13x18: Best Creepy Driver Stories

[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.

[00:00:39] This week on Lets Not Meet, we're sharing a collection of some of the most unsettling driver stories from the podcast. From creepy Uber drivers to terrifying taxis, this episode will have you thinking twice about who you accept a ride from.

[00:00:53] If anything, it's an incredibly important lesson in practicing safety when getting into cars with strangers.

[00:01:00] I've included a recording from one of my favorite guests on the show, Jessica McAvoy, someone you've probably heard on countless episodes of the No Sleep Podcast.

[00:01:08] So let's jump right in. Enjoy the show.

[00:01:29] This story took place during my freshman year of college in 2019.

[00:01:33] I attend a large party school with a large array of nearby bars to choose from.

[00:01:39] That night, a bunch of my friends and I went to what is known as the freshman bar due to their more lenient ID policies.

[00:01:48] Although it was an easy bar to get into, there were a lot of creeps that hung out there, knowing that this was the spot for young, naive freshman girls.

[00:01:58] My friends and I all knew this and took precautions to protect ourselves.

[00:02:02] We never ventured off from the group alone, and we would get a ride back to the dorms together if it was too late.

[00:02:10] We even gave our guy friends signals for when we needed a creepy guy to back off.

[00:02:16] On this particular night, most of my friends had gone home, leaving just me and my best friend, Zach.

[00:02:22] I met Zach at the beginning of the year because he lived in the dorm room next to mine.

[00:02:26] We quickly became close friends.

[00:02:29] All of my roommates and his roommates got along, and we would all go out together every weekend and just hang out between rooms during the week.

[00:02:37] Although Zach was not a very big guy physically, I felt safe around him and I knew that he would do anything to protect me and my friends.

[00:02:46] Zach and I stayed at the bar till about 1.55 a.m.

[00:02:50] When the house lights turned on and the bouncers started to herd everyone out of the building.

[00:02:55] It was absolutely freezing that night, and it was snowing pretty hard.

[00:02:59] I frantically called for an Uber, which would usually take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to pick us up at the bar.

[00:03:06] When we got outside and we were waiting for our ride, Zach decided to light a cigarette.

[00:03:11] He offered me one and I declined.

[00:03:13] But some stranger saw this as an opportunity to bum one off of Zach.

[00:03:18] The stranger sparked up a friendly conversation with us, asking about our night.

[00:03:24] I thought that it was strange that he was alone and didn't have any other friends with him, but also kind of felt bad for the guy.

[00:03:31] The conversation got weird.

[00:03:34] He asked us,

[00:03:35] Do you like to drink?

[00:03:37] Obviously we like to drink.

[00:03:39] We just stayed until last call at the bar.

[00:03:41] Then he asked if Zach and I were a couple.

[00:03:44] We told him no.

[00:03:46] We're just close friends.

[00:03:47] To this he responded,

[00:03:49] Well that's good.

[00:03:50] I have my own place.

[00:03:51] I have four beers and four bedrooms.

[00:03:54] Each of you can have your own room.

[00:03:57] We thought this stranger was messing with us.

[00:04:00] Why would we come to this house only to have one beer?

[00:04:03] Why was he asking us to come stay at his house in the first place?

[00:04:07] We tried to laugh it off, but he kept insisting that we come and hang out at his house and spend the night.

[00:04:13] We also learned that he was 29, which was 10 years older than us.

[00:04:19] At that point, I was pretty uncomfortable, so I told Zach that I was going to look for an Uber in the line of cars, adding that I would be waiting just a few feet away.

[00:04:29] I opened up the Uber app and saw that the car picking us up was going to be a green Subaru.

[00:04:34] I yelled to Zach while maintaining my distance from this stranger.

[00:04:39] I figured that Zach would have the situation handled until the Uber arrived.

[00:04:45] He is a charismatic and friendly guy and knows how to be polite to remove himself from a conversation.

[00:04:52] After a few minutes of waiting, Zach came up to me with a panicked look in his eyes.

[00:04:56] He put his arm around me and started walking, pulling me along with him.

[00:05:00] He told me that he had told the strange man that we were going to leave soon and he said his goodbyes.

[00:05:07] When Zach turned away, he heard the man keep whispering,

[00:05:11] Green Subaru.

[00:05:13] Green Subaru.

[00:05:14] Like he was trying to remember which car we were going to get into.

[00:05:19] Seeing Zach panicked scared me.

[00:05:22] But luckily, we found the Uber within minutes and the stranger was out of sight.

[00:05:27] Zach and I climbed into the back seat and let out a sigh of relief.

[00:05:31] Just happy to be out of the cold.

[00:05:33] The Uber was about to take off when the passenger door opened.

[00:05:37] The man followed us into the Uber.

[00:05:40] Zach and I stared in disbelief as we tried to tell him this was not his ride.

[00:05:46] The driver was in a hurry.

[00:05:48] So the strange guy managed to convince the driver to let him stay with us.

[00:05:52] I honestly think the driver thought that we were all drunk and he didn't want to deal with it.

[00:05:58] As the ride started, our panic turned into fear.

[00:06:02] If this guy was crazy enough to get into the car with us, what else was he capable of?

[00:06:07] Did he have a weapon?

[00:06:08] As we were driving, this strange man tried to reroute the Uber to his house.

[00:06:14] This went on for a few minutes.

[00:06:16] I kept repeating that I ordered the ride and we would need to go to my dorm.

[00:06:21] Zach and I resorted to texting one another at this point to avoid upsetting the strange man

[00:06:27] because he started becoming aggressive when arguing about the destination.

[00:06:32] Thank God we were still going back to our dorm.

[00:06:34] But also, we didn't want this man to know where we lived.

[00:06:38] What would have happened when we got dropped off?

[00:06:41] Would the strange man follow us inside?

[00:06:45] I searched through the Uber app to see if there was anything that I could do to subtly notify the driver,

[00:06:51] but it didn't help that the strange man was sitting in the front seat and could see the driver's phone.

[00:06:58] As we got closer to the dorm, we decided the best option would be to book it for our dorm as soon as the car stopped.

[00:07:04] The car pulled into the drop-off zone, which was at the bottom of a huge flight of stairs leading to the front entrance of our dorm.

[00:07:12] Zach grabbed my hand and we ran out the door and sprinted up the icy concrete stairs.

[00:07:17] It was the longest run of my life.

[00:07:19] I spent the entire time praying that I wouldn't fall, which I was prone to do on these stairs, especially after drinking.

[00:07:27] We wanted to look back to see if the man was following this, but we both knew that we couldn't risk even a second of time.

[00:07:34] When we finally made it up the stairs, we scanned a keycard to get into the building,

[00:07:38] then made it past the second door, which also required a keycard.

[00:07:42] It was only then that we felt safe to process what just happened.

[00:07:47] My roommate was working at the front desk, which happened to be on the 15th floor,

[00:07:52] not the actual lobby of the building where we entered.

[00:07:55] We knew that there were cameras around the building and wondered if she could access them,

[00:08:00] since she worked closely with the resident manager.

[00:08:03] She, unfortunately, did not have access to the live footage,

[00:08:06] so we never found out if the man had followed us or if he was roaming around the building.

[00:08:11] We sure as hell did not want to find out ourselves.

[00:08:16] But at least we felt safe since the doors would only open with student keycards.

[00:08:21] I'll still never know what this strange man's intentions were.

[00:08:25] Did he just want a free ride back to his house?

[00:08:28] Why was he so persistent in trying to get me and Zach to go back to his house

[00:08:32] when we only met a few minutes prior?

[00:08:35] What happened to him after the Uber dropped us off?

[00:08:37] To the strange man that tried to lure two young college students to his house

[00:08:41] and then had the audacity to invade our privacy while trying to escape him?

[00:08:46] Let's never meet.

[00:08:58] Ever walk into a grocery store and have no idea what to get?

[00:09:02] Yeah, me too.

[00:09:03] I've stopped wasting time at the grocery store staring at a giant wall of wine

[00:09:08] and not knowing what to pick up for my wife,

[00:09:10] and I like to surprise her with something new.

[00:09:12] But she's the wine drinker,

[00:09:14] so it's kind of silly for me to even try and guess anymore.

[00:09:17] That's why I got her signed up with Naked Wines.

[00:09:20] Naked Wines is a subscription service that directly connects you to the world's finest independent winemakers,

[00:09:25] so you can get award-winning wine delivered right to your door.

[00:09:29] And with my code MEET, M-E-E-T, you can get six bottles for just $39.99.

[00:09:35] My wife says her favorite is the Scott Kelly Oregon Chardonnay,

[00:09:39] but she has so many others to try for future deliveries.

[00:09:43] She took their quiz and it matched her with some new wines that she absolutely loves.

[00:09:47] It's very easy and convenient.

[00:09:49] Naked Wines has been around for over 15 years and funds over 90 independent winemakers around the world.

[00:09:55] She loves it because she can pause or cancel any time.

[00:09:59] But just because you have a trip coming up doesn't mean that you can't enjoy Naked Wines before and after that much-needed vacation.

[00:10:06] Now is the time to join the Naked Wines community.

[00:10:09] Head to nakedwines.com slash meet and put in my code MEET

[00:10:12] for both the code and password for six bottles of wine for just $39.99, with shipping included.

[00:10:19] That's nakedwines.com slash meet and code MEET for six bottles of wine for $39.99.

[00:10:27] Now back to the show.

[00:10:42] I want to start off by saying I haven't shared this story with many people because of how traumatic it was.

[00:10:49] But I am hoping that this story will help others.

[00:10:54] I'm a middle-aged woman, and people typically would describe me as intimidating upon first meeting.

[00:11:00] But see later that I am a very caring and protective friend.

[00:11:06] This happened in 2021.

[00:11:08] I was in Dallas, Texas finishing the end of a two-week vacation.

[00:11:13] I needed to get a few things to pack up my haul from shopping.

[00:11:18] My friend had been drinking, and I told her not to worry,

[00:11:21] that I'd get an Uber down the road and be right back.

[00:11:26] At first, the driver seemed nice.

[00:11:28] We talked about me being from North Carolina and the differences between our barbecues.

[00:11:35] Then he started making comments about how pretty they make North Carolina girls,

[00:11:39] and how he was about to get off his shift.

[00:11:44] I told him thank you, even though I started to get a bad feeling,

[00:11:48] and that I'd put in for another driver on the ride back.

[00:11:53] He told me that he didn't mind doing it for free,

[00:11:56] since where I was going was only five minutes away.

[00:12:02] Now, because I had seen videos about bad experiences with Uber drivers,

[00:12:07] I told him, no thank you.

[00:12:08] I needed to have a driver who was still on the clock and could be monitored by Uber.

[00:12:13] I thanked him for the ride and went into the store.

[00:12:18] As I'm wandering around to pick a few things up that I need,

[00:12:21] I see that he comes inside.

