 and working at a fast food restaurant in a small town on a toll road. The fast food restaurant had a gas station attached so truckers often stopped by to rest or grab a quick meal.

[00:34:40] I worked nights after school and typically my shifts didn't end until around 11pm. The night that this happened, I was cleaning the dining area when I noticed a man who looked about 40 was watching me as I cleaned the tables and prepared to sweep the floors.

[00:34:58] As I began to sweep, he sparked up a conversation with me. It was innocent at first. He asked how old I was and mentioned that I looked too young to work. I truly appeared to be 12 considering I was 4'10 and 85 pounds, not to mention I was practically

[00:35:15] swimming in my uniform that they provided to me. It was the smallest size available, yet if I didn't put my belt tight, my pants would fall right off of me. I simply smiled at the man and told him I was 16 even though I didn't look it and I

[00:35:31] continued to sweep. Despite me being short with my answers and frequently turning my back to him as I cleaned the area around him, he continued with the questions. He asked me if I was from the area, if I had siblings, if I worked there long and if I

[00:35:47] had pets. I kept answering short as I just wanted to finish my duties and get home to finish my homework. As I started going to the back of the dining area, the man got up and followed me around while I continued cleaning.

[00:36:03] Usually truckers will order food, continue to sit and use the free wifi after they finish eating. He didn't order anything to eat and he didn't appear to be using the wifi. The fact that he was following me around obviously made me uncomfortable and I tried to sweep faster.

[00:36:21] As I got to the final section of the dining area, the man sat down in a booth that I was trying to clean under and he smirked at me. In a hushed voice, he asked, do you know what a lot lizard is?

[00:36:35] Since I was barely 16 and only left my bedroom to go to school or work, I replied with a quick no which seemed to be the answer that he wanted to hear. As soon as he began explaining what a lot lizard was, I couldn't help but whip my head

[00:36:51] towards him and give him the most disgusted look I had ever given someone even to this day nearly 9 years later. He went on to describe what a lot lizard was. I felt even more uneasy than I was at the beginning of our interaction and I quickly

[00:37:07] finished sweeping the section that he was in and practically ran to the back of the restaurant. I told my manager about what had happened since she saw the face I had made at him.

[00:37:18] She tried to keep an eye on him and told me that she would mop up for me. She told me to finish stocking the cooler before I left. She didn't want me to clean the bathroom since she was worried that he would try to

[00:37:31] follow me in as he had followed me around the dining room already. When I finished stocking the cooler, I checked in with my manager and asked if she needed me to do anything else before I left.

[00:37:42] She informed me that the man approached her every 5 minutes asking where I had gone and when I would be back since he couldn't see me while I was in the back stocking the cooler.

[00:37:53] My manager was very concerned and she had one of the other employees stay up front and watch the man while she escorted me out the back exit. She watched me as I ran to my car and locked it the moment I was inside.

[00:38:08] The next day when I went to work, she told me that eventually she told the man that I had left for the night and he became angry. He started questioning when my next shift was.

[00:38:20] My manager told him that that was my last shift before leaving for vacation for a few weeks which only seemed to make him angrier. After hearing this, he left the restaurant. I have no idea why this man was so interested in speaking with a 12 year old look alike

[00:38:36] about lot lizards but creepy lonely trucker dude, let's not ever meet again. Are you a fan of exploring mysterious stories and bizarre phenomena? Then you'll love Astonishing Legends. Join hosts and friends of the show, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess as they dive

[00:39:09] deep into a wide range of subjects from the paranormal and supernatural to historical mysteries and biographies of fascinating people. What sets Astonishing Legends apart is their balanced approach blending respect with humor as they navigate the lines between skepticism and belief.

[00:39:27] With the help of their team of researchers that they call the Astonishing Research Corps, they seek the truth behind legends, both familiar and obscure. Since launching in 2014, Astonishing Legends has amassed over 90 million listens and for good reason.

[00:39:43] It's like sitting down with your best friend and discussing the strangest and most exciting things you can imagine. I've been listening to these guys for a long time. They've got me through many lonely late night drives home from work. Really good memories.

[00:39:56] So whether you're a long time fan of the show like me or new to the world of Astonishing Legends, be sure to subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts. And for even more information including research links, photos, and book suggestions, visit astonishinglegends.com.

[00:40:12] Don't miss out on this amazing journey of discovery and just in case you missed it, make sure you check out our recent episode of Let's Not Meet featuring these two extraordinary gentlemen. Now back to the show. Let's not meet.

