13x06: An Obscene Phone Call and The Bloody Man

[00:00:00] This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. Enjoy the show.

[00:00:41] I'm a 36-year-old male. My parents divorced when I was 4 or 5 years old. During and after the divorce, my brother, who we'll call Chris, my mom, and I all moved into a two-bedroom townhouse.

[00:00:55] Now, this wasn't necessarily a nice townhouse, but it also wasn't a complete shithole. The townhouse was an older building that was built in the 1960s, and we moved into it in the 90s.

[00:01:09] It was located in a rougher part of town, which enabled it to be something a single mother with two kids could swing.

[00:01:17] The layout of the place is important for the story, so bear with me.

[00:01:21] When you walk in the front door, the kitchen is immediately to your left, and then there's a hallway leading away from the entrance in front of you.

[00:01:30] The kitchen had an open countertop area that looked into the dining nook, where the table and chairs were,

[00:01:36] and then there was a split-level living room slash den area that had glass sliding doors that led to the backyard, which didn't have a fence or any privacy.

[00:01:47] We had a rather sparse and sad playground.

[00:01:51] If you continue in the hallway, past the kitchen, on the right there was a staircase leading up to my mom's bedroom and a second bedroom that I shared with my brother.

[00:02:01] One day after school, my brother and I were outside playing in the backyard on the playground.

[00:02:06] We were just doing kid stuff when my mom told us that we needed to go check the mail.

[00:02:12] The mailboxes for the townhouses were located at the main entrance, which was on the opposite side of the complex from where our place was.

[00:02:21] Naturally, since I was five and my brother Chris was nine, my mom didn't want to leave us alone, especially since it was almost dark outside.

[00:02:30] So, we went back inside and got ready to leave and go with her to the mailboxes.

[00:02:34] On the way out, I remember my mom asking Chris if he had closed and locked the sliding glass door.

[00:02:41] Chris said that he had.

[00:02:43] About 20 to 30 minutes later, we were back from the mailroom.

[00:02:47] We had driven over there, and I was lingering in the car for one reason or another while my mom unlocked the door.

[00:02:54] Chris didn't know that I wasn't inside yet, and on the stairs leading up to the bedrooms,

[00:02:59] he saw somebody's feet disappear at the top of the landing.

[00:03:04] It was as if somebody were scurrying and trying to hide.

[00:03:09] Nothing seemed like it was off, so Chris thought that it was me.

[00:03:13] Chris didn't think much of it, so he went into the kitchen, and finally I went inside and went upstairs.

[00:03:19] I went straight into our bedroom to get ready for bed.

[00:03:23] My mom was at the table in the dining room near the split-level living room downstairs.

[00:03:29] As I was completely clueless in the bathroom, brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed,

[00:03:34] Chris, who was still downstairs in the kitchen, kept hearing somebody walking around in my mom's bedroom.

[00:03:40] At this age, I had a bad habit of going through other people's stuff.

[00:03:45] I was never doing it maliciously.

[00:03:47] I was barely five.

[00:03:49] I guess I was just curious.

[00:03:51] Chris thought that I was being nosy and going through our mom's jewelry and stuff,

[00:03:55] so he ran upstairs to catch me in the act and get me in trouble.

[00:03:59] Once he was up the stairs, Chris sprinted across the hall into my mom's bedroom

[00:04:03] and threw himself, stomach-first, onto the bed.

[00:04:05] When he looked up, he saw a tall, slender man with a bright green latex goblin Halloween mask.

[00:04:14] He was holding a large knife that he had swiped from the kitchen.

[00:04:19] My brother sat silently in shock as this man in a goblin mask raised one finger to the mouth of the mask,

[00:04:27] indicating for him to be quiet.

[00:04:29] But my brother couldn't contain himself, which is true to form for him.

[00:04:34] He screamed bloody murder for my mom.

[00:04:38] When Chris screamed, the man ran downstairs and encountered my mom who immediately jumped into action.

[00:04:44] Our baseball gear was in the living room,

[00:04:47] so my mom grabbed a bat and started fighting this man in our house

[00:04:51] while he was taking swipes at her with the knife.

[00:04:54] Meanwhile, I was getting ready for bed.

[00:04:57] I heard something going on, but I was completely unaware of what was actually happening.

[00:05:02] I had gotten into my big, oversized sleep shirt and was about to head back downstairs

[00:05:07] to have a glass of milk before going to sleep.

[00:05:10] I finally realized something was going on when I went downstairs into the kitchen

[00:05:15] and pulled a stool up to the counter so that I could pour a glass of milk.

[00:05:19] That's when I saw the guy in the goblin mask push my mom down the small set of steps

[00:05:25] in the split-level living room.

[00:05:27] She landed on her back, but she was still swinging the bat wildly,

[00:05:32] trying to make contact.

[00:05:34] And she did.

[00:05:36] I had my eyes glued to this scene.

[00:05:39] I was truly frozen in place.

[00:05:41] I remember I wasn't scared since I was so young.

[00:05:44] I couldn't fully process what I was seeing, though.

[00:05:47] The man finally ran towards the front door, which was right by the kitchen.

[00:05:52] I was in the middle of pouring myself a glass of milk, and since I was frozen,

[00:05:56] I didn't realize I had filled my glass of milk and continued to spill it all over the counter.

[00:06:02] On his way to the door, the man stopped and turned directly toward me.

[00:06:07] He was clutching the knife, and through that green goblin mask,

[00:06:11] he let out the most primal scream I've ever heard.

[00:06:15] It was deep and layered with sounds of rage and frustration.

[00:06:20] He then ran out the door, which he slammed behind him so hard that the whole place shook.

[00:06:28] I continued standing on my stool, pouring milk everywhere, frozen for I don't even know how long.

[00:06:35] It must have been only a second, but it felt much longer than that.

[00:06:39] The moral of the story is to lock your doors.

[00:06:43] Don't just assume that you did.

[00:06:45] And to the man in the goblin mask, let's not meet again.

[00:07:08] This happened when I was 21 and living in Oakland.

[00:07:12] It was the early afternoon, and I was walking under the overpass,

[00:07:17] talking to my then-boyfriend on my cell phone.

[00:07:20] I was just running up the street to go to the market.

[00:07:23] The neighborhood wasn't the best, but I had lived there for almost three years.

[00:07:27] The unwritten and unspoken rule was if you leave people alone, they'll leave you alone,

[00:07:32] so I stuck to that.

[00:07:34] I was in the middle of this conversation with my boyfriend, and as I was walking along,

[00:07:39] this white truck stopped on the street right next to me.

[00:07:42] There was a man in his mid-30s or early 40s inside, and he immediately started yelling at me.

[00:07:49] I was just kind of pissed off and confused.

[00:07:51] I was trying to figure out what his deal was when it occurred to me that he was screaming at me

[00:07:57] to get in the truck.

[00:07:58] I literally responded,

[00:08:00] Hell no.

[00:08:01] I don't fucking know you.

[00:08:03] But he just kept screaming at me to get in the truck.

[00:08:07] I continued,

[00:08:08] No, you're crazy.

[00:08:09] Why the fuck would I get in your truck?

[00:08:12] At this point, I realized that in the middle of the street, there was a divider that prevented people

[00:08:18] from making U-turns or driving over to the other side of the road, so I just started walking

[00:08:23] in the other direction, and he drove off.

[00:08:27] I don't know why he didn't get out or anything like that since he was trying to pluck me from the

[00:08:32] street, but I'm grateful.

[00:08:35] Fast forward a couple of years later.

[00:08:36] I was still living in the area, and on another early afternoon, I was walking up the same

[00:08:43] street under the same overpass.

[00:08:45] I was walking in the same direction with my headphones on, listening to some music and

[00:08:50] going to work.

[00:08:51] There was a teenage girl about 7 feet in front of me.

[00:08:54] She was maybe 15, talking on her cell phone, not paying much attention to her surroundings.

[00:09:00] I couldn't hear anything except for my music when I was walking along, but all of a sudden,

[00:09:05] I saw an adult man in a blue car pull up to the side of the road.

[00:09:10] I immediately had a sinking feeling, so I took my backpack off and I put it on the ground in

[00:09:17] front of me.

[00:09:18] I then pulled out this huge, 5-foot-long taser baton that my dad had gotten for me.

[00:09:24] I waved it in the air while looking at his rearview mirror.

[00:09:28] Without even saying anything, he sped off.

[00:09:32] The girl turned around and saw me with the taser.

[00:09:36] The teenager then recounted everything that just happened to the person on the phone.

[00:09:41] You could have been snatched just now, I interrupted.

[00:09:44] Don't approach someone that you don't know, period.

[00:09:46] Just don't.

[00:09:47] There's no reason for a grown adult man to be talking to a teenage girl.

[00:09:51] Stay safe.

[00:09:53] The teenage girl nodded and thanked me for looking out for her while she continued on

[00:09:58] her way, still talking on the phone.

[00:10:00] This happened in literally the same spot, under the same overpass.

[00:10:05] I can't help but wonder if there are men who troll this spot regularly, looking for other

[00:10:11] girls to snatch.

[00:10:13] My wife and I travel often.