[00:12:24] I feel all of the blood rush from my face and my stomach dropped.

[00:12:30] I ducked behind an end cap and watched as he went down the aisles,

[00:12:35] looking around presumably for me.

[00:12:38] I take my purchases up to the register line,

[00:12:41] looking around to see if I can find him.

[00:12:44] As I get close to the cashier,

[00:12:46] he finds me and makes a beeline directly towards me.

[00:12:50] Now, I'm a deer in headlights.

[00:12:53] Not fight, not flight.

[00:12:55] He tells me that he has his wife on the phone

[00:12:58] to talk to me to assure me that he's a good guy

[00:13:02] and that I should come hang out with them tonight.

[00:13:06] Gathering all of the southern politeness that I had been brought up with

[00:13:10] to get out of a bad situation,

[00:13:12] I tell him, no thank you,

[00:13:15] and for them to have a good night.

[00:13:18] He walks off into the store again

[00:13:20] and I start the look with the female cashier.

[00:13:25] The look where you're trying to scream through your eyes,

[00:13:28] please help me, I'm scared and I need your help.

[00:13:32] With a shaking voice,

[00:13:33] and as much fake confidence as I could muster,

[00:13:37] I tell her,

[00:13:38] I'm from North Carolina

[00:13:39] and I had to take an Uber here.

[00:13:42] And did they mind if I stood by her

[00:13:45] as I waited for my car to arrive?

[00:13:49] Thank the gods this woman caught everything.

[00:13:51] She told me absolutely,

[00:13:53] had me sit right beside her

[00:13:55] and kept her eyes on me the entire time.

[00:13:58] A few minutes later,

[00:13:59] this guy is coming through again.

[00:14:02] He's coming to the checkout.

[00:14:04] He tries to talk to me.

[00:14:05] He talks to me again.

[00:14:07] He tries to convince me to go home with him.

[00:14:10] I tell him no.

[00:14:12] Firmly, with no politeness at this point.

[00:14:14] I'm terrified,

[00:14:16] but I have backup now.

[00:14:18] He leaves and after the line dies,

[00:14:20] I tell her everything.

[00:14:22] She walks out to check and

[00:14:24] he is still out there.

[00:14:26] At this point,

[00:14:27] I completely break down.

[00:14:29] The first lady called the manager up to the front

[00:14:32] and again,

[00:14:33] luckily,

[00:14:33] this lady was on it.

[00:14:36] She walked out to tell the man to leave,

[00:14:38] but he had left at that point already.

[00:14:41] They stayed with me until the Uber driver arrived

[00:14:43] and the manager gave me her number

[00:14:45] and told me she was going to

[00:14:47] feel him out before I got in.

[00:14:50] She explained to the new driver what had happened

[00:14:53] and let him know that

[00:14:54] I had her number

[00:14:56] to call her if anything happened.

[00:14:58] I hugged both of the ladies

[00:15:00] while sobbing,

[00:15:02] thanking them profusely.

[00:15:04] I rode back to my friend's house

[00:15:06] in terrified silence

[00:15:07] and slipped into

[00:15:08] full panic attack mode

[00:15:10] as soon as I got back.

[00:15:13] To this day,

[00:15:14] I still carry numbers in my wallet

[00:15:15] and I'm forever grateful

[00:15:17] that there were women

[00:15:18] who looked out for other women there.

[00:15:21] I'm also grateful

[00:15:22] to the content that I have seen and heard.

[00:15:25] If I hadn't gleaned the knowledge

[00:15:28] from the content of others' experiences,

[00:15:31] the gods only know

[00:15:33] what could have happened to me.

[00:15:34] I could have been

[00:15:36] a name,

[00:15:37] an ocean of names of women

[00:15:39] who weren't as lucky.

[00:15:42] So to the creepy,

[00:15:43] stalking Uber driver,

[00:15:44] let's never meet again

[00:15:45] because North Carolina

[00:15:46] also makes girls

[00:15:48] who carry grudges.

[00:16:02] When I was 24,

[00:16:03] I used to work at a doctor's office.

[00:16:05] I alternated between

[00:16:06] doing front desk work

[00:16:07] and driving transport

[00:16:08] for car accident patients

[00:16:10] without a vehicle.

[00:16:11] We had one patient

[00:16:13] who used to come in

[00:16:14] and would often try

[00:16:15] to flirt with me

[00:16:16] and on a few occasions

[00:16:17] asked me out,

[00:16:18] which I declined each time.

[00:16:20] I wasn't interested in the man

[00:16:22] nor did I think

[00:16:23] that it would be professional.

[00:16:25] He wound up

[00:16:26] on my transport route.

[00:16:28] He needed a ride

[00:16:29] to the doctor's office

[00:16:30] due to car troubles.

[00:16:31] Once I picked him up,

[00:16:32] he complimented me

[00:16:34] as he usually did,

[00:16:35] but I didn't respond much

[00:16:37] besides a quick thanks.

[00:16:38] I turned up the radio

[00:16:40] to make talking a bit harder

[00:16:41] as over time

[00:16:42] his compliments

[00:16:43] had become pushier.

[00:16:45] He had made me feel

[00:16:46] increasingly uncomfortable

[00:16:47] as he refused

[00:16:48] to take the hint.

[00:16:50] I Ubered to and from work

[00:16:52] because at the time

[00:16:53] I didn't own a car.

[00:16:54] This patient

[00:16:55] happened to be

[00:16:56] our last patient

[00:16:57] in one night.

[00:16:58] As he left,

[00:17:00] he noticed

[00:17:00] that there was

[00:17:01] only one car

[00:17:02] in the parking lot

[00:17:03] besides his.

[00:17:04] He asked about

[00:17:05] the other car

[00:17:06] in the parking lot

[00:17:07] and I explained

[00:17:07] that it was

[00:17:08] one of my co-workers'

[00:17:09] cars and my Uber

[00:17:10] would be by shortly

[00:17:11] to take me home.

[00:17:13] He offered me

[00:17:14] a ride home

[00:17:14] and I declined

[00:17:15] and I said

[00:17:16] that I didn't want

[00:17:17] to be charged

[00:17:18] a last minute

[00:17:19] cancellation fee

[00:17:20] because my ride

[00:17:20] was coming up the block.

[00:17:22] He accepted this

[00:17:23] and left.

[00:17:24] My Uber showed up

[00:17:25] and I went home

[00:17:26] without issue.

[00:17:27] However,

[00:17:28] the next week

[00:17:28] when he came in,

[00:17:29] as he left,

[00:17:31] he paid me

[00:17:32] my usual compliment,

[00:17:33] which at this point

[00:17:35] I just ignored

[00:17:35] because they were

[00:17:36] starting to get annoying.

[00:17:37] Instead of saying

[00:17:38] see you next week,

[00:17:39] he told me that

[00:17:40] he would see me later,

[00:17:42] which I paid

[00:17:44] no real attention to

[00:17:45] until later

[00:17:46] when we were closing.

[00:17:48] I set up

[00:17:49] my Uber ride

[00:17:50] as we locked up

[00:17:51] and I waited

[00:17:52] on the curb.

[00:17:54] I quickly glanced

[00:17:55] at the license plate

[00:17:56] on the app

[00:17:56] like I always did

[00:17:57] and I checked

[00:17:58] as the car pulled in.

[00:18:00] Lo and behold,

[00:18:01] it was my patient.

[00:18:04] As I got in,

[00:18:05] I immediately thought

[00:18:06] back to when he said

[00:18:07] he would see me later.

[00:18:09] I immediately went

[00:18:10] into my app

[00:18:11] and changed the address

[00:18:12] from my exact apartment

[00:18:13] to my apartment complex

[00:18:15] entrance.

[00:18:17] I didn't want him

[00:18:18] to know where I lived.

[00:18:20] As we were driving,

[00:18:21] he made small talk

[00:18:22] and referenced

[00:18:22] that now

[00:18:23] it was his turn

[00:18:24] to drive me around

[00:18:25] since I had done

[00:18:26] the same for him

[00:18:26] at my job.

[00:18:28] I laughed it off.

[00:18:29] Yeah,

[00:18:30] I guess we're even now.

[00:18:32] But then he asked me

[00:18:33] if I wanted to go

[00:18:34] to his place

[00:18:34] which was close by.

[00:18:36] I told him

[00:18:37] I remembered

[00:18:37] where he lived

[00:18:38] but I'd rather go home

[00:18:40] after a long work day.

[00:18:42] He got upset

[00:18:43] and he asked

[00:18:44] why I always

[00:18:45] rejected his advances.

[00:18:46] I explained

[00:18:47] I just

[00:18:48] enjoyed being single.

[00:18:50] He laughed

[00:18:51] and told me

[00:18:52] that nobody

[00:18:52] enjoys being single

[00:18:53] and he said

[00:18:54] that a pretty girl

[00:18:55] like me

[00:18:55] deserved someone

[00:18:56] to love

[00:18:56] and care for her

[00:18:57] but my attitude

[00:18:59] would need to improve.

[00:19:02] I was a bit

[00:19:03] taken aback

[00:19:03] and just stopped

[00:19:05] talking to him

[00:19:05] altogether.

[00:19:06] Then

[00:19:07] he started driving

[00:19:08] off the map's

[00:19:09] guided route.

[00:19:10] I told him

[00:19:10] to get back

[00:19:11] on that road

[00:19:12] and made a fuss

[00:19:13] about how he was

[00:19:14] driving away

[00:19:14] from my apartment.

[00:19:16] I had to pull out

[00:19:17] my phone

[00:19:17] and start dialing

[00:19:18] a friend

[00:19:19] to get him

[00:19:19] to turn around.

[00:19:20] I stayed on the phone

[00:19:22] with that friend

[00:19:22] until he got

[00:19:23] to my apartment complex.

[00:19:24] When he asked me

[00:19:25] which unit was mine

[00:19:27] I got out

[00:19:27] told him

[00:19:28] to mind his business

[00:19:29] and took a long walk

[00:19:31] around

[00:19:31] checking behind me

[00:19:32] to make sure

[00:19:33] that he had left.

[00:19:34] Once I no longer

[00:19:35] saw his car

[00:19:36] I sprinted

[00:19:36] to my apartment

[00:19:37] and I cried

[00:19:38] out of anger

[00:19:39] and fear.

[00:19:40] I don't know

[00:19:41] what his plan

[00:19:41] was for that night.

[00:19:42] I don't know

[00:19:43] if he waited nearby

[00:19:43] to accept my ride request

[00:19:45] knowing when I left work

[00:19:46] I took Uber.

[00:19:48] I don't know

[00:19:49] what he would have done

[00:19:50] if I led him

[00:19:51] to my apartment.

[00:19:52] Needless to say

[00:19:53] I told my boss

[00:19:54] about what happened

[00:19:54] and he made sure

[00:19:55] that I never had to be

[00:19:56] around that patient

[00:19:57] when he came in

[00:19:58] and soon after

[00:19:59] I got my own car.

