3x12: I Became His Obsession

[00:00:04] My name is Andrew Tate and this is season 3 episode 12 of Let's Not Meet a true horror podcast I'm much older than most of the people who probably submit stories to your podcast, but this one is truly scary

[00:00:31] Although at the time that it happened. I didn't realize the danger. I was in I've never told anyone this story Which happened to me when I was about 15 years old. I'm 64 now and I prefer to remain anonymous I

[00:00:46] Was living in the San Francisco Bay Area and attending high school when this happened in the early 70s My girlfriend and I were little hippies We looked like most teenage girls back then did long straight hair blue jeans sandals and peasant blouses

[00:01:04] We loved Janice Joplin the doors and Steve McQueen We were too young to drive yet But we had itchy feet and planned one spring day to cut school and to hitchhike to the beach

[00:01:17] At the time all that was required to get back into school the following day was a note from a parent And I was good at forgery and this wasn't our first offense Anyway, we left school in the morning and had no trouble hitching over to the beach

[00:01:33] We sat on the sand for a while grabbed a hamburger then decided to head back home Again, we had no problem getting rides Everyone was friendly to us and probably a bit concerned for our safety, but we stupidly were not I

[00:01:50] Remember a young guy picking us up in an old VW bug the bug was missing the front seat But we were both tiny and managed to squeeze onto the floor of the bug together

[00:02:02] We hung on to the bar above the glove box to keep from swaying too much The guy didn't talk at all, but we were chatting and laughing Then he said he needed to do something that wouldn't take long

[00:02:17] We said fine, but we need to get back to school soon He turned off the highway and onto a dirt road into the woods He drove down to an area that was kind of like a garbage dump There were old abandoned cars mattresses, etc

[00:02:35] He got out of the car and began walking around We sat in the car and watched him I can't recall how much except I Do remember that he had a wrench or something in his hand that he kept hitting the other hand with?

[00:02:51] He came back to the car and seemed a bit upset about something He didn't say a word to either of us. He just put the car into first gear and headed back up to the highway

[00:03:01] He took us to the crest of the hill to an intersection where we asked to get out He stopped the car. We thanked him for the ride and I remember he only grunted Like I said, he seemed upset Many years passed and I heard about Ted Bundy

[00:03:22] My mind went back to that strange man who gave us a ride that day Bundy drove old VWs and removed to the front seats He liked to bludgeon women with heavy tools

[00:03:35] I've looked into whether he was in the San Francisco Bay Area during that time and I can't be sure Although his girlfriend was living in that area at the I'll never know for sure But I do believe that it was Bundy that we came into contact with

[00:03:52] I'll never know why he didn't harm us that day. Maybe he didn't want to deal with two girls I'd like to think he didn't because we were sweet and innocent, but I doubt that in any case

[00:04:07] Someone bigger and smarter than we were was looking down on us and protecting us that day That was our last big adventure. She moved away that summer and I wisened up about hitchhiking with strangers So to the old guy in the VW back so many years ago

[00:04:25] Let's never meet up again in this life or the next This happened two to three years ago But I still think about it every now and then when I'm walking alone and no one's around. I

[00:04:51] Was volunteering at a school in a rural area about three kilometers from my home. I Didn't know how to drive and I have an irrational fear of biking, but that's another story But I didn't mind walking home every Wednesday

[00:05:08] I was 19 at the time, but just know that I looked at least three years younger I was a short girl around face big eyes and no makeup It was winter and it was cold. It was raining. I had no umbrella It's fine, though

[00:05:25] I like the rain and I was covered from head to toe so I still enjoyed my peaceful walk with music blasting through my earphones But as I was walking I saw something in my peripheral vision that has always

[00:05:39] Scared me in situations like this a car slowing down and following me. I Didn't know what to do I tried not to assume the worst and I turned to see whether that was the only car on the road or if there were potential witnesses in case something happened

[00:05:58] Nope, it's just this one car following me No one else around as far as my eyes could see Then the driver lowers his window and I see his face an old man Seems to be well taken care of Unfortunately, not too weak-looking eyes fixated on me

[00:06:22] Where are you going? Would you like me to take you somewhere? I take off my earphones, huh? I Had heard him but at that point I already turned down the music to be more aware of my surroundings plus

[00:06:38] Despite not wanting to assume the worst. I wanted to buy some time to think of a way out Where can I run? Can someone hear me if I scream? Can anyone else see us? Where could I get help?