[00:10:29] We're always going from city to city, and at one point, we settled down in Vegas for a

[00:10:34] few months.

[00:10:36] One night after work, we were headed towards Henderson, which is a city outside of Vegas.

[00:10:42] I was reclined back in the passenger's seat when we ran over something and the tire popped.

[00:10:49] My wife got out of the car to check what happened and quickly confirmed our tire was toast.

[00:10:55] Within seconds, a woman in a very nice car pulled up behind us.

[00:11:00] My wife and I had been arguing, and I was mad and stubborn, so when I saw the person who

[00:11:06] pulled up was a woman, I laid back in the seat.

[00:11:09] I figured she was just stopping to check on my wife, who she assumed was alone.

[00:11:15] The woman then said that she had a brother-in-law who had a tow truck.

[00:11:19] She said that he could tow her car for free of charge to a stop.

[00:11:24] My wife then asked the woman why she was being so kind, and the lady said something like,

[00:11:31] well, us sisters have to stick together.

[00:11:33] I'm helping you out.

[00:11:36] The woman then got back into her car.

[00:11:38] My wife told me that she was going to follow us with her hazards on until we got to this

[00:11:43] dark, empty parking lot in front of some nearby grocery store to get off of the road.

[00:11:50] Everything about the situation seemed plausible, so I didn't really think anything was weird

[00:11:56] at the moment.

[00:11:57] Plus, my wife was very confident, as this woman seemed to genuinely want to help.

[00:12:02] So we pulled into the parking lot and my wife got out.

[00:12:06] I was still lying on my back in the passenger seat, so this woman didn't even know I was

[00:12:11] there yet.

[00:12:13] She started talking to my wife about how she changed her life within a year.

[00:12:18] She told my wife that she could put her on to what she does, in her words.

[00:12:25] She proceeded with this pitch, which seemed believable.

[00:12:28] She looked very nice and her car was expensive.

[00:12:31] My wife started to feel bad about taking up this lady's time, so she started to insist that

[00:12:36] she could just call a tow truck herself.

[00:12:39] But the woman assured my wife that her brother-in-law was coming.

[00:12:44] She even offered to drive my wife around the area to look for a car repair shop that was

[00:12:49] open.

[00:12:49] But my wife had already googled some places.

[00:12:53] The woman then asked my wife why she was in Vegas, as we had New York plates.

[00:12:58] My wife explained that she was out there primarily for adventure and doing something new.

[00:13:05] Then the woman asked my wife if she was close to her family and if she had a boyfriend, adding

[00:13:12] that she could introduce her to some friends to help her get acquainted with the area.

[00:13:18] My wife motioned over to me and said,

[00:13:20] Oh, well, I have a husband.

[00:13:23] The woman was not expecting that at all.

[00:13:26] She looked like a deer in headlights as I politely poked my head up and waved from the

[00:13:31] car.

[00:13:32] When she finally saw me, she stared for just a few seconds, then immediately got into her

[00:13:38] car.

[00:13:40] I've never had somebody look at me like that.

[00:13:43] She looked panicked, like she had to get away from me right away.

[00:13:48] She abruptly told my wife that she had to get going, but she said that her brother-in-law

[00:13:54] would be there in about an hour.

[00:13:56] My wife was confused and tried to ask the woman if she would come back with her brother-in-law,

[00:14:01] but the woman just drove off.

[00:14:04] We knew right then something was off with this situation.

[00:14:09] My wife and I just stared at each other in confusion as the woman drove away.

[00:14:14] I still don't have any idea why that happened.

[00:14:18] But we called a towing company who was able to fix the car and we were able to get back

[00:14:22] on the road within 40 minutes.

[00:14:24] We started to continue our drive, but we drove back to the parking lot since my wife was certain

[00:14:29] that the woman was going to come back or at least her brother-in-law would show up.

[00:14:34] She wanted to let them know that she didn't need their help.

[00:14:37] I told her that I didn't think they were coming back, but we wound up waiting around anyway.

[00:14:43] We waited for two hours, but no one came.

[00:14:47] So we finally drove home.

[00:14:50] I did some research and I found out that there are a lot of traffickers that use women as first

[00:14:55] contact since women overall seem more trustworthy.

[00:14:59] Vegas is a bit of a hub for trafficking, so I can't help but wonder if this was some kind

[00:15:04] of attempt.

[00:15:05] The woman showed up so quickly after our tire blew out and she was almost desperate to keep

[00:15:11] my wife there.

[00:15:13] It was all so weird.

[00:15:15] Now when I look back, it seems more obvious that there was some underlying danger in

[00:15:20] the situation, but the woman was so charming and endearing.

[00:15:25] It seemed like she was genuinely trying to help.

[00:15:29] I'll never know for sure, but I think she ran off quickly after she saw me since she didn't

[00:15:35] anticipate a man being there.

[00:15:46] I was very young when this happened, yet I still think about this encounter as an adult.

[00:15:52] I'm now 25 and it happened when I was 10.

[00:15:56] I was watching TV late at night with my mom and sisters.

[00:16:00] Everyone decided to head off to bed and I was left alone downstairs.

[00:16:04] I started drifting off and then suddenly, someone started banging on our door, harder than I

[00:16:10] had ever heard before.

[00:16:12] I was really scared.

[00:16:14] I sat there frozen staring at the door like my life depended on it.

[00:16:18] My dog who was lying right next to me was also staring.

[00:16:21] He never barked or moved an inch, which was odd since he was constantly barking at the door.

[00:16:27] The banging never stopped for what seemed like forever, but in reality, was probably

[00:16:33] only a minute or so.

[00:16:35] I looked at my dog and, since I finally moved, my dog snapped out of his trance, jumped off

[00:16:41] of the couch and ran towards the door.

[00:16:45] He still hadn't started barking, but he was tilting his head like he was confused.

[00:16:51] I finally got the courage to get up and open the blinds to see what was going on.

[00:16:55] I saw this young woman, probably in her 20s.

[00:16:58] She was standing at the front door, holding her chest in her hand.

[00:17:04] She had blonde hair and fair skin, but she was covered in blood.

[00:17:10] Her shirt had been ripped and her hair was a mess.

[00:17:13] I remember thinking she must have gotten beat up or was in an accident of some sort.

[00:17:19] Either way, I immediately went to open the door.

[00:17:22] As soon as I unlocked it, my mom appeared out of nowhere and slammed her hand on the door

[00:17:27] and locked it.

[00:17:28] I had no idea she had even come down the stairs, let alone walked up behind me.

[00:17:33] I was so focused on the door and the woman outside that when my mom slammed her hand

[00:17:38] on the back of the door, it was almost as if it had knocked me back into reality.

[00:17:43] I looked up at my mom with wide eyes.

[00:17:46] I think I even started crying.

[00:17:49] She gently put her hand on my shoulder and moved me away from the door.

[00:17:53] Who is it?

[00:17:54] My mom yelled through the door.

[00:17:56] The girl then responded.

[00:17:58] My boyfriend beat me up.

[00:18:00] We live in the apartments across the street.

[00:18:03] We lived in a townhouse in a cul-de-sac.

[00:18:06] Our unit was all the way in the back from where the turn-in at the entrance started.

[00:18:12] We were the first unit in the row, but when she pointed out where her and her boyfriend's

[00:18:17] place was, it was quite a ways away from us.

[00:18:22] My mom asked the young lady for her name and she said something that sounded like Bethany

[00:18:26] or Stephanie.

[00:18:28] My mom hesitated as she went to open the door.

[00:18:31] Please help me, the woman yelled.

[00:18:33] My mom then opened the door, stepped out, and pulled it closed behind her but didn't

[00:18:38] shut it completely.

[00:18:40] I kept the door cracked behind her to make sure that she was okay and also to see what

[00:18:46] was going on.

[00:18:47] The woman kept thanking my mom and asking her if she could come in since she was scared

[00:18:52] that her boyfriend was going to come after her.

[00:18:55] My mom refused and explained that she couldn't let her in for the safety of her four kids,

[00:19:00] but she offered to sit outside there with her.

[00:19:03] My mom then told me to grab the phone and call the police, so I did.

[00:19:08] As I was calling the police, my mom asked the woman,

[00:19:14] The woman only pointed in the general direction of where she lived.

[00:19:20] My mom asked her for specifics.

[00:19:22] The lady specified which building and she said it was unit B.

[00:19:27] Then this silver SUV pulled up.

[00:19:31] She ran towards it and said,

[00:19:33] That's my sister.

[00:19:34] She then jumped in the SUV without saying another word and sped off.

[00:19:39] My mom looked back at me through the crack in the door confused.

[00:19:43] After they sped away, she came back inside and shut and locked the door.

[00:19:49] We just stood there and looked at each other.

[00:19:51] I asked my mom,

[00:19:53] What about the police?

[00:19:54] And she said that she would wait for them if I wanted to go to bed.

[00:19:58] Now I was too scared to leave her, so I just waited with her.

[00:20:03] Once they arrived, my mom explained what happened,

[00:20:06] and the police officer said that she did the right thing by not letting her inside.

[00:20:11] They also explained that they had been receiving calls of similar things like that happening in the area recently.

[00:20:18] The next morning, we got ready to go to the grocery store,

[00:20:21] and as we passed the building that the lady said she lived in, we spotted her unit.