[00:20:01] To the patient

[00:20:02] who became

[00:20:02] my Uber driver

[00:20:03] let's not meet again.

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[00:21:57] Uncommon Goods

[00:21:58] we're all

[00:21:58] out of the ordinary.

[00:22:00] Now back to the show.

[00:22:09] As a long time

[00:22:10] fan of the podcast

[00:22:11] I'm eager to share

[00:22:13] one of my experiences.

[00:22:14] I live in Manila,

[00:22:16] Philippines

[00:22:16] and if you've ever

[00:22:18] been here

[00:22:18] you know what the city

[00:22:20] can be like.

[00:22:21] Despite living here

[00:22:22] since college

[00:22:23] I've never felt

[00:22:24] safe outside.

[00:22:25] This story happened

[00:22:26] four years ago

[00:22:27] when I was 31 years old.

[00:22:29] I'm a female

[00:22:29] now 35

[00:22:30] and a small business owner.

[00:22:32] This happened around

[00:22:33] August

[00:22:34] after one of my

[00:22:35] client meetings.

[00:22:36] As the client's

[00:22:37] location

[00:22:38] had limited

[00:22:39] parking spaces

[00:22:40] I opted to use

[00:22:41] a ride sharing

[00:22:42] app to get there

[00:22:43] and fortunately

[00:22:44] I arrived early

[00:22:46] and waited for my

[00:22:47] meeting to begin.

[00:22:49] Unfortunately

[00:22:49] the presentation

[00:22:51] took longer

[00:22:52] than anticipated.

[00:22:53] I wanted to

[00:22:54] avoid the rush hour

[00:22:55] because booking a ride

[00:22:56] was difficult enough

[00:22:57] as it was.

[00:22:59] Normally

[00:22:59] I would use the train

[00:23:00] or bus to get home

[00:23:02] but I had my laptop

[00:23:03] and other presentation

[00:23:04] materials

[00:23:05] which made it

[00:23:06] impossible.

[00:23:07] Therefore

[00:23:07] not having driven

[00:23:08] there was a bad

[00:23:09] decision.

[00:23:11] With no other

[00:23:12] options

[00:23:12] I decided to

[00:23:13] wait for a cab

[00:23:14] even though they

[00:23:15] have a bad

[00:23:15] reputation in this

[00:23:16] city for cheating

[00:23:17] passengers

[00:23:18] and charging

[00:23:19] exorbitant fees.

[00:23:20] I hated the idea

[00:23:22] but I had no

[00:23:23] other choice.

[00:23:24] Several taxis

[00:23:25] drove past me

[00:23:26] but most of them

[00:23:27] already had

[00:23:28] passengers.

[00:23:29] Unfortunately

[00:23:30] my luck

[00:23:31] worsened

[00:23:32] when it started

[00:23:33] raining.

[00:23:33] In Manila

[00:23:34] when it rains

[00:23:35] it's almost impossible

[00:23:37] to find any kind

[00:23:37] of public

[00:23:38] transportation.

[00:23:39] After waiting

[00:23:40] around for 20

[00:23:41] minutes

[00:23:41] I finally managed

[00:23:43] to flag down

[00:23:44] a taxi.

[00:23:45] The taxi driver

[00:23:46] opened the

[00:23:47] passenger side

[00:23:48] door.

[00:23:48] I usually sit

[00:23:50] in the back

[00:23:50] but I made

[00:23:51] an exception

[00:23:52] this day

[00:23:52] because I was

[00:23:53] desperate.

[00:23:54] I didn't think

[00:23:55] too much of it.

[00:23:56] I thought that

[00:23:57] he was kind

[00:23:58] in opening the

[00:23:59] door for me

[00:23:59] since the weather

[00:24:00] was so terrible.

[00:24:02] I discovered

[00:24:02] how wrong I was.

[00:24:04] I fastened

[00:24:05] my seatbelt

[00:24:05] and told the driver

[00:24:06] to take me

[00:24:07] to a shopping

[00:24:07] mall

[00:24:08] near my

[00:24:08] workplace.

[00:24:09] He agreed

[00:24:10] but asked

[00:24:11] if we could

[00:24:11] take an

[00:24:12] alternate route

[00:24:12] to avoid

[00:24:13] heavy traffic.

[00:24:14] I agreed

[00:24:15] as this

[00:24:16] was not

[00:24:17] unusual

[00:24:17] in Manila.

[00:24:18] He began

[00:24:19] to engage

[00:24:20] me in

[00:24:20] conversation.

[00:24:21] He said

[00:24:21] you're very

[00:24:22] pretty.

[00:24:23] My name's

[00:24:23] Edward.

[00:24:24] What's yours?

[00:24:25] I responded

[00:24:26] with my nickname.

[00:24:27] He then

[00:24:28] extended his

[00:24:29] hand out

[00:24:29] for a handshake

[00:24:30] which seemed

[00:24:31] unusual

[00:24:32] but I went

[00:24:33] along with it.

[00:24:34] His grasp

[00:24:35] was more like

[00:24:36] a massage

[00:24:37] making me

[00:24:37] uncomfortable

[00:24:38] and disgusted.

[00:24:39] He complimented

[00:24:40] my hands

[00:24:41] and skin

[00:24:41] as he inquired

[00:24:42] about my

[00:24:43] relationship status.

[00:24:44] He said

[00:24:45] your hands

[00:24:46] are very soft.

[00:24:47] You have

[00:24:48] very smooth

[00:24:48] skin.

[00:24:49] Do you have

[00:24:49] a boyfriend?

[00:24:51] He sure

[00:24:51] is lucky.

[00:24:53] Of course

[00:24:54] alarm bells

[00:24:55] started to ring

[00:24:55] like a firetruck

[00:24:56] siren in my head.

[00:24:58] I wondered

[00:24:59] if I should

[00:24:59] ask him

[00:25:00] to return

[00:25:00] to my

[00:25:01] client's office

[00:25:02] and pretend

[00:25:03] I had

[00:25:03] forgotten

[00:25:03] something.

[00:25:04] Looking

[00:25:05] at the

[00:25:05] heavy traffic

[00:25:06] I knew

[00:25:07] that was

[00:25:07] impossible.

[00:25:08] I thought

[00:25:09] I'd just

[00:25:09] play along

[00:25:10] until I

[00:25:11] was able

[00:25:11] to reach

[00:25:12] a place

[00:25:12] where I

[00:25:12] could

[00:25:12] politely

[00:25:13] say

[00:25:13] I'm

[00:25:13] getting

[00:25:14] out

[00:25:14] for

[00:25:14] whatever

[00:25:15] reason

[00:25:15] I

[00:25:16] would

[00:25:16] come

[00:25:16] up

[00:25:16] with.

[00:25:17] He

[00:25:17] continued

[00:25:18] asking me

[00:25:18] more

[00:25:18] personal

[00:25:19] questions

[00:25:19] about my

[00:25:20] age,

[00:25:20] birthday,

[00:25:20] and job.

[00:25:21] I just

[00:25:22] invented

[00:25:23] half of the

[00:25:23] things that

[00:25:24] I told

[00:25:24] him.

[00:25:25] Now my

[00:25:26] mind

[00:25:26] was filled

[00:25:26] with

[00:25:27] various

[00:25:27] scenarios.

[00:25:29] I didn't

[00:25:29] like how

[00:25:30] he was

[00:25:30] looking at

[00:25:30] me.

[00:25:31] I felt

[00:25:31] disgusted

[00:25:31] whenever he

[00:25:32] turned to

[00:25:33] stare at

[00:25:33] me.

[00:25:34] I wore

[00:25:35] this very

[00:25:35] ordinary

[00:25:36] but smart

[00:25:37] looking white

[00:25:37] top and

[00:25:38] black pants.

[00:25:39] The Philippines

[00:25:40] is a hot

[00:25:40] country,

[00:25:41] so my top

[00:25:42] was naturally

[00:25:42] thinner.

[00:25:43] Whenever he

[00:25:44] looked at

[00:25:45] me, I felt

[00:25:45] like he was

[00:25:46] undressing

[00:25:46] me.

[00:25:47] And yes,

[00:25:47] he could

[00:25:48] glance at

[00:25:48] me often

[00:25:49] because of

[00:25:50] the heavy

[00:25:50] traffic.

[00:25:52] It was

[00:25:52] like we were

[00:25:53] in the middle

[00:25:53] of a never

[00:25:54] ending parking

[00:25:55] lot.

[00:25:56] That's when

[00:25:57] an idea came

[00:25:57] to me.

[00:25:58] What if I

[00:25:59] just open

[00:25:59] the door

[00:26:00] and run?

[00:26:00] But the

[00:26:02] area that I

[00:26:02] was in

[00:26:03] was pretty

[00:26:03] dangerous.

[00:26:04] I didn't

[00:26:05] want my

[00:26:06] laptop and

[00:26:06] other

[00:26:06] possessions

[00:26:07] to get

[00:26:07] stolen,

[00:26:07] plus it

[00:26:08] was pouring

[00:26:09] outside.

[00:26:10] We were

[00:26:11] on the

[00:26:11] route that

[00:26:11] he suggested

[00:26:12] and I

[00:26:13] attempted to

[00:26:13] verify it

[00:26:14] on ways

[00:26:14] since I'm

[00:26:15] not very

[00:26:16] good with

[00:26:16] directions.

[00:26:17] I was

[00:26:18] relieved to

[00:26:18] see that

[00:26:19] it was

[00:26:19] indeed the

[00:26:20] right way

[00:26:20] and again

[00:26:21] he kept

[00:26:22] on trying

[00:26:22] to continue

[00:26:23] the conversation.

[00:26:24] We reached

[00:26:25] an area

[00:26:25] with many

[00:26:26] restaurants and

[00:26:27] other

[00:26:27] establishments

[00:26:28] like motels.

[00:26:29] He said,

[00:26:30] I'm hungry.

[00:26:31] Let's stop at

[00:26:32] one of the

[00:26:32] restaurants.

[00:26:33] I'll treat

[00:26:33] you to

[00:26:33] dinner.

[00:26:35] I immediately

[00:26:35] declined.

[00:26:36] He asked me

[00:26:37] if something

[00:26:38] was wrong.

[00:26:38] I sensed a

[00:26:40] shift in his

[00:26:40] tone and

[00:26:41] felt like it

[00:26:42] would be best

[00:26:42] not to agitate

[00:26:43] him since I

[00:26:44] was unsure

[00:26:45] of his

[00:26:45] thoughts.

[00:26:46] I replied,

[00:26:47] it's just

[00:26:48] that I need

[00:26:48] to return to

[00:26:49] the office as

[00:26:50] soon as

[00:26:50] possible or

[00:26:51] my boss

[00:26:51] will get

[00:26:51] angry.