[00:06:52] Well, there was no one and nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. I Was walking in this very rural area on the side of the road that Had a field on one side and woods on the other there was just one abandoned house up ahead

[00:07:08] So I tried to reason with myself This man is probably just concerned that I'm visibly walking a long distance, right? Oh No, thanks. I'm fine. I like walking I said oh No, no, I don't care about that. I just want you to get in the car

[00:07:31] Maybe he's concerned because it's raining and I don't have an umbrella I think Thought no, thanks. I know it's raining, but I like the rain so I'm okay No, I don't care. I just want you to get in the car. I'll drive you wherever you need to go

[00:07:51] For fuck's sake really I'm giving this potential kidnapper two excuses and he doesn't take them His intentions are becoming clearer and clearer. I can't ignore this anymore and he never breaks eye contact It's like he's analyzing every move and every reaction that I make

[00:08:14] I'm starting to notice that his smile is starting to become more sinister as well Is it just fear tricking me this whole time? I'm trying to look as friendly and naive as possible because I don't want him to realize that he can trick me into getting

[00:08:30] into his car and His only choice would be to use force Remember, no one can hear if I scream at this point Listen, I just want to talk to you. Can I? Um, well, okay. What is it? No. No, I mean I want to talk to you properly

[00:08:51] Get in the car. I just want to talk to you That's the only moment he breaks eye contact and it's to slowly look me from head to toe

[00:09:02] And he says well, you know what? How about I park a little bit further and you can join me to have a chat But sure, I don't know if you'll find a place to park anywhere close but go ahead if you want sir I'm only walking straight anyway

[00:09:20] Perfect see you there. Yes, sir He smiles and drives away I waited for his car to be far enough so that he couldn't see me and I immediately ran towards the abandoned house to hide while I make a call for my mom to come and get me

[00:09:41] The police wouldn't do anything since I'm not an immediate danger We've tried to call them once before for serious threats from a stalker and they just told us only to call them if the stalker Was on our property. So That's another story though. I

[00:09:58] Explained everything to my mom and she tells me to send her a screenshot of the Google Maps with my exact location Just in case something happens and to stay hidden while keeping an eye on the road to see if the man's car appears again

[00:10:11] I'm about to end the call when I see his car drive by again and What do I see? He's looking right at me as if he already knew exactly where I was hiding Waving at me with the smile on his face still with this

[00:10:30] Trying very hard to seem friendly vibe He knows I'm hiding and on a call with someone now he knows I wasn't naive as I pretended to be Then he just drives away My mom is still on the phone with me

[00:10:47] So I tell her what just happened and she tells me to stay calm and wait for her We end the call. I wait He doesn't come back again My mom's car appears much faster than I anticipated. I get in and we go home. I

[00:11:06] Still can't wrap my head around what exactly happened and what could have happened Sir, whoever you are no matter what your intentions were. Let's not meet again I worked as a caretaker at a treatment center for adults struggling with addiction. I worked graveyard shift

[00:11:37] So I began work at 11 p.m. And didn't get off until 7 in the morning Essentially we had clients who lived in this home and we were responsible for taking them to and from work Meetings and any sort of activity that they may have participated in throughout the day

[00:11:56] My interactions with the clients were minimal due to the hours that I worked a good amount of them They were asleep by the time that I got in The occasional administering of medication was just about the extent of it

[00:12:11] There had to be someone on the property at all times due to the instability of some of the clients and their struggles with their habits My office was located in a garage out back. That was not attached to the house

[00:12:25] It was converted to be a bit more tolerable as an office with the couch and a refrigerator It was the easiest job that I had ever had

[00:12:35] My nights consisted of watching YouTube or Netflix all night and being a night owl to begin with I was quite alright with that As you may be thinking by now