[00:20:26] We checked, and the apartment was empty.

[00:20:29] Nobody was currently living there.

[00:20:32] We never saw that woman or the SUV that came to pick her up again after that.

[00:20:56] About ten years ago, I was fresh out of college and trying to figure out what was next.

[00:21:02] I went to college on an athletic scholarship,

[00:21:05] and I was just as interested in enjoying my college experience as I was in completing it.

[00:21:11] I ended up with a communications degree,

[00:21:13] but not much experience other than that.

[00:21:17] I was working as a door host, otherwise known as a bouncer,

[00:21:20] at a small lounge and bar that was inside a casino.

[00:21:25] My typical schedule at said bar was Wednesday through Sunday from 7pm until 3am.

[00:21:30] My job duties were greeting people,

[00:21:33] checking their IDs as they were coming in,

[00:21:36] breaking up bites,

[00:21:38] and removing people who got out of hand,

[00:21:40] all while maintaining a friendly and professional disposition.

[00:21:44] There was a man who started coming to this bar on the non-peak nights.

[00:21:49] I mainly saw him on Wednesday or Thursday nights when it was slow.

[00:21:53] He would come into the bar on one of those nights,

[00:21:56] but then he wouldn't come in for three weeks or so.

[00:22:00] Usually he would talk to me a couple of times throughout the night when he was there,

[00:22:04] just making normal, small talk.

[00:22:07] It was never awkward.

[00:22:08] He was always well-dressed,

[00:22:10] with a suit on or at least a button-up shirt and slacks.

[00:22:13] He was clean-cut,

[00:22:15] had an athletic build,

[00:22:17] no visible tattoos or piercings,

[00:22:19] and had a shaved head.

[00:22:20] He was a very good-looking man for his late 30s.

[00:22:24] The last night I saw him,

[00:22:26] the conversation between us was a bit different.

[00:22:29] He came in on my non-peak night,

[00:22:31] just like normal,

[00:22:33] and eventually,

[00:22:34] he came up to talk to me by the door.

[00:22:36] The conversation started normal,

[00:22:38] but shifted into him asking me

[00:22:40] if I enjoyed what I did for my job at the bar.

[00:22:43] I let him know that my job was fine.

[00:22:45] I said,

[00:22:46] it's not that bad,

[00:22:47] and it's mostly easy.

[00:22:49] I said this since it was the most professional thing

[00:22:53] that I could think of to say.

[00:22:54] Then he asked me how long I planned to be a bouncer,

[00:22:57] and asked if I thought I made enough money.

[00:23:00] This eventually dragged me out of

[00:23:03] speaking so diplomatically about my job.

[00:23:06] I said that no,

[00:23:07] I didn't particularly enjoy being a bouncer.

[00:23:10] I didn't know what I was going to do with my future.

[00:23:13] At this point,

[00:23:14] he looked me straight in the face and said,

[00:23:16] well,

[00:23:17] you could kill people.

[00:23:20] I paused and maintained eye contact.

[00:23:23] I was looking for a smile or something

[00:23:25] that would turn this into a joke,

[00:23:26] but there was nothing.

[00:23:29] He was 100% serious.

[00:23:32] There was no smile or anything.

[00:23:34] He just stared at me,

[00:23:36] waiting for a response.

[00:23:38] Breaking the silence,

[00:23:39] I told him the first thing that came to mind.

[00:23:42] I'm pretty sure I don't have the skill set

[00:23:44] for what I think you're suggesting.

[00:23:47] He replied,

[00:23:49] yeah,

[00:23:49] but you could learn all of that.

[00:23:51] Think about it.

[00:23:52] You'll get to travel,

[00:23:53] and you'll only need to work once or twice a month

[00:23:55] since you'll get paid really well.

[00:23:58] I immediately thought that this had to be some kind of setup.

[00:24:02] I've seen every Hitman movie ever made.

[00:24:05] I told him,

[00:24:06] no,

[00:24:07] I don't think that's for me, man.

[00:24:09] He simply replied,

[00:24:11] okay,

[00:24:11] and then left.

[00:24:14] I worked at that bar for another year after that,

[00:24:17] but I never saw the man again.

[00:24:34] This happened a long time ago

[00:24:36] when I was 18 or 19 years old.

[00:24:39] I worked at a Junior Food,

[00:24:41] which is a convenience store chain in Kentucky.

[00:24:44] There were a couple of incidents that happened to me

[00:24:47] in that short time that I worked there.

[00:24:49] The store was somewhat isolated,

[00:24:51] and I worked alone for most of my shifts.

[00:24:54] My manager,

[00:24:55] who was married,

[00:24:56] and another employee,

[00:24:57] who happened to be my manager's best friend,

[00:25:00] often left work to go meet up at their boyfriends.

[00:25:03] On top of tending to the store,

[00:25:06] a few of my additional duties were sweeping the parking lot

[00:25:09] and measuring the gas after closing at midnight.

[00:25:13] I hated doing this stuff by myself

[00:25:16] since there weren't any other businesses

[00:25:18] open anywhere close by.

[00:25:20] It was back in 1984,

[00:25:23] so of course there were no cell phones.

[00:25:25] I was naive at the time.

[00:25:27] One night,

[00:25:28] I received a phone call from a man asking if we sold Playboy.

[00:25:32] I informed him that we did,

[00:25:34] and I let him know that not only did we have Playboy,

[00:25:36] but we had similar publications as well.

[00:25:39] He asked me who the centerfold was on the current issue.

[00:25:43] I politely told him to wait just a minute

[00:25:45] while I walked over to the magazines.

[00:25:47] I flipped through the magazines,

[00:25:49] and I told him the name of the model,

[00:25:50] to which he asked if her lady parts looked juicy.

[00:25:55] I froze up,

[00:25:56] then hung up on him.

[00:25:59] I'm grateful that he never called back,

[00:26:01] but this call scared me so much.

[00:26:03] I felt like an idiot for indulging him

[00:26:06] and looking up the centerfold.

[00:26:08] The other incident I'm going to talk about

[00:26:09] was a lot scarier than that phone call, though.

[00:26:12] I should mention that when I was hired,

[00:26:15] I had been instructed to call the police

[00:26:17] if anyone was lingering around in the parking lot

[00:26:19] for more than 15 minutes.

[00:26:21] On this particular evening,

[00:26:23] I had completed my duties

[00:26:25] and I was essentially running out the clock

[00:26:27] until it was time for me to close the door

[00:26:29] and lock up, then go home.

[00:26:32] As I was patiently waiting for the time to pass,

[00:26:35] a man pulled up right in front of the door

[00:26:38] in this light-colored car.

[00:26:41] I waited for him to come in,

[00:26:43] happy to have someone

[00:26:44] to break the silence of my shift.

[00:26:48] As I stood by the cash register,

[00:26:50] I could see him as he leaned forward

[00:26:52] and looked at himself in the rearview mirror

[00:26:54] and continually wiped his face with his hands.

[00:26:58] I couldn't see anything on his face

[00:27:00] from where I was standing,

[00:27:00] but I immediately got this bad feeling

[00:27:03] about what he was up to.

[00:27:06] When he had pulled up,

[00:27:07] I had glanced at the clock

[00:27:09] and kept an eye on the time

[00:27:10] as it crept by

[00:27:11] while he continued to wipe his face

[00:27:14] over and over.

[00:27:15] When 15 minutes was up,

[00:27:17] I then called 911

[00:27:19] and told the dispatcher

[00:27:20] about the situation.

[00:27:22] In no time,

[00:27:23] two police officers

[00:27:24] pulled up

[00:27:25] and confronted the man.

[00:27:26] I watched as they got him

[00:27:28] out of the car

[00:27:28] and handcuffed him,

[00:27:30] but I didn't see much else

[00:27:31] due to the fact

[00:27:32] that another customer came in.

[00:27:35] It seemed like forever

[00:27:36] before one of the officers

[00:27:37] came in to ask me

[00:27:39] if I was okay

[00:27:39] and thank me for calling them.

[00:27:42] I let them know

[00:27:43] that I was happy to help

[00:27:44] and what he told me next

[00:27:46] sent a shiver through me

[00:27:48] as my blood ran cold.

[00:27:50] He informed me

[00:27:51] that the man

[00:27:51] had been wiping blood

[00:27:53] off of his face

[00:27:54] and there was a huge

[00:27:55] butcher-type knife

[00:27:57] with him in his car.

[00:27:59] The handle of the knife

[00:28:00] had been broken off

[00:28:01] and the blade

[00:28:02] was covered in blood.

[00:28:03] He said that the man

[00:28:04] appeared to be intoxicated

[00:28:06] and since his car was running,

[00:28:08] they were able to arrest him

[00:28:09] for driving under the influence.

[00:28:11] The officer said

[00:28:12] that they had contacted

[00:28:13] his family

[00:28:14] and everyone seemed okay.

[00:28:16] He added that they didn't know

[00:28:17] whose blood that was,

[00:28:18] but they assured me

[00:28:19] that they would continue

[00:28:20] to investigate

[00:28:21] to see if they could find

[00:28:22] whoever he had hurt

[00:28:23] or killed.