[00:26:52] As a reminder,

[00:26:53] I'm a small

[00:26:54] business owner so

[00:26:55] there is no

[00:26:55] boss.

[00:26:56] He insisted,

[00:26:58] it won't take

[00:26:59] long and I'll

[00:27:00] take you to

[00:27:00] your office when

[00:27:01] we're done.

[00:27:02] Again,

[00:27:02] I said no.

[00:27:04] After thinking a

[00:27:05] bit, seemingly

[00:27:06] pleased, he

[00:27:06] said, I know,

[00:27:08] let's just go to

[00:27:09] McDonald's drive

[00:27:09] through.

[00:27:10] I politely

[00:27:11] refused this new

[00:27:12] suggestion, but

[00:27:14] he drove there

[00:27:14] anyway.

[00:27:15] I was so

[00:27:16] irritated that I

[00:27:17] couldn't just get

[00:27:18] out and run

[00:27:18] away in the

[00:27:19] stormy weather.

[00:27:20] When we arrived

[00:27:21] at McDonald's,

[00:27:21] he asked me what

[00:27:22] I wanted.

[00:27:23] I stopped

[00:27:24] protesting and

[00:27:25] just ordered

[00:27:25] some chicken

[00:27:26] nuggets and

[00:27:27] a coffee.

[00:27:28] When we got

[00:27:29] our orders, I

[00:27:30] held on to that

[00:27:31] hot coffee,

[00:27:32] thinking I'd

[00:27:32] burn his face

[00:27:33] with it if he

[00:27:33] tried something

[00:27:34] with me.

[00:27:35] Again, I

[00:27:36] checked my

[00:27:36] Waze app to

[00:27:37] see how much

[00:27:38] longer I had

[00:27:39] to endure

[00:27:39] this.

[00:27:40] It would be

[00:27:40] 20 more

[00:27:41] minutes.

[00:27:41] I told myself

[00:27:42] to just hang

[00:27:43] in there and

[00:27:43] be patient.

[00:27:44] I thanked him

[00:27:45] for the food,

[00:27:45] and we were

[00:27:46] on our way

[00:27:47] again.

[00:27:47] He kept

[00:27:48] talking and I

[00:27:49] simply replied

[00:27:50] to whatever he

[00:27:50] asked.

[00:27:51] Then he

[00:27:52] asked me for

[00:27:52] my number.

[00:27:54] Good thing I

[00:27:55] had my work

[00:27:55] phone.

[00:27:56] I gave him

[00:27:57] that number

[00:27:57] because I

[00:27:58] felt like he

[00:27:59] tried to

[00:27:59] confirm it by

[00:28:00] calling me

[00:28:00] immediately.

[00:28:01] I was

[00:28:02] correct.

[00:28:03] He immediately

[00:28:04] called to

[00:28:04] confirm that I

[00:28:05] had given him

[00:28:06] a real phone

[00:28:06] number.

[00:28:08] Finally, I

[00:28:08] could see the

[00:28:09] mall near my

[00:28:10] office.

[00:28:10] As we stopped

[00:28:11] in front of the

[00:28:12] building, I

[00:28:13] tried to pay

[00:28:13] for my fare,

[00:28:14] but he

[00:28:15] wouldn't even

[00:28:15] accept it.

[00:28:16] I insisted,

[00:28:17] so he took

[00:28:18] my money,

[00:28:18] but he told

[00:28:19] me, keep

[00:28:20] in touch,

[00:28:20] okay?

[00:28:22] I said yes

[00:28:23] and pretended

[00:28:23] to enter the

[00:28:24] establishment

[00:28:25] calmly as he

[00:28:26] waved goodbye.

[00:28:28] After getting

[00:28:28] inside, my

[00:28:29] knees suddenly

[00:28:30] felt weak and

[00:28:31] I started

[00:28:31] shaking.

[00:28:32] I consoled

[00:28:33] myself by

[00:28:33] saying, good

[00:28:34] job, you

[00:28:35] did well, it's

[00:28:36] all over now.

[00:28:38] Then my phone

[00:28:39] rang.

[00:28:40] It was him.

[00:28:41] I didn't

[00:28:42] answer, of

[00:28:43] course.

[00:28:43] I blocked him

[00:28:44] immediately after

[00:28:45] that missed

[00:28:45] call.

[00:28:45] To the

[00:28:47] hungry taxi

[00:28:47] driver, let's

[00:28:48] not meet

[00:28:49] again.

[00:29:02] This

[00:29:02] happened about

[00:29:03] a year ago.

[00:29:04] There were

[00:29:05] so many

[00:29:05] terrible factors

[00:29:07] working against

[00:29:08] me that

[00:29:08] night, I'm

[00:29:09] astounded I

[00:29:10] got away

[00:29:10] unscathed, at

[00:29:12] least physically.

[00:29:14] This all

[00:29:15] begins when I'm

[00:29:15] at my friend's

[00:29:16] apartment, who

[00:29:17] lives in a

[00:29:17] really rough

[00:29:18] part of town.

[00:29:19] In a series

[00:29:20] of poor

[00:29:21] decisions,

[00:29:21] that night I

[00:29:23] decided to get

[00:29:23] belligerently

[00:29:24] drunk and take a

[00:29:26] few pills of

[00:29:26] God knows

[00:29:27] what.

[00:29:28] I know, I

[00:29:29] know.

[00:29:30] Safe to say,

[00:29:31] after a solid

[00:29:32] night of

[00:29:33] partying, around

[00:29:34] 4am, I was

[00:29:36] not in the

[00:29:37] right state of

[00:29:38] mind.

[00:29:38] My drug-addled

[00:29:40] brain decides

[00:29:40] that instead of

[00:29:41] staying the night

[00:29:42] at my friend's

[00:29:43] apartment like I

[00:29:43] normally would, I

[00:29:45] wanted to Uber

[00:29:46] back to my own

[00:29:46] apartment.

[00:29:47] My friend's

[00:29:48] apartment had two

[00:29:49] separate entrances

[00:29:51] slash exits to

[00:29:52] the building.

[00:29:52] One in the

[00:29:53] back, unlit

[00:29:55] parking lot of

[00:29:56] the building,

[00:29:56] and one facing

[00:29:57] the street.

[00:29:58] They had two

[00:29:59] sets of keys for

[00:30:00] each door, and I

[00:30:02] only had keys to

[00:30:03] the one in the

[00:30:03] back of the

[00:30:04] apartment.

[00:30:05] Since my Uber

[00:30:06] would obviously

[00:30:07] arrive at the

[00:30:08] street, and the

[00:30:09] door in the front

[00:30:10] of the building

[00:30:10] locks itself behind

[00:30:11] you, I exited

[00:30:13] this way when the

[00:30:14] driver was soon

[00:30:15] to arrive.

[00:30:16] Looking back,

[00:30:18] standing outside

[00:30:19] that apartment,

[00:30:20] I realize I

[00:30:22] looked like the

[00:30:23] easiest target

[00:30:24] on the planet.

[00:30:26] I'm a small,

[00:30:27] petite female in

[00:30:28] my early 20s, and

[00:30:29] I can hardly stay

[00:30:31] upright.

[00:30:32] I'm using a street

[00:30:33] lamp to prop

[00:30:34] myself up, and

[00:30:35] not doing a good

[00:30:36] job at that

[00:30:36] either.

[00:30:37] The light was

[00:30:38] basically a beacon

[00:30:39] for any nearby

[00:30:40] predators, saying,

[00:30:42] come get me.

[00:30:43] I'm not paying

[00:30:44] attention to my

[00:30:45] surroundings at all

[00:30:46] in this state,

[00:30:48] despite the fact that

[00:30:49] there was literally a

[00:30:50] bullet hole in the

[00:30:50] front door I just

[00:30:52] came out of.

[00:30:52] not good.

[00:30:54] I remember

[00:30:55] checking to see

[00:30:56] what car I was

[00:30:57] getting picked up

[00:30:57] in, and was

[00:30:58] only able to

[00:30:59] pick out the

[00:31:00] fact that it

[00:31:00] was a black

[00:31:01] sedan.

[00:31:02] Soon after

[00:31:03] stepping outside,

[00:31:04] a black sedan

[00:31:05] pulls up to the

[00:31:06] curb and starts

[00:31:07] rolling down the

[00:31:08] window, so I

[00:31:09] step forward.

[00:31:11] Before this man

[00:31:12] even spoke, I

[00:31:14] could feel

[00:31:14] something was

[00:31:15] wrong.

[00:31:16] He had an

[00:31:17] expression like

[00:31:17] he was tearing

[00:31:18] me apart with

[00:31:19] just his eyes.

[00:31:20] After seeing

[00:31:22] that look, it

[00:31:23] gave me a new

[00:31:24] meaning to the

[00:31:25] word predator to

[00:31:26] describe a

[00:31:26] criminal, because

[00:31:27] I then knew what

[00:31:28] it felt like to

[00:31:30] be prey.

[00:31:31] He basically

[00:31:32] barks at me,

[00:31:33] I'm your Uber

[00:31:34] driver.

[00:31:35] This was the

[00:31:36] second red flag

[00:31:37] that somehow made

[00:31:38] its way through

[00:31:39] my brain.

[00:31:40] Normally, Uber

[00:31:42] drivers just roll

[00:31:43] down the window

[00:31:43] and say,

[00:31:44] Fossil Fool

[00:31:45] 12, or any

[00:31:46] version of that,

[00:31:48] but always

[00:31:49] including your

[00:31:50] name.

[00:31:51] I think I

[00:31:51] just stared at

[00:31:52] him for a

[00:31:53] second, my

[00:31:54] brain slowly

[00:31:55] piecing together

[00:31:56] the situation I

[00:31:57] was potentially

[00:31:57] in, and I

[00:31:59] ask him,

[00:31:59] what's my

[00:32:00] name?

[00:32:01] He immediately

[00:32:03] is enraged,

[00:32:04] and starts

[00:32:05] screaming about

[00:32:05] he doesn't

[00:32:06] have fucking

[00:32:07] time for this

[00:32:08] and just get

[00:32:09] in the fucking

[00:32:09] car, etc,

[00:32:11] etc, etc.

[00:32:12] I don't think

[00:32:13] I've ever sobered

[00:32:14] up so fast in

[00:32:15] my life.

[00:32:16] I'm completely

[00:32:17] panicking.

[00:32:19] Obviously,

[00:32:19] this wasn't

[00:32:21] my Uber.

[00:32:22] Quickly

[00:32:22] checking the

[00:32:23] license plate,

[00:32:24] I immediately

[00:32:25] see it's not

[00:32:26] a match.

[00:32:27] Meanwhile,

[00:32:28] this guy is

[00:32:28] still screaming

[00:32:29] at me,

[00:32:30] and I have

[00:32:31] absolutely no

[00:32:32] idea what to

[00:32:33] do.