[00:12:45] This sounds like a story about a client that went crazy and tried to attack me in the middle of the night However, that couldn't be farther from the truth The clients we had during my tenure were all quite pleasant This takes place in Los Angeles, California

[00:13:00] Which if you aren't familiar is a giant puzzle of very nice high-class and expensive neighborhoods Neighboring some not so great seedy neighborhoods with crime and gang violence The property I was on was in what I would consider to be a fairly nice neighborhood

[00:13:20] However two blocks away I couldn't say the same I Remember one evening I heard a very loud gunshot that couldn't have been more than four blocks away followed by two more in quick succession Almost like one shot and then two more shots to finish the job

[00:13:39] Needless to say it absolutely terrified me and I was uneasy for the rest of the night, but don't be fooled That's not my reason for writing this story

[00:13:47] One important part of my job was to check on the condition mileage and gas tanks of the two vehicles that we owned We needed to make sure that nobody was abusing the cars and taking them where they shouldn't

[00:14:01] With the consistent mileage checks, we could see if there had been any excessive driving from any client or staff members So on a night just like any other Around midnight. I decided that I would go do my nightly vehicle inspection in these neighborhoods

[00:14:17] There tend to be a lot of cars and it's not uncommon to have a park several blocks away from your desired location on this night there was one car parked right out front and

[00:14:29] The other was about a block down the street next to an elementary school. I checked the first car no issues Then began to walk to the further car. I got to the car and

[00:14:43] Opened the front door and sat in the front seat with the car on so that I could read the mileage in the gas tank. I Turned off the car stepped out and noticed another car halfway down the block in front of the elementary school

[00:14:58] Flashing its lights at me. I Really don't think much of it until I closed the door and began walking back towards the house I'm walking in the middle of the street at this point casually not thinking much until I noticed that the car

[00:15:14] That had flashed its lights is now Flooring it right towards me Thankfully, I noticed it before it gets too close. But what the hell? This car is trying to hit me. I

[00:15:28] hurried to one side of the street and I find myself at the opposite corner of the house that I work at I Should mention the house is on a corner so I am essentially standing at the corner on the opposite side of the street as the house and

[00:15:44] Needing to cross one more time to get there So now I'm at the corner and this car which I should explain is What appears to be a Dodge SUV with tinted windows is basically right next to me

[00:15:58] I'm still offering this person the benefit of the doubt and signaling them to go Assuming that they just wanted to drive past me and maybe they'll let me cross After a moment and realizing that they aren't moving I Step off the curb to cross the street

[00:16:17] At this point they begin to drive quickly at me again, and I'm forced to jump onto the curb so that they don't hit me The car drives right up to me until the front tires are against the curb

[00:16:30] Now something I forgot to mention earlier is that I'm 6 foot 3 28 years old and male So by no means am I a small person nor would you assume? I'd be someone that you could easily take advantage of with that being said

[00:16:46] I assumed that this was either a a completely insane person be Someone with a weapon or see a car full of people because again I don't portray someone who you would single out to fight or even kidnap for no reason

[00:17:05] I'm now staring straight into the windshield of this car. That's no more than six feet away from me I can see the figure of someone in the front seat, but I can't quite make out the features

[00:17:16] I'm completely terrified because there is no denying that this person is trying to cause problems. I Can hear my heart thumping in my chest As scared as I was I am a prideful man who has also spent a lot of time in the US Army as an infantryman

[00:17:34] So I don't like to cower in fear By now, I'm waiting for someone or a group of people to get out of the car and attack me I knew that the best I could do was run as fast as I can if

[00:17:46] That happens because you just simply don't know what some people are capable of After what seemed like forever Nothing happened. So I began to walk towards the gate that leads to the backyard where my office was

[00:17:59] I knew it wasn't a great idea because now they know where I'm staying But I also couldn't imagine just walking aimlessly with this person trying to run me over or kill me I was only about 50 feet away from the gate

[00:18:13] So I swiftly walked along the sidewalk and of course the car begins to drive up next to me I get to the gate open it and give the car one last stare down before I enter My goal was to appear as calm as possible

[00:18:30] Because for some reason I thought that if I panicked or ran I could escalate the situation Still, I don't know if that would have been true Once I entered the backyard and closed the gate. I ran as fast as I could into the house.