[00:28:25] I never heard anything

[00:28:26] regarding this case

[00:28:27] after that.

[00:28:28] When I realized

[00:28:29] that something

[00:28:30] could have happened

[00:28:31] to me that night,

[00:28:31] I decided to quit

[00:28:32] shortly afterward.

[00:28:33] So to the phone guy

[00:28:35] and the bloody guy

[00:28:36] with the blood-covered knife,

[00:28:38] let's not meet.

[00:28:48] This happened around 2000

[00:28:51] or 2001

[00:28:52] when my best friend and I

[00:28:54] were 12 to 13 years old.

[00:28:57] We were living

[00:28:58] in a small town

[00:28:59] with a population

[00:28:59] of about 2,000 people

[00:29:01] in Minnesota.

[00:29:03] Out of our friend group,

[00:29:05] my best friend and I

[00:29:06] were the only two

[00:29:07] who lived

[00:29:08] in the rural outskirts

[00:29:09] of town.

[00:29:10] So we understood

[00:29:11] the boredom

[00:29:12] that could ensue

[00:29:13] and the fun things

[00:29:14] that would come out of it.

[00:29:16] She and I

[00:29:17] were into exploring

[00:29:18] the woods,

[00:29:19] running around

[00:29:20] in the cornfields,

[00:29:21] creating forts,

[00:29:22] exploring abandoned houses,

[00:29:24] etc.

[00:29:24] It was a really fun time

[00:29:26] for us.

[00:29:27] One day,

[00:29:28] she and I

[00:29:29] decided to

[00:29:30] take our bikes

[00:29:30] out for a ride

[00:29:32] down some gravel roads.

[00:29:34] Her little brother

[00:29:35] tagged along with us.

[00:29:36] He was about 9 or 10.

[00:29:38] We were riding along

[00:29:39] laughing and probably

[00:29:40] teasing her brother

[00:29:41] when we saw this

[00:29:42] old shack

[00:29:43] in one of the cornfields.

[00:29:45] The corn wasn't

[00:29:46] fully grown

[00:29:47] and we were able

[00:29:48] to see the shack

[00:29:49] pretty clearly.

[00:29:50] We decided to

[00:29:51] explore it.

[00:29:52] I don't remember

[00:29:53] much about the

[00:29:54] outside of the shack

[00:29:54] but I do remember

[00:29:56] what I saw inside.

[00:29:57] And it still gives me

[00:29:59] the creeps

[00:29:59] to this day.

[00:30:01] We peered inside

[00:30:02] and the first thing

[00:30:03] I noticed

[00:30:04] were the posters

[00:30:05] hanging in the room.

[00:30:07] There were posters

[00:30:08] on every wall.

[00:30:09] There was a different

[00:30:11] person on every poster

[00:30:12] and they all

[00:30:12] looked angry.

[00:30:14] Some of the people

[00:30:15] on the posters

[00:30:16] were holding guns

[00:30:17] pointing straight ahead

[00:30:18] while others

[00:30:19] were pointing

[00:30:20] their fingers.

[00:30:21] It was bizarre.

[00:30:24] Even though

[00:30:25] they were just

[00:30:26] images on posters,

[00:30:28] it felt like

[00:30:28] they were pointing

[00:30:29] right at us

[00:30:30] with their eyes

[00:30:31] fixated on us.

[00:30:33] In the center

[00:30:34] of the room

[00:30:35] there was a

[00:30:35] perfectly round

[00:30:36] circle

[00:30:37] painted on the ground.

[00:30:39] My friend and I

[00:30:40] remember there

[00:30:41] being a star

[00:30:42] in the middle

[00:30:42] but her little brother

[00:30:44] only remembers

[00:30:45] a circle.

[00:30:46] As we were staring

[00:30:47] at this

[00:30:48] creepy scene

[00:30:49] I felt like

[00:30:50] we were being watched

[00:30:52] and not just

[00:30:53] by the posters.

[00:30:54] I looked to my right

[00:30:56] across the gravel road

[00:30:57] and into the cornfield

[00:30:58] across from us.

[00:30:59] There I saw

[00:31:00] a man

[00:31:01] standing in the field.

[00:31:02] He was just

[00:31:03] watching us.

[00:31:05] He wasn't waving

[00:31:06] or yelling

[00:31:06] or anything.

[00:31:07] Just watching.

[00:31:10] I alerted my friends

[00:31:11] and we looked back

[00:31:12] at him together.

[00:31:13] I awkwardly waved

[00:31:15] but he continued

[00:31:16] just standing there

[00:31:17] not waving back.

[00:31:19] We were sufficiently

[00:31:20] creeped out

[00:31:21] so we jumped on our bikes

[00:31:23] to get away.

[00:31:24] We were on gravel

[00:31:26] which wasn't easy

[00:31:27] to bike on

[00:31:27] so it was taking us

[00:31:29] a while to get going.

[00:31:31] We biked away

[00:31:32] and I repeatedly

[00:31:33] turned around

[00:31:33] to see if he was

[00:31:34] still there.

[00:31:35] He was

[00:31:36] and he was

[00:31:37] still watching us.

[00:31:38] He barely moved

[00:31:40] and only turned

[00:31:41] his body slightly

[00:31:41] to angle in our direction

[00:31:43] and keep watching us.

[00:31:45] I still can't get over

[00:31:46] how he just appeared

[00:31:48] in the middle

[00:31:48] of the field

[00:31:49] like that.

[00:31:51] Recently I've been

[00:31:52] thinking about this

[00:31:53] so my friend

[00:31:53] her brother

[00:31:54] and I

[00:31:54] started a group chat.

[00:31:56] We all shared

[00:31:57] what we remembered

[00:31:58] and they basically

[00:31:59] remembered everything

[00:32:00] the same way

[00:32:01] that I did.

[00:32:02] What I didn't know

[00:32:03] was that they

[00:32:04] went back that day

[00:32:06] and when they

[00:32:07] went back

[00:32:07] everything was gone.

[00:32:09] Even the red paint

[00:32:11] on the floor.

[00:32:12] A week later

[00:32:13] whoever owned

[00:32:14] the shack

[00:32:15] donated it

[00:32:16] to the fire department

[00:32:16] to be burned.

[00:32:18] I don't know

[00:32:19] what was going on

[00:32:20] in that shack.

[00:32:21] Some theories

[00:32:22] have been that

[00:32:23] it was used

[00:32:23] for weird rituals

[00:32:25] or even target practice

[00:32:26] for some militia dude.

[00:32:28] It was also

[00:32:29] theorized

[00:32:30] that it was

[00:32:30] just owned

[00:32:31] by some weird guy

[00:32:32] who had an odd

[00:32:33] taste in decor.

[00:32:35] Whatever the case

[00:32:36] may be

[00:32:37] thinking about

[00:32:38] the shack

[00:32:38] and the man

[00:32:39] in the cornfield

[00:32:40] it still

[00:32:41] weirds me out

[00:32:42] to this day.

[00:32:50] This is your

[00:32:51] gateway

[00:32:52] to the unexplained

[00:32:53] a place for new

[00:32:54] and otherworldly

[00:32:55] experiences.

[00:32:56] Join me

[00:32:57] Andy

[00:32:58] every other week

[00:32:59] on my new podcast

[00:33:00] cryptic encounters

[00:33:01] for an in-depth

[00:33:02] conversation

[00:33:03] with guests

[00:33:04] from around

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[00:33:05] exploring phenomena

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[00:33:09] ET encounters

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[00:33:11] and many other

[00:33:12] supernatural topics

[00:33:13] whether you're

[00:33:14] fascinated by

[00:33:15] the creepy

[00:33:15] the curious

[00:33:16] or the deeply

[00:33:17] spiritual

[00:33:18] cryptic encounters

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[00:33:20] provoking journey

[00:33:21] into the unknown.

[00:33:22] You can subscribe

[00:33:23] and listen to

[00:33:23] the first episode

[00:33:24] of my new show

[00:33:25] cryptic encounters

[00:33:26] today on spotify

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[00:33:29] you get

[00:33:30] your podcasts

[00:33:30] check it out.

[00:33:39] I'm a 24 year old

[00:33:40] female and this

[00:33:41] happened about

[00:33:41] three years ago

[00:33:42] when I was 21

[00:33:43] and living in a

[00:33:45] mid-sized city

[00:33:46] in the Midwest.

[00:33:47] At the time

[00:33:48] I had a bicycle

[00:33:49] no car

[00:33:50] and hardly enough

[00:33:51] money for public

[00:33:52] buses.

[00:33:53] I worked at a

[00:33:54] retail battery

[00:33:55] lighting and repair

[00:33:56] store.

[00:33:57] I worked full

[00:33:58] time and lived

[00:33:59] a little over

[00:34:00] a mile from

[00:34:01] my job.

[00:34:02] Since I was

[00:34:03] a female

[00:34:03] in a male

[00:34:04] dominated field

[00:34:05] I was quite

[00:34:06] accustomed to

[00:34:07] targeted abuse

[00:34:08] at least from

[00:34:09] men who thought

[00:34:10] they knew better.