[00:32:34] If I bolt in

[00:32:35] either direction,

[00:32:36] this guy could

[00:32:37] easily outrun me

[00:32:38] or have a weapon.

[00:32:39] I'm also pretty

[00:32:40] sure at this point

[00:32:41] that if he's

[00:32:42] trying to nab a

[00:32:43] random girl off

[00:32:44] the street,

[00:32:44] he must have

[00:32:45] a weapon of

[00:32:46] some sort.

[00:32:47] I can't run

[00:32:48] back into the

[00:32:49] apartment door

[00:32:49] right behind me

[00:32:50] since it locks

[00:32:51] behind you,

[00:32:52] and I don't

[00:32:53] have the keys

[00:32:54] nor the time

[00:32:55] to unlock it.

[00:32:57] Running towards

[00:32:57] the back door

[00:32:58] would do nothing

[00:32:59] as well,

[00:32:59] as he's idling

[00:33:00] right by the

[00:33:01] mouth of the

[00:33:01] driveway towards

[00:33:02] the back parking

[00:33:03] lot,

[00:33:04] and again,

[00:33:05] I would have to

[00:33:06] take the time

[00:33:06] to find the

[00:33:07] right keys

[00:33:07] and get in.

[00:33:08] If I screamed,

[00:33:10] I'm not exactly

[00:33:11] in the type of

[00:33:12] neighborhood where

[00:33:13] someone would try

[00:33:14] and I can still

[00:33:15] hear the music

[00:33:16] radiating from

[00:33:17] my friend's

[00:33:18] third floor

[00:33:18] apartment.

[00:33:19] I knew they

[00:33:20] wouldn't hear me.

[00:33:22] Also, it's

[00:33:23] 4am and

[00:33:24] absolutely no

[00:33:26] one is around.

[00:33:28] People talk a lot

[00:33:29] on this sub

[00:33:30] how they either

[00:33:31] sprint into action

[00:33:32] or freeze,

[00:33:33] but I felt

[00:33:34] incapable of

[00:33:35] doing either.

[00:33:37] It was the

[00:33:38] absolute worst

[00:33:39] feeling I've

[00:33:40] ever felt

[00:33:41] in my life.

[00:33:43] Everything in

[00:33:44] me wanted

[00:33:45] to run,

[00:33:45] but I felt

[00:33:46] that if I did,

[00:33:47] it would be

[00:33:48] the end of

[00:33:48] me.

[00:33:49] But if I

[00:33:50] kept standing

[00:33:50] there,

[00:33:51] staring in

[00:33:52] shock at

[00:33:53] this screaming

[00:33:53] man,

[00:33:54] the results

[00:33:55] would be

[00:33:55] the same.

[00:33:57] From when he

[00:33:58] started screaming

[00:33:59] at me to

[00:33:59] this point,

[00:34:00] I'm guessing

[00:34:01] only 20 seconds

[00:34:02] has passed

[00:34:03] by.

[00:34:03] Just as he's

[00:34:05] looking like he's

[00:34:05] getting ready to

[00:34:06] get out of the

[00:34:06] car,

[00:34:07] another black

[00:34:08] sedan pulls up

[00:34:09] right behind him,

[00:34:10] checking the

[00:34:11] license plate as

[00:34:12] quickly as I

[00:34:13] can.

[00:34:13] I realize it's

[00:34:14] my actual Uber

[00:34:16] and make a

[00:34:17] full sprint to

[00:34:18] the car,

[00:34:18] really only like

[00:34:20] six steps,

[00:34:21] and throw myself

[00:34:22] in,

[00:34:22] screaming at my

[00:34:23] real Uber

[00:34:24] driver,

[00:34:25] what's my name?

[00:34:26] The poor dude

[00:34:27] looks terrified,

[00:34:29] but responds

[00:34:30] with my name

[00:34:30] quickly,

[00:34:31] to which I

[00:34:32] reply,

[00:34:33] get me the

[00:34:33] fuck out of

[00:34:34] here,

[00:34:34] that man is

[00:34:35] trying to

[00:34:35] kidnap me.

[00:34:36] If I was in

[00:34:37] this Uber

[00:34:38] driver's position,

[00:34:39] I think I would

[00:34:40] be too shocked

[00:34:41] to react as

[00:34:42] quickly as he

[00:34:42] did,

[00:34:43] but my dude

[00:34:44] flew out of

[00:34:45] there,

[00:34:46] offered to

[00:34:46] call the cops

[00:34:47] for me,

[00:34:47] which I

[00:34:48] declined and

[00:34:49] now regret,

[00:34:51] and then walked

[00:34:52] me to the

[00:34:52] front door of

[00:34:53] my apartment,

[00:34:54] ensuring I

[00:34:55] got inside

[00:34:55] safely.

[00:34:57] Truly an

[00:34:58] incredible human

[00:34:59] being.

[00:35:00] You can rest

[00:35:01] easy knowing he

[00:35:02] got the

[00:35:02] fattest tip my

[00:35:03] college student

[00:35:04] bank account

[00:35:05] would allow for,

[00:35:06] although he

[00:35:06] deserved much,

[00:35:08] much more.

[00:35:10] So, to the

[00:35:11] man who ruined

[00:35:12] my sense of

[00:35:13] security and

[00:35:13] caused countless

[00:35:14] anxiety attacks

[00:35:15] when out in

[00:35:16] public for

[00:35:16] months,

[00:35:17] let's not

[00:35:18] meet.

[00:35:36] This was either

[00:35:37] my second or

[00:35:38] third year in

[00:35:39] New York City,

[00:35:40] so it was about

[00:35:41] eight years ago.

[00:35:43] I was living in

[00:35:44] the Lower East

[00:35:45] Side.

[00:35:45] I had just

[00:35:47] moved from

[00:35:47] Williamsburg,

[00:35:48] where most of

[00:35:49] my friends still

[00:35:50] lived.

[00:35:51] It was right

[00:35:52] across from the

[00:35:53] Williamsburg Bridge,

[00:35:54] and it took a

[00:35:55] huge chunk away

[00:35:56] from my commute.

[00:35:57] I worked in

[00:35:58] Chelsea,

[00:36:00] L-Train if you

[00:36:00] know.

[00:36:01] On the weekends

[00:36:02] I would usually

[00:36:03] go there.

[00:36:04] Sometimes they

[00:36:05] would come here,

[00:36:06] but most of

[00:36:08] them lived in

[00:36:08] Brooklyn,

[00:36:09] so it was a

[00:36:10] normal occasion

[00:36:11] to spend my

[00:36:12] nights over there.

[00:36:13] We would usually

[00:36:14] go out,

[00:36:15] but loved staying

[00:36:16] in, ordering

[00:36:17] Chinese food,

[00:36:18] and watching

[00:36:18] movies.

[00:36:19] I did know

[00:36:20] most of the bars,

[00:36:21] some of them I

[00:36:23] was a regular

[00:36:23] at, since I

[00:36:24] used to live

[00:36:25] down the street.

[00:36:26] This night,

[00:36:27] we were out

[00:36:28] at our favorite

[00:36:29] place.

[00:36:30] I remember

[00:36:31] it was winter,

[00:36:33] and very snowy,

[00:36:34] so we decided

[00:36:35] to part ways

[00:36:36] sooner than usual.

[00:36:37] It was probably

[00:36:38] around 1am.

[00:36:40] I was in my

[00:36:41] 20s, and this

[00:36:42] was New York

[00:36:42] City, so I

[00:36:44] called an Uber,

[00:36:45] and they were

[00:36:45] ten minutes away.

[00:36:47] In New York

[00:36:48] standard, that is

[00:36:49] forever, so I

[00:36:50] canceled.

[00:36:51] Luckily, there

[00:36:52] was an unlit

[00:36:53] taxi coming

[00:36:54] down Berry

[00:36:55] Street.

[00:36:56] My friend

[00:36:57] insisted and

[00:36:58] flagged it

[00:36:58] down, so I

[00:36:59] got in.

[00:37:00] He had great

[00:37:02] intentions of

[00:37:03] getting me home

[00:37:04] safe.

[00:37:06] Everything went

[00:37:07] as usual, and I

[00:37:08] told the driver

[00:37:08] my cross streets.

[00:37:10] Now, usually,

[00:37:11] going over the

[00:37:11] bridge is a

[00:37:12] reminder of why

[00:37:13] you love New

[00:37:13] York, especially

[00:37:14] after a few

[00:37:15] drinks, glancing

[00:37:17] out of the

[00:37:17] windows and

[00:37:18] seeing the

[00:37:18] amazing view

[00:37:19] of the city.

[00:37:20] My thoughts

[00:37:21] were immediately

[00:37:22] interrupted, however,

[00:37:23] by my driver.

[00:37:26] You're beautiful.

[00:37:27] Do you have a

[00:37:28] boyfriend?

[00:37:29] I replied,

[00:37:31] Uh, yes, I

[00:37:32] do.

[00:37:32] But I

[00:37:33] didn't.

[00:37:34] Wow, what a

[00:37:35] lucky guy.

[00:37:37] And I

[00:37:38] shit you not,

[00:37:38] this guy reached

[00:37:39] his hand in the

[00:37:40] back and touched

[00:37:42] my thigh.

[00:37:44] I pushed it

[00:37:45] away as he was

[00:37:45] trying to stroke

[00:37:46] my thigh, but

[00:37:47] he still kept

[00:37:48] at it, getting

[00:37:49] a little too

[00:37:50] close for comfort

[00:37:51] if you know

[00:37:51] what I mean.

[00:37:52] I kept shaking

[00:37:53] my legs out of

[00:37:54] the way, but he

[00:37:55] would clamp on

[00:37:55] and kept trying

[00:37:56] to slide up.

[00:37:57] At this point,

[00:37:58] I was panicking.

[00:37:59] I sneakily

[00:38:00] texted my

[00:38:00] parents, who

[00:38:01] were states

[00:38:02] away, and

[00:38:03] told them what

[00:38:03] was happening.

[00:38:04] He kept asking

[00:38:05] me if I wanted

[00:38:06] to go out for a

[00:38:07] drink with him

[00:38:08] tonight.

[00:38:08] I obviously

[00:38:09] kept declining.

[00:38:12] But then, I

[00:38:13] had a thought.

[00:38:14] If he drops

[00:38:15] me off where

[00:38:15] I asked, he'll

[00:38:17] know where I

[00:38:17] live.

[00:38:18] He kept on

[00:38:19] asking to go

[00:38:20] to this karaoke

[00:38:21] bar that I

[00:38:23] recognized in

[00:38:24] my neighborhood.

[00:38:26] Doing karaoke

[00:38:27] is scarier to

[00:38:28] me than this

[00:38:28] situation, so

[00:38:29] of course, I

[00:38:30] had never

[00:38:31] been.