[00:40:36] For reference, I live in a small neighborhood with many townhouses connected by rows. The specific area that I live in has two rows that make an L shape. A large fence covers the rest of the open space separating us from a different neighborhood.

[00:40:52] Each townhouse in each row has a small fenced in backyard about 10 feet by 6 feet. but enough room for people to have a small patio and some tables and chairs. Things like that.

[00:41:04] The rest of the open space in the L shape is a large grassy area with a few trees and plenty of room for kids to play. Each patio has a gate leading to this grassy area meaning anybody can enter the patios.

[00:41:18] The townhouse I live in is on the larger side of the L and it's the second to the last house on the edge of the row. An older man lives in the townhouses on the edge of the other row. Now onto the stories I have about this man.

[00:41:35] For the sake of the story we'll call him Bill. The first incident involving Bill happened when I was a young child. I was anywhere from 6 to 9. Before my current neighbors moved into the last house on the row, we had a different neighbor.

[00:41:50] He was very kind to all of us kids and generally very sweet. Beside his house he had a ton of junk and furniture. At the time I remember I was playing in the grassy area when I heard the sound of quiet meowing.

[00:42:04] I walked over to the area where the neighbor had a bunch of junk and crouched down, finding a few kittens hidden under all the junk. There was a small space where they were hiding.

[00:42:16] As a child I was focused on trying to pet the kittens so I reached out my hand only to hear a sharp harsh yell. I turned to see Bill shouting at me from his gated patio, telling me to get my hand away from there.

[00:42:34] Naturally I assumed he was concerned about a child's safety. However he shouted at me like I stepped onto his property or was a thief. I tried to tell him I just wanted to pet the kittens but he shouted at me again to get my hand away.

[00:42:51] This interaction left me with a bad taste in my mouth but he didn't necessarily scare me until later. Fast forward a few years when I was 11 or 12 years old. My aunt and cousin stayed at our house for a few weeks for reasons I won't go into.

[00:43:08] My cousin who is only a year older than me took the bus to her school and my younger sibling and I would walk to our school. My mom worked 9 hours a day and that left the only person in my house, my aunt. This happened on a school day.

[00:43:26] I was walking home with my sibling and when we were about 3 minutes away from our house we passed Bill. We've passed Bill several times before but he never spoke to us and we never spoke to him until this day. As we were passing him he unexpectedly spoke up.

[00:43:46] He didn't say anything special, he just said, ''Did you have fun at school?'' We froze up but I managed to mutter a weak, ''Yeah, haha.'' Then I subtly signaled to my younger sibling to pick up the pace and we speed walked the

[00:44:02] rest of the way back to the house. We returned home shortly after this small exchange with Bill where we were greeted by my aunt. My cousin also greeted us as she had arrived home from school early.

[00:44:17] I don't know when the conversation popped up but at some point I think we mentioned that Bill spoke to us during our walk home. My aunt paused and looked a bit shocked. She told us to never speak to him again. We asked her why but she didn't say.

[00:44:34] Another small thing to note, when we got home we noticed white sheets covering our kitchen windows which looked out on the patio. Now this confused me as a kid but I wasn't curious enough to know why so instead I just brushed it off.

[00:44:49] My sibling and I brought up Bill again later when we were talking to my older cousin who told us something that solidified his creepiness. We found him staring inside through the kitchen windows from the patio, our cousin explained.

[00:45:05] At first I assumed he was staring from the grassy part which seemed creepy but not terrible. That was until she revealed that Bill was actually on our patio staring through our windows. That clarification sent shivers down my spine.

[00:45:23] After that whenever I saw him walking down the sidewalk I pulled my sibling close and I quietly told them to ignore him. I hate knowing that he still lives there. My mother tells me to be nice and tolerate him but I can't bring myself to offer him

[00:45:39] a smile and when I'm walking home from school and I pass him he tries to make light conversation. Every time he does this I'm paranoid that he's staring through our window again. I actively have paranoia each day that I see him.

[00:45:54] So Bill, even though we still live in the same neighborhood I hope we never talk again and let's not meet.

[00:47:11] by a listener that asked to remain anonymous. Creepy Lonely Trucker Dude by Lex T and finally Tales About an Old Man in My Neighborhood by E. All the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors.

[00:47:26] Let's Not Meet a True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. Don't forget to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts, Odd Trails, my true paranormal podcast, Welcome to Paradise It Sucks and the Old Time Radiocast at crypticcountypodcasts.com

[00:47:41] or wherever you get your podcasts. See you next week. Stay safe.