[00:34:12] Many times

[00:34:13] I stood my

[00:34:13] ground and

[00:34:14] flaunted my

[00:34:14] knowledge and

[00:34:15] subjects that

[00:34:16] these men

[00:34:16] couldn't grasp

[00:34:17] and due to my

[00:34:18] willingness to

[00:34:19] learn and

[00:34:20] close proximity

[00:34:20] to work

[00:34:21] my schedule

[00:34:22] was all over

[00:34:23] the place

[00:34:23] so I mostly

[00:34:24] worked by myself.

[00:34:27] When this

[00:34:27] occurred

[00:34:28] I wasn't

[00:34:29] scheduled to

[00:34:29] close.

[00:34:30] It was a

[00:34:31] windy drizzly

[00:34:32] early fall

[00:34:33] night.

[00:34:34] I remember

[00:34:34] this because

[00:34:35] I had my

[00:34:36] bike with

[00:34:36] me which

[00:34:37] became my

[00:34:38] anchor that

[00:34:39] night.

[00:34:40] My co-worker

[00:34:41] Joey, a

[00:34:41] 22 year old

[00:34:42] male, came

[00:34:43] in for an

[00:34:44] evening shift

[00:34:44] after his

[00:34:45] class at the

[00:34:46] local college.

[00:34:48] We had a

[00:34:49] close friendship.

[00:34:50] We often

[00:34:50] stood up for

[00:34:51] each other.

[00:34:52] We were also

[00:34:53] good about

[00:34:53] taking over

[00:34:54] for one another

[00:34:55] in cases where

[00:34:56] we felt flustered

[00:34:57] or needed to

[00:34:58] step away to

[00:34:59] go to the

[00:35:00] bathroom in the

[00:35:00] back.

[00:35:01] Joey received

[00:35:02] a phone call

[00:35:03] inquiring about

[00:35:04] getting a

[00:35:05] repair on a

[00:35:05] smartphone.

[00:35:07] It sounded

[00:35:08] like it was

[00:35:08] an LG

[00:35:09] but it was

[00:35:10] a low tier

[00:35:11] phone so he

[00:35:12] wasn't 100%

[00:35:13] certain if it

[00:35:14] was a phone

[00:35:15] that we would

[00:35:15] be able to

[00:35:16] repair.

[00:35:17] He asked the

[00:35:18] young female

[00:35:19] caller to

[00:35:19] stop by for

[00:35:20] a consultation

[00:35:21] so that we

[00:35:22] could take a

[00:35:23] look at it.

[00:35:24] The young

[00:35:25] lady on the

[00:35:25] phone quickly

[00:35:26] agreed and

[00:35:27] said that she

[00:35:27] would stop by

[00:35:28] at around

[00:35:29] 5.30pm.

[00:35:30] This was a

[00:35:31] night that I

[00:35:32] was supposed

[00:35:32] to be off

[00:35:33] at 6pm so

[00:35:34] that I could

[00:35:34] catch the

[00:35:35] bus at

[00:35:35] 6.12.

[00:35:36] A little

[00:35:37] before 6pm

[00:35:38] this frantic

[00:35:39] terrified

[00:35:40] bawling

[00:35:41] 20 something

[00:35:41] year old

[00:35:42] woman came

[00:35:43] into our

[00:35:43] tiny shop.

[00:35:44] I was at

[00:35:45] the counter

[00:35:45] replacing worn

[00:35:47] out price tags

[00:35:48] and just doing

[00:35:49] some other

[00:35:49] general tasks.

[00:35:51] I looked up

[00:35:52] at her

[00:35:52] confused but

[00:35:54] willing to

[00:35:54] help.

[00:35:55] She looked

[00:35:56] me deep

[00:35:57] in the eyes

[00:35:57] and asked

[00:35:58] if Joey

[00:35:59] was around.

[00:36:00] At the

[00:36:01] time he

[00:36:02] was in our

[00:36:02] bathroom in

[00:36:03] the back so

[00:36:04] I had to

[00:36:04] step in and

[00:36:05] help our

[00:36:05] customers until

[00:36:06] he came

[00:36:06] back.

[00:36:07] I told her

[00:36:08] that Joey

[00:36:08] was there but

[00:36:09] he was

[00:36:10] currently busy

[00:36:11] and I was

[00:36:11] willing to

[00:36:12] help her

[00:36:12] in the

[00:36:13] interim.

[00:36:14] She timidly

[00:36:15] handed over

[00:36:16] a cheap

[00:36:16] very smashed

[00:36:18] phone.

[00:36:20] My customer

[00:36:20] service skills

[00:36:21] couldn't

[00:36:22] prepare me for

[00:36:23] what she was

[00:36:23] going to do.

[00:36:24] to say next.

[00:36:25] She quietly

[00:36:26] told me that

[00:36:27] her boyfriend

[00:36:27] who was

[00:36:28] outside in

[00:36:28] his red

[00:36:28] truck in

[00:36:29] our small

[00:36:30] parking lot

[00:36:31] had gotten

[00:36:31] angry and

[00:36:32] smashed her

[00:36:33] phone when

[00:36:33] she tried to

[00:36:34] call her

[00:36:34] sister that

[00:36:35] afternoon.

[00:36:36] I took the

[00:36:37] backing off

[00:36:38] of the

[00:36:38] phone and

[00:36:39] I tried to

[00:36:39] research the

[00:36:40] model to

[00:36:40] see if I

[00:36:41] could do

[00:36:41] any kind

[00:36:42] of screen

[00:36:42] repair for

[00:36:43] her.

[00:36:44] Our

[00:36:44] procedures

[00:36:45] had no

[00:36:46] results for

[00:36:46] her phone

[00:36:47] model.

[00:36:48] I tried to

[00:36:49] hand the

[00:36:49] destroyed phone

[00:36:50] back to her

[00:36:51] but she

[00:36:52] pushed it

[00:36:52] back into

[00:36:53] my hands

[00:36:53] with this

[00:36:54] pleading

[00:36:55] look.

[00:36:56] Then the

[00:36:57] honking

[00:36:57] commenced.

[00:36:58] There was

[00:36:59] this light

[00:37:00] drizzle outside

[00:37:01] so our

[00:37:01] front glass

[00:37:02] door had

[00:37:03] water droplets

[00:37:04] beating on it

[00:37:04] and it was

[00:37:05] slightly fogged

[00:37:06] over.

[00:37:06] Since my view

[00:37:07] was obscured I

[00:37:08] couldn't see who

[00:37:09] was out there

[00:37:10] honking.

[00:37:11] I told her

[00:37:12] again that I

[00:37:13] couldn't help

[00:37:14] her and I

[00:37:14] advised her to

[00:37:15] try a competitor

[00:37:16] who also does

[00:37:18] cell phone repairs

[00:37:19] down the road.

[00:37:21] Then the

[00:37:22] tears really

[00:37:23] started to

[00:37:23] flow down

[00:37:24] her cheeks.

[00:37:25] I was

[00:37:26] getting freaked

[00:37:26] out since

[00:37:27] she kept

[00:37:27] throwing

[00:37:28] glances

[00:37:28] behind her

[00:37:29] and the

[00:37:29] honking from

[00:37:30] outside had

[00:37:31] become non-stop.

[00:37:33] I was

[00:37:34] involuntarily

[00:37:35] shaking with

[00:37:36] fear and

[00:37:37] rage.

[00:37:38] I too was in

[00:37:39] a domestic

[00:37:39] abuse situation

[00:37:40] at the time

[00:37:41] so I knew

[00:37:41] all too well

[00:37:42] what this

[00:37:43] girl was

[00:37:43] experiencing.

[00:37:44] I broke

[00:37:45] my gaze

[00:37:46] which was

[00:37:47] locked on

[00:37:47] her and

[00:37:48] I searched

[00:37:49] through our

[00:37:49] database a

[00:37:50] second time

[00:37:51] to see if I

[00:37:51] could find

[00:37:52] any kind

[00:37:52] of solution.

[00:37:54] My search

[00:37:55] again yielded

[00:37:55] nothing.

[00:37:56] Then I looked

[00:37:57] up from the

[00:37:58] computer and

[00:37:58] saw this

[00:37:59] shadowy figure

[00:38:00] of a young

[00:38:00] man pacing

[00:38:02] in front of

[00:38:02] the store.

[00:38:04] I was

[00:38:04] slightly relieved

[00:38:05] since the

[00:38:06] honking stopped

[00:38:07] but I was

[00:38:07] feeling increasingly

[00:38:09] shaken up.

[00:38:10] My whole body

[00:38:11] vibrated with

[00:38:12] fear and I

[00:38:12] whispered to

[00:38:13] her over the

[00:38:14] counter and

[00:38:14] asked if she

[00:38:15] needed me to

[00:38:16] call 911.

[00:38:17] She slammed

[00:38:18] her hands down

[00:38:19] on the

[00:38:19] counter and

[00:38:20] said I could

[00:38:21] not do that

[00:38:21] and begged

[00:38:23] me not to.

[00:38:24] My co-worker

[00:38:25] Joey finally

[00:38:26] emerged from

[00:38:27] the back and

[00:38:28] then asked what

[00:38:29] was up with

[00:38:29] all of the

[00:38:30] honking.