[00:38:32] We finally

[00:38:33] came down

[00:38:33] over the

[00:38:34] bridge.

[00:38:35] I made the

[00:38:36] decision to

[00:38:37] agree.

[00:38:38] I would go

[00:38:38] in.

[00:38:39] I would tell

[00:38:39] the bartender

[00:38:40] the situation

[00:38:41] then get

[00:38:41] the fuck

[00:38:41] out of

[00:38:42] there.

[00:38:43] We park

[00:38:43] right in

[00:38:44] front and

[00:38:45] walk up.

[00:38:46] To my

[00:38:47] horror, he

[00:38:48] hugs the

[00:38:48] bouncer and

[00:38:49] shakes hands.

[00:38:51] They are

[00:38:52] close friends.

[00:38:53] He then

[00:38:54] introduces me

[00:38:55] as his new

[00:38:56] blonde and

[00:38:58] we go in.

[00:38:59] I sit at

[00:39:00] the bar,

[00:39:00] waiting to

[00:39:01] get the

[00:39:01] bartender's

[00:39:02] attention,

[00:39:03] but she

[00:39:04] comes over

[00:39:04] and excitedly

[00:39:05] calls my

[00:39:07] driver by

[00:39:07] his name.

[00:39:09] two drinks

[00:39:11] for us

[00:39:11] without him

[00:39:11] even needing

[00:39:12] to order.

[00:39:14] I didn't

[00:39:15] think I

[00:39:15] could even

[00:39:15] tell her.

[00:39:17] I'm not

[00:39:18] drinking anything

[00:39:18] this guy gets

[00:39:19] me, even if

[00:39:20] I see that it's

[00:39:21] made from this

[00:39:21] seemingly nice

[00:39:22] woman.

[00:39:24] I tell him I

[00:39:25] have to go to

[00:39:25] the bathroom,

[00:39:26] leaving just

[00:39:27] my coat not

[00:39:28] to be suspicious.

[00:39:29] I look at my

[00:39:30] phone and I

[00:39:31] have 15 texts

[00:39:32] from my parents.

[00:39:33] I call them,

[00:39:34] explain, and

[00:39:35] ask what I

[00:39:36] should do.

[00:39:36] They told me

[00:39:38] to walk

[00:39:38] straight out,

[00:39:39] grab my

[00:39:39] coat and

[00:39:40] leave as

[00:39:40] soon as

[00:39:40] possible.

[00:39:42] So I

[00:39:42] do just

[00:39:43] that, right

[00:39:44] after hanging

[00:39:44] up.

[00:39:45] And to my

[00:39:46] surprise, this

[00:39:47] guy isn't

[00:39:48] even at the

[00:39:48] bar.

[00:39:50] Perfect.

[00:39:51] I beeline it

[00:39:52] outside, and

[00:39:54] there he is

[00:39:54] smoking a

[00:39:55] cigarette talking

[00:39:56] to the

[00:39:56] bouncer.

[00:39:58] As I go to

[00:39:59] leave, he

[00:39:59] grabs my

[00:40:00] arm and

[00:40:01] asks where

[00:40:01] I'm going,

[00:40:02] and I just

[00:40:03] keep fucking

[00:40:03] walking, ripping

[00:40:04] his arm away.

[00:40:06] He then

[00:40:07] follows me

[00:40:08] for about

[00:40:08] two blocks,

[00:40:09] then confronts

[00:40:10] me again,

[00:40:11] grabbing both

[00:40:12] of my arms.

[00:40:13] I pretty much

[00:40:14] yell at him

[00:40:15] that I'm not

[00:40:15] interested for

[00:40:16] the millionth

[00:40:16] time, and

[00:40:18] this dude

[00:40:18] throws my

[00:40:19] arms out of

[00:40:19] his hands so

[00:40:20] hard that I

[00:40:21] stumble and

[00:40:21] fall backwards.

[00:40:23] He towered

[00:40:24] over me as

[00:40:25] I am now on

[00:40:26] the sidewalk, and

[00:40:27] yelled that I'm

[00:40:28] a bitch and

[00:40:29] that I shouldn't

[00:40:30] have let him

[00:40:30] on.

[00:40:32] I can still

[00:40:33] remember his

[00:40:34] spit on my

[00:40:35] face as he

[00:40:35] yelled at me.

[00:40:37] Then he

[00:40:37] stormed off.

[00:40:39] I gathered

[00:40:40] myself and

[00:40:41] ran.

[00:40:42] Once I

[00:40:43] calmed down,

[00:40:44] I looped

[00:40:45] around different

[00:40:45] blocks for

[00:40:46] an hour, even

[00:40:47] though it was

[00:40:48] freezing, before

[00:40:49] I went home.

[00:40:51] I still

[00:40:51] avoid that

[00:40:52] bar.

[00:40:53] And to that

[00:40:54] fucking handsy

[00:40:55] cabbie, let's

[00:40:56] never meet

[00:40:57] again.

[00:41:13] I'm a 5'4

[00:41:14] female.

[00:41:14] I used to

[00:41:15] work in law

[00:41:16] enforcement, but

[00:41:17] finally left that

[00:41:18] line of work, due

[00:41:19] to refusing to

[00:41:20] work anywhere that

[00:41:21] affects my

[00:41:22] mental health.

[00:41:23] I also

[00:41:24] refused to

[00:41:25] work anywhere I

[00:41:25] felt was

[00:41:26] corrupt.

[00:41:27] When I was in

[00:41:28] between careers, I

[00:41:29] was driving for

[00:41:29] Uber.

[00:41:30] I'm very

[00:41:31] paranoid due to

[00:41:32] my former line of

[00:41:33] work and all of

[00:41:34] the true crime

[00:41:35] podcasts that I

[00:41:36] listen to.

[00:41:36] On this

[00:41:37] particular weekend, my

[00:41:39] city was being

[00:41:39] invaded by pirates.

[00:41:41] When this

[00:41:41] happens, the city

[00:41:42] throws a parade

[00:41:43] down by the

[00:41:44] water.

[00:41:44] I knew it would

[00:41:45] be a great

[00:41:46] weekend to make

[00:41:47] money, due to the

[00:41:48] adults using the

[00:41:49] pirate parade as

[00:41:50] an excuse to

[00:41:51] drink and dress

[00:41:51] up like a pirate

[00:41:52] while catching

[00:41:53] some beads from

[00:41:54] the parade.

[00:41:55] I logged in and

[00:41:57] quickly received a

[00:41:58] request for a

[00:41:59] pickup.

[00:41:59] I drove to the

[00:42:01] destination displayed

[00:42:02] on my GPS and

[00:42:03] pulled up to a

[00:42:04] house.

[00:42:05] There were

[00:42:05] absolutely no

[00:42:06] lights on inside

[00:42:07] this house or in

[00:42:09] the backyard.

[00:42:10] The street was

[00:42:11] quiet.

[00:42:12] I parked and I

[00:42:13] let the writer

[00:42:14] know that I

[00:42:14] arrived to pick

[00:42:15] them up and I

[00:42:16] was out front.

[00:42:17] A man then

[00:42:18] appeared from

[00:42:19] seemingly nowhere

[00:42:20] out of the

[00:42:21] shadows and asked

[00:42:22] if I was the

[00:42:23] Uber driver.

[00:42:24] I told him that

[00:42:25] I was and he got

[00:42:26] into my car.

[00:42:28] I started driving

[00:42:29] down the road when

[00:42:30] I got a phone

[00:42:31] call from the

[00:42:31] name of the

[00:42:32] person who was

[00:42:33] supposed to be in

[00:42:34] my car getting

[00:42:35] the Uber ride.

[00:42:37] The man in the

[00:42:38] back seat told me

[00:42:39] that his daughter

[00:42:40] was having a

[00:42:40] party at his

[00:42:41] house.

[00:42:42] He explained he

[00:42:43] stopped by to

[00:42:44] check things out

[00:42:45] before leaving to

[00:42:46] stay with the

[00:42:47] girlfriend for

[00:42:48] the night.

[00:42:49] I thought this

[00:42:50] was strange since

[00:42:51] as I said

[00:42:51] before there

[00:42:52] were no lights

[00:42:53] on inside the

[00:42:54] house and no

[00:42:55] cars out front

[00:42:56] or in the

[00:42:57] driveway.

[00:42:58] There definitely

[00:42:59] wasn't a party

[00:43:00] going on at

[00:43:00] that house.

[00:43:02] My phone was

[00:43:03] still ringing so

[00:43:04] I picked it up.

[00:43:05] It was a woman

[00:43:06] who told me I

[00:43:07] must have picked

[00:43:08] up the wrong

[00:43:09] person.

[00:43:10] She said that

[00:43:11] she was still at

[00:43:12] the given address

[00:43:13] waiting for me.

[00:43:13] The man in the

[00:43:15] back seat said

[00:43:15] oh I must have

[00:43:17] gotten into my

[00:43:18] daughter's friend's

[00:43:19] Uber.

[00:43:20] She was waiting

[00:43:21] for an Uber as

[00:43:22] well.

[00:43:23] He then handed

[00:43:24] me $60 and told

[00:43:26] me to go back

[00:43:26] and get her

[00:43:27] after I dropped

[00:43:28] him off.

[00:43:29] He said that he

[00:43:30] would cash app her

[00:43:31] since he took

[00:43:32] the Uber by

[00:43:32] mistake.

[00:43:33] He was insistent

[00:43:34] about me going

[00:43:35] back to get her

[00:43:36] even after I told

[00:43:37] him that I

[00:43:38] couldn't do that

[00:43:39] or take his

[00:43:40] money.

[00:43:40] I eventually

[00:43:41] told the man

[00:43:42] and the woman

[00:43:43] on the phone

[00:43:44] that I would

[00:43:44] do what they

[00:43:45] wanted me to

[00:43:45] do since I

[00:43:46] was getting bad

[00:43:47] vibes.

[00:43:48] I was creeped

[00:43:49] out by the man

[00:43:50] since he kept

[00:43:51] leaning closer

[00:43:52] to me as I

[00:43:52] was driving.

[00:43:53] I was carrying

[00:43:54] a knife in

[00:43:55] my bra and I

[00:43:56] also store a

[00:43:57] blackjack under

[00:43:58] my leg on the

[00:43:59] driver's seat.

[00:44:00] I also have an

[00:44:01] open pocket knife

[00:44:03] right next to me

[00:44:04] in my compartment

[00:44:04] on the driver's

[00:44:05] side door since

[00:44:06] I'm so paranoid.

[00:44:08] There is no way

[00:44:09] I'm going down

[00:44:10] without a fight

[00:44:10] if anyone tries

[00:44:11] something.

[00:44:13] The man stopped

[00:44:14] lurching toward

[00:44:15] me when I told

[00:44:16] him that I would

[00:44:16] go back to that

[00:44:17] dark house for

[00:44:18] his daughter's

[00:44:19] friend after I

[00:44:20] dropped him off.

[00:44:21] Then I dropped

[00:44:22] him off around

[00:44:23] the corner from

[00:44:24] where he said

[00:44:24] that his

[00:44:25] girlfriend lived.

[00:44:26] I most certainly

[00:44:27] did not go back

[00:44:28] to that dark

[00:44:29] house to pick up

[00:44:30] the girl who was

[00:44:31] supposedly waiting

[00:44:31] for a ride.

[00:44:33] I was freaked

[00:44:34] out.

[00:44:34] I called it quits

[00:44:35] for the night

[00:44:36] right away and

[00:44:37] went straight home

[00:44:37] after reporting

[00:44:38] the instance to

[00:44:39] Uber.

[00:44:40] They never

[00:44:41] received any

[00:44:41] complaints about

[00:44:42] the incorrect

[00:44:42] pickup at the

[00:44:43] address I provided

[00:44:44] them which makes

[00:44:44] me believe without

[00:44:45] a doubt that I

[00:44:46] was correct in

[00:44:47] being paranoid.

[00:44:48] The man was

[00:44:49] hoping that I'd

[00:44:50] go back to that

[00:44:50] dark house to

[00:44:51] pick up the

[00:44:52] girl who was

[00:44:53] waiting.

[00:44:53] But had I done

[00:44:54] that, the ride

[00:44:55] wouldn't have been

[00:44:56] recorded on the

[00:44:57] app.

[00:44:58] If anything were

[00:44:59] to happen to me,

[00:45:00] there would be

[00:45:00] no record of it.

[00:45:02] My paranoia in

[00:45:03] years in law

[00:45:04] enforcement prevented

[00:45:05] me from being

[00:45:06] kidnapped or worse

[00:45:07] that night.

[00:45:07] So to the

[00:45:09] sketchy man and

[00:45:10] the girl who

[00:45:10] was waiting,

[00:45:12] let's not ever

[00:45:12] meet again.

[00:45:25] What a better way

[00:45:26] to celebrate

[00:45:26] Halloween than

[00:45:27] at a live

[00:45:28] Let's Not

[00:45:28] Meet show.

[00:45:29] I'll be at

[00:45:30] Show Bar this

[00:45:31] Wednesday, October

[00:45:32] 30th in Portland,

[00:45:33] Oregon for the

[00:45:34] final live show

[00:45:35] of the year.

[00:45:36] Tickets are

[00:45:36] available at

[00:45:38] letsnotmeetpodcast.com

[00:45:39] slash tour or

[00:45:40] just follow the

[00:45:41] link in the show

[00:45:41] notes.

[00:45:42] Costumes are

[00:45:43] highly encouraged

[00:45:43] but not required.

[00:45:45] However, the venue

[00:45:46] did notify me that

[00:45:47] fake weapons are

[00:45:48] not allowed so

[00:45:49] keep that in mind.

[00:45:50] Tickets are super

[00:45:51] low so make sure

[00:45:52] that you get them

[00:45:53] soon before they

[00:45:54] sell out.

[00:45:54] I'll see you all

[00:45:55] there.

[00:46:12] Yesterday my sister

[00:46:12] and I traveled

[00:46:13] home from across

[00:46:14] the country to

[00:46:15] arrive at the

[00:46:15] airport at 11.59pm.

[00:46:17] After 8 hours of

[00:46:18] flying, we were

[00:46:19] quite excited to

[00:46:20] grab a quick Uber

[00:46:21] and be home

[00:46:22] shortly.

[00:46:23] My sister opened

[00:46:24] up her app and

[00:46:24] confirmed that the

[00:46:26] ride was there as

[00:46:27] we were walking out

[00:46:27] of the terminal.

[00:46:28] But that Uber

[00:46:30] driver quickly

[00:46:31] canceled on us.

[00:46:32] And I realized

[00:46:33] that the rates

[00:46:34] were surging and

[00:46:36] he likely dropped

[00:46:36] us to pick up a

[00:46:37] new ride at a

[00:46:39] higher rate since

[00:46:39] three large flights

[00:46:41] were just landing

[00:46:41] at that time.

[00:46:43] No big deal.

[00:46:44] I told her we

[00:46:45] would walk outside

[00:46:45] and schedule a

[00:46:46] new Uber driver

[00:46:47] when we got to

[00:46:48] the rideshare area.

[00:46:49] We were met with

[00:46:50] an icy 32 degree

[00:46:52] night with lots

[00:46:53] of wind which is

[00:46:54] unusual for that

[00:46:55] area.

[00:46:56] It was almost

[00:46:57] painful as the

[00:46:58] wind hit our

[00:46:59] faces.

[00:47:00] We hurried over

[00:47:01] to the covered

[00:47:02] rideshare spot

[00:47:03] and started the

[00:47:04] process on my

[00:47:05] phone to grab

[00:47:06] another Uber while

[00:47:07] staying amongst

[00:47:08] the crowd of

[00:47:09] shivering bodies

[00:47:10] also waiting for

[00:47:11] their rides.

[00:47:13] After just a few

[00:47:14] minutes we were

[00:47:15] assigned a new

[00:47:16] Uber driver.

[00:47:16] We'll call him

[00:47:17] Timothy.

[00:47:19] Our airport has

[00:47:20] a lot that's

[00:47:20] specifically for

[00:47:21] cell phone waiting

[00:47:22] and rideshares.

[00:47:24] Basically meaning

[00:47:24] people waiting on

[00:47:26] a call to come

[00:47:27] pick up their

[00:47:27] passenger who has

[00:47:29] just arrived.

[00:47:30] I quickly noticed

[00:47:31] that Timothy

[00:47:31] showed up on

[00:47:32] the map outside

[00:47:33] of this area in

[00:47:35] a different parking

[00:47:35] lot away from

[00:47:37] the other Uber

[00:47:37] drivers who were

[00:47:39] on the map in

[00:47:40] the cell phone

[00:47:41] parking lot.

[00:47:42] I thought that was

[00:47:42] a little odd but

[00:47:43] I mean who knows

[00:47:44] maybe he was

[00:47:45] already driving

[00:47:46] around.

[00:47:47] It took him a bit

[00:47:47] longer to get to

[00:47:48] us than it should

[00:47:49] have.

[00:47:50] Showing that he

[00:47:51] stayed in the

[00:47:52] parking lot that

[00:47:52] he was in for a

[00:47:53] couple of minutes

[00:47:54] before starting

[00:47:55] towards us.

[00:47:56] Again, kind of

[00:47:57] out of the

[00:47:57] ordinary for an

[00:47:58] Uber driver, at

[00:47:59] least in my

[00:48:00] experience.

[00:48:01] We had, of course,

[00:48:02] looked at his

[00:48:03] profile.

[00:48:03] He had a 4.9 rating

[00:48:05] and over a thousand

[00:48:06] rides so he seemed

[00:48:07] legit and proven as

[00:48:09] far as an Uber

[00:48:10] driver goes.

[00:48:11] My sister and I

[00:48:12] anxiously waited for

[00:48:13] the driver to come

[00:48:14] over to us on the

[00:48:15] little Uber map,

[00:48:16] looking forward to

[00:48:17] getting into a warm

[00:48:18] car and out of the

[00:48:19] freezing night.

[00:48:20] By this time, it was

[00:48:21] roughly 12.30 a.m.

[00:48:23] and we were ready

[00:48:23] to get home.

[00:48:24] As we climbed into

[00:48:25] the car, I noticed

[00:48:27] the seats.

[00:48:27] They were the first

[00:48:28] dirty seats I'd ever

[00:48:29] seen in an Uber.

[00:48:31] And we'd been taking

[00:48:32] Ubers our entire trip

[00:48:33] for the past four

[00:48:34] days.

[00:48:35] There seemed to be

[00:48:36] liquid stains on

[00:48:37] them that had been

[00:48:38] poorly cleaned.

[00:48:39] That was the first

[00:48:40] thing that grabbed my

[00:48:40] attention, other than

[00:48:42] an awkward vibe.

[00:48:44] We added her address

[00:48:45] to the ride since we

[00:48:46] live in different

[00:48:46] places.

[00:48:47] Basically, he was to

[00:48:49] drive about 20

[00:48:49] minutes to my house,

[00:48:50] drop me off, and

[00:48:51] then another 25

[00:48:52] minutes to her house

[00:48:52] and drop her off.

[00:48:53] He seemed happy

[00:48:54] about the longer

[00:48:55] route and explained

[00:48:56] that he had just

[00:48:58] sat in the lot and

[00:48:59] waited for the price

[00:49:00] surge to rise as

[00:49:01] passengers were

[00:49:02] getting off the

[00:49:02] planes and requesting

[00:49:03] rides.

[00:49:04] I guess he got to

[00:49:05] the rate that he

[00:49:05] liked and accepted

[00:49:06] us as a ride to

[00:49:07] pick up.

[00:49:09] He told us,

[00:49:10] I could have waited

[00:49:11] for the price to

[00:49:12] get even higher,

[00:49:13] but something told

[00:49:13] me to go ahead and

[00:49:14] get a ride, and

[00:49:16] it was you guys.

[00:49:17] I guess karma

[00:49:18] brought us together.

[00:49:20] As we started our

[00:49:21] journey, Timothy

[00:49:23] said he likes to

[00:49:24] play a game when

[00:49:24] passengers have a

[00:49:26] longer ride with

[00:49:27] him, and asked if

[00:49:29] we'd like to play by

[00:49:30] answering some

[00:49:30] questions.

[00:49:31] My sister and I are

[00:49:32] pretty intelligent, and

[00:49:34] usually right on top

[00:49:35] of owning some

[00:49:36] trivia.

[00:49:37] So we agreed and

[00:49:38] said let's play.

[00:49:39] His first question.

[00:49:41] How old do you

[00:49:43] think the earth

[00:49:43] is?

[00:49:44] Okay, seems fair.

[00:49:46] We made our

[00:49:46] guesses, and then he

[00:49:48] told us the factual

[00:49:49] answer.

[00:49:49] Another.

[00:49:50] Seemed like some

[00:49:52] friendly trivia to

[00:49:53] us.

[00:49:54] Next question.

[00:49:55] How long do you

[00:49:56] think that modern

[00:49:58] humanity has been

[00:49:59] around?

[00:50:00] As in humans with

[00:50:02] opposable thumbs,

[00:50:04] conscious thoughts, and

[00:50:05] the concept of time.

[00:50:06] We make our guesses,

[00:50:07] and we're close to the

[00:50:09] answer that he had in

[00:50:10] mind.

[00:50:10] Great.

[00:50:12] Next question.

[00:50:13] Do you believe in

[00:50:14] supernatural things,

[00:50:16] like ghosts?

[00:50:16] ghosts?

[00:50:17] We say maybe, and he

[00:50:19] asks if we have ever

[00:50:21] had any supernatural

[00:50:22] experiences of our

[00:50:23] own.