[00:38:31] This was

[00:38:32] mostly because

[00:38:32] we sometimes

[00:38:33] had a lot of

[00:38:34] elderly or

[00:38:35] disabled customers

[00:38:36] who would

[00:38:36] honk their

[00:38:37] horns signaling

[00:38:38] for us to

[00:38:38] come out and

[00:38:39] pick up heavy

[00:38:40] battery cores

[00:38:40] from their

[00:38:41] cars.

[00:38:42] He assumed

[00:38:43] it was one

[00:38:43] of those

[00:38:44] situations but

[00:38:45] when he

[00:38:45] saw the

[00:38:45] expression on

[00:38:46] my face

[00:38:47] and the

[00:38:47] young woman's

[00:38:48] face he knew

[00:38:49] something else

[00:38:50] was going on.

[00:38:51] The young

[00:38:52] man outside

[00:38:53] stopped pacing

[00:38:53] and began

[00:38:54] banging on

[00:38:55] the front

[00:38:55] door.

[00:38:57] Joey took

[00:38:58] the girl's

[00:38:58] phone from

[00:38:59] my hands

[00:39:00] and told me

[00:39:01] to go to

[00:39:01] the back

[00:39:01] and lock

[00:39:02] the employee

[00:39:03] only doors.

[00:39:05] I did as

[00:39:05] I was told

[00:39:06] and then grabbed

[00:39:07] my bag,

[00:39:08] my bike,

[00:39:08] and my

[00:39:09] jacket.

[00:39:09] I looked

[00:39:10] at the

[00:39:10] clock in

[00:39:11] the back

[00:39:11] and it

[00:39:11] read

[00:39:12] 614,

[00:39:13] which meant

[00:39:13] that I

[00:39:14] missed the

[00:39:14] bus.

[00:39:15] I didn't

[00:39:16] even realize

[00:39:17] the time

[00:39:17] since I

[00:39:17] was so

[00:39:18] concerned

[00:39:18] about this

[00:39:19] girl and

[00:39:20] how both

[00:39:20] of us

[00:39:21] felt like

[00:39:22] trapped

[00:39:22] animals.

[00:39:24] Joey was a

[00:39:25] bodybuilder

[00:39:26] during his

[00:39:26] free time.

[00:39:27] He was a

[00:39:28] gentle but

[00:39:29] short and

[00:39:30] stocky guy.

[00:39:32] I was a

[00:39:33] short,

[00:39:33] overweight,

[00:39:34] and kind

[00:39:34] lady who

[00:39:35] tended to

[00:39:36] respond to

[00:39:37] situations

[00:39:37] in either

[00:39:38] of two

[00:39:39] ways.

[00:39:39] I would

[00:39:40] either become

[00:39:41] a doormat

[00:39:41] or I

[00:39:42] would be

[00:39:43] ready to

[00:39:43] stand my

[00:39:44] ground.

[00:39:45] I knew

[00:39:45] that I

[00:39:46] couldn't

[00:39:46] fight a

[00:39:47] customer

[00:39:47] and neither

[00:39:48] could Joey.

[00:39:49] Not because

[00:39:50] of our

[00:39:51] physicality,

[00:39:52] but we'd

[00:39:53] lose our

[00:39:53] jobs,

[00:39:54] so I had

[00:39:55] no idea

[00:39:55] what to

[00:39:56] do.

[00:39:57] The young

[00:39:58] guy then

[00:39:59] flung the

[00:40:00] door open

[00:40:00] which stayed

[00:40:01] open due

[00:40:02] to the

[00:40:02] wind.

[00:40:03] He had

[00:40:03] this maniacal,

[00:40:04] hateful look

[00:40:05] about him.

[00:40:06] He was slim

[00:40:07] but muscular

[00:40:08] and he

[00:40:09] looked like

[00:40:09] a predator.

[00:40:11] He was in

[00:40:12] his early

[00:40:12] twenties and

[00:40:13] was soaked

[00:40:13] by the

[00:40:14] rain.

[00:40:14] He snatched

[00:40:15] the broken

[00:40:16] phone off

[00:40:16] of the

[00:40:16] counter and

[00:40:17] grabbed the

[00:40:18] girl to

[00:40:18] tow her out

[00:40:19] of the

[00:40:20] store.

[00:40:21] He hurled

[00:40:21] insults at

[00:40:22] us and I

[00:40:23] gave the

[00:40:23] girl a

[00:40:24] pitied

[00:40:24] look.

[00:40:25] He slammed

[00:40:26] the door

[00:40:26] shut,

[00:40:27] leaving Joey

[00:40:27] and I

[00:40:28] standing there

[00:40:29] in absolute

[00:40:29] silence.

[00:40:31] Joey quickly

[00:40:31] snapped out

[00:40:32] of it and

[00:40:33] ran to the

[00:40:33] front door

[00:40:34] to lock

[00:40:34] it.

[00:40:35] I then

[00:40:35] told him

[00:40:36] to call

[00:40:36] our manager

[00:40:37] from our

[00:40:37] store landline

[00:40:38] and stuck

[00:40:39] around while

[00:40:40] he did.

[00:40:41] I noticed

[00:40:42] that the

[00:40:42] guy had

[00:40:43] moved his

[00:40:44] truck directly

[00:40:45] in front of

[00:40:45] our door.

[00:40:46] He was

[00:40:47] watching us

[00:40:47] from his

[00:40:48] truck as we

[00:40:49] were behind

[00:40:49] the counter

[00:40:50] on the phone

[00:40:50] with our

[00:40:51] manager.

[00:40:52] I had to

[00:40:53] leave to

[00:40:53] get home

[00:40:54] since the

[00:40:55] last possible

[00:40:56] bus arriving

[00:40:56] was at

[00:40:57] 642.

[00:40:59] I couldn't

[00:41:00] miss this

[00:41:00] bus since

[00:41:01] it would

[00:41:02] have been

[00:41:02] impossible for

[00:41:03] me to

[00:41:03] pedal all

[00:41:03] the way

[00:41:04] home in

[00:41:04] this weather.

[00:41:05] It was

[00:41:06] 618 and

[00:41:07] I just

[00:41:07] needed to

[00:41:08] cross a

[00:41:08] busy highway

[00:41:09] and walk

[00:41:09] down the

[00:41:10] sidewalk for

[00:41:10] about an

[00:41:11] eighth of a

[00:41:11] mile to

[00:41:12] get to

[00:41:12] the stop.

[00:41:13] Joey,

[00:41:14] the guy

[00:41:14] in the

[00:41:14] truck,

[00:41:15] and I

[00:41:16] stared each

[00:41:17] other down

[00:41:17] until about

[00:41:18] 623 when

[00:41:20] the guy from

[00:41:20] the truck

[00:41:21] finally left

[00:41:22] the parking

[00:41:22] lot.

[00:41:23] I told

[00:41:24] Joey that

[00:41:24] I would

[00:41:24] wait a few

[00:41:25] more minutes

[00:41:25] and leave

[00:41:26] at 625 to

[00:41:28] get over to

[00:41:28] the bus stop.

[00:41:30] A few

[00:41:30] minutes later,

[00:41:31] Joey opened

[00:41:31] the front door

[00:41:32] and I flew

[00:41:33] myself on top

[00:41:34] of my bike

[00:41:34] and pedaled

[00:41:35] harder than

[00:41:36] ever.

[00:41:36] Now,

[00:41:37] mind you,

[00:41:38] our store

[00:41:38] was in an

[00:41:39] industrial shopping

[00:41:40] area at the

[00:41:41] very edge of

[00:41:42] town.

[00:41:42] We worked

[00:41:43] next to a

[00:41:44] sub shop

[00:41:44] and across

[00:41:45] from a

[00:41:46] strip mall

[00:41:46] with a

[00:41:47] bullseye

[00:41:47] store,

[00:41:48] a local

[00:41:48] grocery chain,

[00:41:49] a few other

[00:41:50] retail stores

[00:41:50] and a bank

[00:41:51] and a large

[00:41:52] lot.

[00:41:53] As I set

[00:41:54] off to the

[00:41:54] bus stop,

[00:41:55] it started

[00:41:56] to downpour

[00:41:57] and as I

[00:41:58] straddled my

[00:41:58] bike and

[00:41:59] tried to

[00:41:59] pull out of

[00:42:00] the parking

[00:42:00] lot,

[00:42:00] I caught a

[00:42:01] glimpse of

[00:42:02] the red

[00:42:02] truck.

[00:42:03] He was

[00:42:04] looping around

[00:42:04] at the

[00:42:05] sub shop.

[00:42:06] The highway

[00:42:07] I needed to

[00:42:08] cross had

[00:42:09] two lanes

[00:42:10] going in

[00:42:10] each direction,

[00:42:11] so I

[00:42:12] essentially

[00:42:13] had to

[00:42:13] play real

[00:42:14] life frogger

[00:42:15] to get to

[00:42:15] my destination

[00:42:16] in one

[00:42:17] piece.

[00:42:18] There were

[00:42:18] a few

[00:42:19] cars that

[00:42:19] slowed down

[00:42:20] for me as

[00:42:20] I hauled

[00:42:21] ass to

[00:42:21] the other

[00:42:22] side of

[00:42:22] the road.