[00:50:24] I tell him that I

[00:50:26] have.

[00:50:27] I feel like I felt my

[00:50:29] parents' presence around

[00:50:30] me since they both

[00:50:31] passed away years ago,

[00:50:32] and here and there I

[00:50:34] feel somebody stroke my

[00:50:35] hair or rub my back,

[00:50:36] or sometimes I think I

[00:50:38] even smell them.

[00:50:40] My sister agrees and

[00:50:41] says that she has

[00:50:43] similar things occur

[00:50:44] with her.

[00:50:46] Timothy said he once

[00:50:48] was a non-believer in

[00:50:50] the supernatural, but

[00:50:52] had his mind changed

[00:50:53] when he lived in an

[00:50:54] alleged haunted house.

[00:50:56] He then goes into a

[00:50:57] story about how he

[00:50:58] lived in a house

[00:50:59] locally that he and

[00:51:00] his roommate would hear

[00:51:02] crying children in.

[00:51:04] When there were no

[00:51:06] children there, day or

[00:51:08] night, they would hear

[00:51:10] crying or noises of

[00:51:12] children in general.

[00:51:15] I'll make this shorter

[00:51:16] than he did, but the

[00:51:17] backstory to the house

[00:51:18] was apparently this.

[00:51:20] According to him, a

[00:51:21] local teacher had taken

[00:51:23] these children of

[00:51:24] different ages and

[00:51:25] kept them at this

[00:51:26] house in bad

[00:51:27] conditions.

[00:51:28] No electricity, living

[00:51:29] in filth, hungry and

[00:51:31] scared.

[00:51:31] He had done bad

[00:51:33] things to them, and

[00:51:34] they were kept in the

[00:51:35] house together by him

[00:51:36] against their will.

[00:51:38] As the weather became

[00:51:39] colder, the children

[00:51:40] got desperate and cold.

[00:51:41] They found a way to

[00:51:42] light a fire in the

[00:51:43] house in the middle of

[00:51:44] one of the rooms for

[00:51:45] warmth.

[00:51:46] The fire attracted

[00:51:47] attention, and the

[00:51:48] authorities arrived on

[00:51:49] the scene and found the

[00:51:50] children, thus exposing

[00:51:51] the entire situation.

[00:51:53] The house did not burn

[00:51:54] down, and from what he

[00:51:56] said, none of the

[00:51:57] children died, at least

[00:51:58] as a result of the fire

[00:52:00] that day.

[00:52:02] Apparently, Timothy and

[00:52:03] his roommate were the

[00:52:04] first people to live in

[00:52:05] the house since the fire.

[00:52:07] He said they found this

[00:52:08] information out from a

[00:52:10] neighbor to the house

[00:52:11] when they mentioned to

[00:52:12] them that they had

[00:52:13] heard the crying and

[00:52:15] the childlike noises in

[00:52:16] there.

[00:52:18] Next question.

[00:52:20] Do we believe in

[00:52:21] aliens?

[00:52:22] Well, maybe.

[00:52:24] We live in an infinite

[00:52:25] universe, more vast than

[00:52:27] we can imagine.

[00:52:28] He agrees and throws

[00:52:30] some facts out about

[00:52:31] space.

[00:52:32] Things seem back to

[00:52:33] normal, just a weird

[00:52:34] trivia game.

[00:52:35] Again, kind of.

[00:52:36] The vibe in the car was

[00:52:38] heavy with discomfort, and

[00:52:40] at this point, I handed

[00:52:41] my sister my portable

[00:52:42] battery pack because I

[00:52:44] knew her phone was on

[00:52:45] low battery.

[00:52:46] I did not want her in

[00:52:47] the car with this guy

[00:52:48] and a dead phone, for

[00:52:50] sure.

[00:52:51] As I handed it to her, we

[00:52:53] exchanged glances, and I

[00:52:55] knew that we were feeling

[00:52:56] that same creepy

[00:52:57] atmosphere that was

[00:52:58] growing stronger.

[00:53:00] She texted me that she

[00:53:01] was thinking about getting

[00:53:02] off at my house instead

[00:53:03] of going home.

[00:53:05] Next question.

[00:53:07] Do we believe people can

[00:53:09] communicate with the

[00:53:09] dead?

[00:53:10] I say not really.

[00:53:12] My sister says, maybe.

[00:53:14] No discussion was had

[00:53:16] over this answer, and he

[00:53:18] just went on.

[00:53:20] Next question.

[00:53:21] Do you believe people

[00:53:22] have souls?

[00:53:24] We both say yes.

[00:53:26] He follows with, what do

[00:53:28] we think constitutes a

[00:53:29] soul?

[00:53:30] I say I think energy of a

[00:53:32] being, along with their

[00:53:33] consciousness, emotions, and

[00:53:35] ability to connect to

[00:53:36] others.

[00:53:37] My sister agrees.

[00:53:38] He asks, do we think

[00:53:40] dogs and cats have souls?

[00:53:42] I say I think dogs for

[00:53:43] sure, and I'm not sold on

[00:53:45] cats.

[00:53:46] I ask him if he believes

[00:53:47] people have souls, and he

[00:53:49] replies that he's not a

[00:53:50] religious person at all, so

[00:53:52] he doesn't really believe in

[00:53:53] any of that.

[00:53:55] Next question.

[00:53:56] Do you believe that people

[00:53:58] can be alive and not have

[00:53:59] a soul?

[00:54:00] At this point, you could

[00:54:02] cut the dreadful atmosphere

[00:54:04] in this car with a knife, and

[00:54:06] both my sister and I were

[00:54:07] mentally plotting to tuck and

[00:54:09] roll in this situation, without

[00:54:12] even communicating about it.

[00:54:14] We were getting close to our

[00:54:16] house, and I broke the

[00:54:18] conversation by telling him

[00:54:19] that the turn to my

[00:54:21] neighborhood wasn't obvious,

[00:54:23] and that he needed to be on

[00:54:25] the lookout, and I'd tell him

[00:54:27] where to slow down.

[00:54:28] Timothy brought that conversation

[00:54:30] right back around to, do we

[00:54:33] think people can live without a

[00:54:34] soul?

[00:54:35] I said I'd heard about black-eyed

[00:54:38] children and other lore-type

[00:54:40] tales, but that I'd never

[00:54:42] personally encountered somebody

[00:54:44] that I felt didn't have an

[00:54:46] essence to them.

[00:54:48] Then I asked him what he thought, if

[00:54:51] he believed that people could exist

[00:54:52] without a soul, and he answered,

[00:54:55] It doesn't matter what I think.

[00:54:57] It only matters what the writers

[00:55:00] think.

[00:55:02] The way he said it, I was done.

[00:55:05] My sister and I are both empathetic, and

[00:55:08] can pick up on a person's energy

[00:55:10] easily, and rather quickly.

[00:55:12] I looked over at her.

[00:55:14] She looked like she was about to

[00:55:15] vomit.

[00:55:16] My fight-or-flight response was at

[00:55:19] 110% fight already, and I was just

[00:55:23] keeping the conversation confident at

[00:55:25] this point.

[00:55:27] She had stopped responding

[00:55:28] altogether a few questions back.

[00:55:32] We were on my street at this point,

[00:55:34] nearing my house.

[00:55:35] As we pulled up, my sister canceled

[00:55:38] the second half of the ride from my

[00:55:41] house to hers, and before I even knew

[00:55:43] that she did that, I looked at her

[00:55:45] and said,

[00:55:46] Hey, you don't look like you're

[00:55:48] feeling well.

[00:55:49] Do you want to spend the night with

[00:55:51] me?

[00:55:51] And she said yes, that would be great

[00:55:54] because she felt like she could

[00:55:55] vomit.

[00:55:56] He laughed a little bit, and he said,

[00:55:59] Just don't throw up in my car.

[00:56:02] The tone in his voice was different.

[00:56:04] You could tell that he was thrown off

[00:56:06] and disappointed that she no longer

[00:56:08] would be riding with him for another

[00:56:10] 25 minutes alone.

[00:56:12] We hurried into my house and just

[00:56:14] looked at each other, knowing that we

[00:56:16] were lucky to be home.

[00:56:17] I don't know if she would have made

[00:56:20] it home if she had continued on the

[00:56:23] ride with him.

[00:56:23] My gut says that she probably

[00:56:25] would not have.

[00:56:27] Without talking about it at all in

[00:56:28] the car, we both had the same high

[00:56:30] alert and uneasy feeling.

[00:56:32] The kind of feeling you get when

[00:56:34] something bad is about to happen.

[00:56:36] The kind of gut feeling that you know

[00:56:39] you had better pay attention to.

[00:56:42] Both of us certain that one of the

[00:56:45] upcoming questions could have been,

[00:56:46] Do you believe that you are not going

[00:56:48] home tonight?

[00:56:59] Thanks for listening and stick around

[00:57:00] after the music for your extended

[00:57:02] version of this week's episode with

[00:57:04] some brand new stories.

[00:57:05] If you want to get access, head over to

[00:57:06] patreon.com forward slash let's not

[00:57:09] meet podcast to sign up and support

[00:57:11] the show today to get access to all

[00:57:12] kinds of bonus content with stories you

[00:57:14] won't hear anywhere else and ad free

[00:57:17] episodes.

[00:57:18] Again, that's patreon.com forward slash

[00:57:20] let's not meet podcast.

[00:57:22] This week you have heard he followed us

[00:57:24] into our Uber by Sydney.

[00:57:26] No more Ubers by Anonymous.

[00:57:28] Scary Uber ride from a patient by

[00:57:30] Mouse.

[00:57:31] Hungry taxi driver by Allie.

[00:57:34] Fake Uber driver by FossilFool12.

[00:57:37] Bad cab story by Liz.

[00:57:39] An Uber scare by Vanessa.

[00:57:40] And finally, creepy Uber driver by

[00:57:42] Taco HX.

[00:57:44] All of the stories you've heard this

[00:57:46] week were narrated and produced with

[00:57:47] the permission of their respective

[00:57:49] authors.

[00:57:49] Let's not meet a true horror podcast

[00:57:51] is not associated with Reddit or any

[00:57:53] other message boards online.

[00:57:54] If you have a story to share, send it

[00:57:56] to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com.

[00:57:59] Finally, don't forget to check out the

[00:58:01] new episodes of my other podcasts like

[00:58:03] Odd Trails, Cryptic Encounters, and the

[00:58:05] Old Time Radiocast at crypticcountypodcasts.com

[00:58:08] or wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:58:10] I'll see everyone in Portland this

[00:58:12] Wednesday and I'll see the rest of you

[00:58:13] next week.

[00:58:14] Everyone stay safe.

[00:58:44] Halloween 2014.

[00:58:46] I was 20 years old and a friend at the

[00:58:48] time and by...