[00:42:23] When I

[00:42:23] got across,

[00:42:24] my front

[00:42:25] wheel got

[00:42:26] caught in

[00:42:26] some grass

[00:42:27] and my

[00:42:28] right foot

[00:42:28] slipped off

[00:42:29] of the

[00:42:29] pedal.

[00:42:30] The pedal

[00:42:31] struck my

[00:42:31] shin and I

[00:42:32] had to act

[00:42:33] quickly,

[00:42:33] so I grabbed

[00:42:34] my bike by

[00:42:35] the frame,

[00:42:35] picked it up,

[00:42:36] and awkwardly

[00:42:37] jogged to

[00:42:37] the bus

[00:42:38] stop.

[00:42:38] The red

[00:42:39] truck pulled

[00:42:40] into the

[00:42:40] bank parking

[00:42:41] lot,

[00:42:41] which I

[00:42:42] had to

[00:42:42] pass.

[00:42:43] The truck

[00:42:44] was pulling

[00:42:45] around until

[00:42:45] it went

[00:42:46] through the

[00:42:46] entrance across

[00:42:47] from the

[00:42:47] sub shop.

[00:42:48] To do so,

[00:42:49] the truck

[00:42:50] got into

[00:42:51] the lane

[00:42:51] closest to

[00:42:52] me.

[00:42:52] He was

[00:42:53] now crawling

[00:42:54] beside me,

[00:42:55] until he

[00:42:55] turned at the

[00:42:56] next light so

[00:42:57] that he could

[00:42:57] circle the

[00:42:58] main parking

[00:42:58] lot of the

[00:42:59] shopping center.

[00:43:00] I stuck

[00:43:01] to the

[00:43:01] sidewalks,

[00:43:02] since it

[00:43:02] felt safer,

[00:43:03] and it

[00:43:03] kept me

[00:43:04] in the

[00:43:04] view of

[00:43:04] more

[00:43:05] people.

[00:43:06] Meanwhile,

[00:43:06] this truck

[00:43:07] patrolled the

[00:43:07] parking lot

[00:43:08] like a

[00:43:09] hunter

[00:43:09] stalking its

[00:43:10] prey.

[00:43:10] I felt

[00:43:11] cold,

[00:43:12] sore,

[00:43:12] and

[00:43:12] cornered.

[00:43:13] I felt

[00:43:14] vulnerable,

[00:43:15] like an

[00:43:15] injured

[00:43:16] animal.

[00:43:17] There were

[00:43:17] a couple

[00:43:17] of cars

[00:43:18] that pulled

[00:43:19] into the

[00:43:19] entrance of

[00:43:19] the

[00:43:20] parking

[00:43:20] lot,

[00:43:20] which

[00:43:20] prevented

[00:43:21] the

[00:43:21] truck

[00:43:21] from

[00:43:21] re-entering

[00:43:22] the

[00:43:22] lot

[00:43:22] again.

[00:43:23] I

[00:43:23] nearly

[00:43:24] collapsed

[00:43:24] when I

[00:43:24] got to

[00:43:25] the

[00:43:25] small

[00:43:25] bus

[00:43:25] stop

[00:43:26] and

[00:43:26] felt my

[00:43:27] phone

[00:43:27] buzz.

[00:43:28] It

[00:43:28] was

[00:43:28] Joey.

[00:43:29] I

[00:43:30] leaned the

[00:43:30] bike up

[00:43:30] against

[00:43:31] myself

[00:43:31] so that

[00:43:32] I

[00:43:32] could

[00:43:32] answer

[00:43:32] the

[00:43:32] call.

[00:43:34] Joey

[00:43:34] told me

[00:43:35] that he

[00:43:35] was

[00:43:35] watching

[00:43:36] even

[00:43:36] though

[00:43:36] he

[00:43:36] had

[00:43:37] an

[00:43:37] elderly

[00:43:37] couple

[00:43:37] in

[00:43:38] the

[00:43:38] store

[00:43:38] that

[00:43:38] he

[00:43:38] was

[00:43:38] helping.

[00:43:39] He

[00:43:39] said

[00:43:40] that

[00:43:40] he

[00:43:40] wouldn't

[00:43:40] allow

[00:43:40] that

[00:43:41] guy

[00:43:41] in

[00:43:41] the

[00:43:41] truck

[00:43:41] to

[00:43:41] hurt

[00:43:42] me.

[00:43:42] I

[00:43:43] started

[00:43:43] to cry

[00:43:43] as all

[00:43:44] of this

[00:43:44] caught

[00:43:44] up

[00:44:01] I

[00:44:01] still

[00:44:01] had

[00:44:01] my

[00:44:02] stupid

[00:44:02] bike

[00:44:02] to

[00:44:02] worry

[00:44:03] about

[00:44:03] so

[00:44:03] I

[00:44:03] hung

[00:44:04] up

[00:44:04] with

[00:44:04] Joey

[00:44:04] put

[00:44:05] my

[00:44:05] phone

[00:44:05] in

[00:44:05] my

[00:44:05] jacket

[00:44:06] pocket

[00:44:06] and

[00:44:06] strapped

[00:44:07] my

[00:44:07] bike

[00:44:07] to

[00:44:07] the

[00:44:07] rack

[00:44:08] that

[00:44:08] was

[00:44:08] in

[00:44:08] front

[00:44:08] of

[00:44:09] the

[00:44:09] bus.

[00:44:10] I

[00:44:10] was

[00:44:10] struggling

[00:44:11] since

[00:44:11] my

[00:44:11] bike

[00:44:11] was

[00:44:12] slick

[00:44:12] from

[00:44:12] the

[00:44:12] rain.

[00:44:13] I

[00:44:13] was

[00:44:13] also

[00:44:14] shaking.

[00:44:15] I

[00:44:16] then

[00:44:16] got

[00:44:16] on

[00:44:16] the

[00:44:16] bus

[00:44:17] turned

[00:44:18] to

[00:44:18] the

[00:44:18] open

[00:44:18] bus

[00:44:19] doors

[00:44:19] and

[00:44:19] I

[00:44:19] saw

[00:44:19] that

[00:44:20] the

[00:44:20] truck

[00:44:20] had

[00:44:21] taken

[00:44:21] a

[00:44:21] left

[00:44:21] out

[00:44:22] of

[00:44:22] a

[00:44:22] different

[00:44:22] entrance

[00:44:23] of

[00:44:23] the

[00:44:23] parking

[00:44:23] lot.

[00:44:24] I

[00:44:25] finally

[00:44:25] felt

[00:44:25] like

[00:44:26] I

[00:44:26] could

[00:44:26] let

[00:44:26] my

[00:44:26] guard

[00:44:26] down.

[00:44:28] I

[00:44:28] sat

[00:44:28] in

[00:44:28] the

[00:44:29] front

[00:44:29] of

[00:44:29] the

[00:44:29] bus

[00:44:29] and

[00:44:29] pulled

[00:44:30] my

[00:44:30] damp

[00:44:30] phone

[00:44:31] out

[00:44:31] of

[00:44:31] my

[00:44:31] pocket.

[00:44:32] I

[00:44:32] dialed

[00:44:32] Joey's

[00:44:33] number

[00:44:33] so

[00:44:33] that

[00:44:33] I

[00:44:33] could

[00:44:33] let

[00:44:34] him

[00:44:34] know

[00:44:34] that

[00:44:34] I

[00:44:34] was

[00:44:34] fine.

[00:44:35] In

[00:44:50] own

[00:44:50] domestic

[00:44:50] abuse

[00:44:51] situation

[00:44:51] a few

[00:44:52] months

[00:44:52] later

[00:44:52] when

[00:44:53] COVID

[00:44:53] took

[00:44:54] the

[00:44:54] world

[00:44:54] by

[00:44:54] storm.

[00:44:55] To

[00:44:56] this

[00:44:56] day

[00:44:56] I

[00:44:57] wonder

[00:44:57] about

[00:44:57] that

[00:44:57] girl.

[00:44:58] I

[00:44:58] hope

[00:44:58] that

[00:44:59] somebody

[00:44:59] more

[00:44:59] insistent

[00:45:00] than

[00:45:00] me

[00:45:00] called

[00:45:01] the

[00:45:01] cops

[00:45:01] on

[00:45:01] her

[00:45:01] abuser.

[00:45:02] I

[00:45:03] hope

[00:45:03] that

[00:45:03] she

[00:45:03] found

[00:45:03] the

[00:45:03] strength

[00:45:04] to

[00:45:04] leave

[00:45:04] that

[00:45:04] violent

[00:45:05] man

[00:45:05] and

[00:45:06] write

[00:45:06] her

[00:45:06] own

[00:45:06] story.

[00:45:07] Most

[00:45:08] importantly

[00:45:08] I

[00:45:09] hope

[00:45:09] that

[00:45:09] she

[00:45:10] recovered

[00:45:10] from

[00:45:10] it.

[00:45:11] Since

[00:45:11] I

[00:45:12] left

[00:45:12] my

[00:45:12] situation

[00:45:12] I

[00:45:13] am

[00:45:13] doing

[00:45:13] significantly

[00:45:13] better

[00:45:14] in

[00:45:14] life.

[00:45:15] I

[00:45:15] finally

[00:45:16] have

[00:45:16] a car

[00:45:16] of

[00:45:16] my

[00:45:16] own

[00:45:17] and

[00:45:17] I

[00:45:17] live

[00:45:17] a

[00:45:17] couple

[00:45:17] of

[00:45:18] states

[00:45:18] away

[00:45:18] which

[00:45:18] helps

[00:45:19] me

[00:45:19] feel

[00:45:19] safe

[00:45:20] from

[00:45:21] my

[00:45:21] past.

[00:45:34] This

[00:45:35] happened

[00:45:35] around

[00:45:35] 2005

[00:45:36] when

[00:45:36] I

[00:45:36] was

[00:45:37] in

[00:45:37] town

[00:45:39] and

[00:45:40] she

[00:45:40] wanted

[00:45:40] to

[00:45:40] book

[00:45:40] a

[00:45:41] nice

[00:45:41] hotel

[00:45:41] room

[00:45:42] for

[00:45:42] us

[00:45:42] that

[00:45:43] was

[00:45:43] near

[00:45:43] all

[00:45:43] of

[00:45:43] the

[00:45:44] bars

[00:45:44] and

[00:45:44] the

[00:45:44] night

[00:45:45] life.

[00:45:46] We

[00:45:47] got

[00:45:47] back

[00:45:47] to

[00:45:47] the

[00:45:47] hotel

[00:45:48] late

[00:45:48] but

[00:45:49] before

[00:45:49] midnight.

[00:45:50] We

[00:45:50] were

[00:45:51] intoxicated

[00:45:51] but

[00:45:52] we

[00:45:52] weren't

[00:45:52] black

[00:45:53] out

[00:45:53] drunk.

[00:45:54] We

[00:45:54] got

[00:45:54] in

[00:45:55] our

[00:45:55] pajamas

[00:45:55] got

[00:45:56] into

[00:45:56] bed

[00:45:56] and

[00:45:56] quickly

[00:45:57] fell

[00:45:57] right

[00:45:57] to

[00:45:57] sleep

[00:45:58] in

[00:45:58] the

[00:45:58] queen

[00:45:59] sized

[00:45:59] bed

[00:45:59] together.

[00:46:00] Our

[00:46:01] room

[00:46:01] only

[00:46:01] had

[00:46:02] one

[00:46:02] bed

[00:46:02] because

[00:46:02] she

[00:46:03] accidentally

[00:46:03] told

[00:46:03] them

[00:46:04] there

[00:46:04] would

[00:46:04] be

[00:46:04] one

[00:46:05] occupant

[00:46:05] in

[00:46:05] the

[00:46:05] room.

[00:46:07] Several

[00:46:07] hours

[00:46:08] later

[00:46:08] I

[00:46:08] woke

[00:46:09] up

[00:46:09] bleary

[00:46:09] eyed

[00:46:10] and

[00:46:11] I

[00:46:11] saw

[00:46:11] this

[00:46:11] tall

[00:46:12] man

[00:46:12] standing

[00:46:13] in

[00:46:13] our

[00:46:13] room

[00:46:14] staring

[00:46:15] at

[00:46:15] us.

[00:46:16] In

[00:46:17] my

[00:46:17] stupor

[00:46:17] I

[00:46:18] managed

[00:46:18] to

[00:46:18] calmly

[00:46:19] ask

[00:46:19] what

[00:46:20] are

[00:46:20] you

[00:46:20] doing

[00:46:21] there?

[00:46:22] My

[00:46:23] friend

[00:46:23] woke

[00:46:23] up

[00:46:24] at

[00:46:24] the

[00:46:24] sound

[00:46:24] of

[00:46:24] my

[00:46:24] voice

[00:46:25] and

[00:46:26] asked

[00:46:26] what

[00:46:26] was

[00:46:26] going

[00:46:26] on.

[00:46:27] The

[00:46:28] man

[00:46:28] froze

[00:46:29] like

[00:46:29] a

[00:46:29] deer

[00:46:29] in

[00:46:29] headlights.

[00:46:30] He

[00:46:31] told

[00:46:31] us

[00:46:31] that

[00:46:32] he

[00:46:32] was

[00:46:32] with

[00:46:33] hotel

[00:46:33] security

[00:46:34] and

[00:46:35] there

[00:46:35] had

[00:46:35] been

[00:46:35] a

[00:46:35] report

[00:46:36] of

[00:46:36] a

[00:46:36] disturbance

[00:46:37] so

[00:46:37] he

[00:46:38] came

[00:46:38] into

[00:46:38] our

[00:46:38] room

[00:46:39] to

[00:46:39] ask

[00:46:39] us

[00:46:39] to

[00:46:40] quiet

[00:46:40] down.

[00:46:42] Confused

[00:46:42] we

[00:46:43] told him

[00:46:43] we

[00:46:44] had

[00:46:44] been

[00:46:44] asleep

[00:46:44] for

[00:46:47] and

[00:46:47] have

[00:46:49] a

[00:46:49] good

[00:46:49] night

[00:46:49] and

[00:46:50] walked

[00:46:51] out

[00:46:51] the

[00:46:51] door.

[00:46:54] The

[00:46:56] next

[00:46:57] morning

[00:46:57] we

[00:46:58] went

[00:46:58] downstairs

[00:46:58] and

[00:46:59] talked

[00:46:59] to

[00:46:59] management

[00:47:00] since

[00:47:00] as

[00:47:01] we

[00:47:01] discussed

[00:47:01] this

[00:47:02] we

[00:47:02] realized

[00:47:03] something

[00:47:03] was

[00:47:04] very

[00:47:04] strange.

[00:47:06] Someone

[00:47:06] in

[00:47:06] management

[00:47:07] talked

[00:47:07] to my

[00:47:08] friend

[00:47:08] and

[00:47:08] then

[00:47:09] called

[00:47:09] an

[00:47:09] additional

[00:47:10] manager

[00:47:10] with

[00:47:11] more

[00:47:11] seniority

[00:47:11] over

[00:47:12] to

[00:47:12] talk

[00:47:12] to

[00:47:12] her.

[00:47:13] I

[00:47:13] was

[00:47:14] on

[00:47:14] the

[00:47:14] phone

[00:47:14] watching

[00:47:15] this

[00:47:15] conversation

[00:47:16] unfold

[00:47:16] from

[00:47:16] across

[00:47:17] the

[00:47:17] hotel

[00:47:17] lobby.

[00:47:18] When

[00:47:19] the

[00:47:19] second

[00:47:19] manager

[00:47:20] came

[00:47:20] out

[00:47:20] to

[00:47:20] talk

[00:47:21] to

[00:47:21] my

[00:47:21] friend

[00:47:21] she

[00:47:22] became

[00:47:23] sheet

[00:47:23] white.

[00:47:24] She

[00:47:25] was

[00:47:25] informed

[00:47:26] that

[00:47:26] the

[00:47:26] hotel

[00:47:27] had

[00:47:27] no

[00:47:28] on-site

[00:47:28] security

[00:47:29] team

[00:47:29] and

[00:47:30] no

[00:47:30] one

[00:47:31] had

[00:47:31] called

[00:47:31] in

[00:47:32] about

[00:47:32] any

[00:47:32] disturbances

[00:47:33] the

[00:47:33] night

[00:47:33] before.

[00:47:35] They

[00:47:36] immediately

[00:47:36] moved

[00:47:37] us

[00:47:37] into a

[00:47:37] different

[00:47:37] room

[00:47:38] and

[00:47:38] upgraded

[00:47:38] the

[00:47:38] rest

[00:47:38] of

[00:47:39] our

[00:47:39] stay.

[00:47:40] To

[00:47:41] this

[00:47:41] day

[00:47:41] I

[00:47:42] wonder

[00:47:42] if

[00:47:43] that

[00:47:43] room

[00:47:43] was

[00:47:43] targeted

[00:47:44] because

[00:47:44] the

[00:47:45] reservation

[00:47:45] only

[00:47:46] had one

[00:47:46] woman

[00:47:46] listed.

[00:47:47] I feel

[00:47:48] like that

[00:47:48] man

[00:47:49] somehow

[00:47:49] found

[00:47:50] that

[00:47:50] information

[00:47:51] and

[00:47:51] when

[00:47:51] he

[00:47:52] saw

[00:47:52] that

[00:47:52] there

[00:47:52] were

[00:47:53] actually

[00:47:53] two

[00:47:53] of

[00:47:53] us

[00:47:54] he

[00:47:54] panicked

[00:47:55] and

[00:47:55] decided

[00:47:56] not

[00:47:56] to

[00:48:30] let's

[00:48:30] not

[00:48:30] meet

[00:48:31] live

[00:48:31] shows

[00:48:31] this

[00:48:32] weekend

[00:48:32] I

[00:48:32] am

[00:48:32] in

[00:48:33] San

[00:48:33] Diego

[00:48:33] on

[00:48:33] August

[00:48:34] 10th

[00:48:34] and

[00:48:34] then

[00:48:34] in

[00:48:35] Los

[00:48:35] Angeles

[00:48:35] on

[00:48:35] the

[00:48:36] 11th

[00:49:00] then

[00:49:00] I