[00:18:47] I immediately grabbed the biggest kitchen knife that I could find and ran upstairs to one of the vacant rooms to peek out the window Luckily that room had a window that looked right out to where the car would have been

[00:18:59] I don't see the car right away, which actually made me more uneasy I stand perfectly still with my eyes glued to the street for what seemed like an eternity After about what was probably just a minute or two Sure enough here comes that car again

[00:19:17] Slowly making its way back to where I entered the backyard with its lights off It stops and waits for God knows how long and for God knows what? I sat there for another couple of minutes, then finally it drives away.

[00:19:35] I stayed in that window for quite some time after that after I made sure every door in the house was locked of course The strange SUV never returned again that night and obviously I wasn't harmed

[00:19:46] However, that incident made sitting in that office throughout the night much more unsettling from there on out I began bringing a large blade and I even brought my handgun concealed away in my bag a few times Which certainly was not legal.

[00:20:02] I didn't really care though because no one would know and I felt much safer Eventually I left that job for different reasons, but that incident contributed to the relief that I felt when I never had to return

[00:20:15] So to whoever was in that SUV trying to run me over and stalk me as I walked. Let's not meet I met John at a party when I was 21. He was handsome and a very smooth talker Honestly, I hated him the first time we talked

[00:20:46] He stole my hat and refused to give it back until I gave him my number Instead of listening to my gut I gave in We ended up texting back and forth and eventually deciding to go on a date Turned out John lived just around the corner from me

[00:21:03] Right off the bat. He told me about his mental health issues bipolar OCD depression and anxiety He assured me he was taking medication for all of them I was studying psychology in college and thought my knowledge of mental health could be beneficial to our relationship

[00:21:21] I opened up to him about my own traumas and hardships It bonded us After a couple of months. I started to notice something was off He would have these grandiose ideas about our relationship and his future for about a week or two

[00:21:39] Then after some time he would stop going into work he'd lie about it all day Until he finally would blow up on me telling me he was so anxious to go that he spent the whole morning throwing up. I

[00:21:53] Tried to be supportive of him. I told him there were other jobs that he could try out But he'd always bring it back to how little I knew about hard work. I Quickly noticed his highs and lows were like clockwork

[00:22:08] He'd cycle through every six to eight weeks I Knew it was his bipolar, but he assured me he was taking his medication Throughout the relationship. He became extremely possessive if a man looked at me while we were walking down the street

[00:22:25] He would accuse me of knowing him and wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the day He'd constantly accused me of cheating on him with every person who looked at me

[00:22:34] I felt like I couldn't talk to men or even dress nicely because I was afraid of attracting any attention at all We broke up several times throughout the nine-month period He'd say he couldn't be without me and then two weeks later

[00:22:50] He'd have a list of all the things he planned on doing if I took him back He'd tell me all of the ways that he would work to improve himself and our relationship. I trusted him I

[00:23:02] Could only take so much of the ups and downs and when I found out he was not taking his medication Or seeing the therapist like he promised to see I told him I couldn't do it anymore He was furious

[00:23:15] He texted me long rants about how worthless I was how no one would ever be with me or connect with me I was too privileged to ever make any difference in my life. I Was terrified about three weeks after I ended all communication

[00:23:31] I blocked his number and social media, but he began to stalk me and harass me Living so close suddenly only convenient for him in my own personal hell One night around 3 a.m. I heard pounding on my window. I was terrified

[00:23:50] I couldn't move the pounding grew louder and more intense. I Slowly slipped out of my bed and onto the floor It was then that he started calling my name after about 15 minutes of fear it was quiet I

[00:24:08] Called my mom and then the police the police found a piece of paper Taped to my door and read with scribbled lettering It said that he knew we belonged together and that he'd make sure we ended up together That was shocked

[00:24:24] The police told me that since the relationship was so on and off that it was my fault I Needed to be more clear about what I wanted throughout the next couple of months he'd show up outside my bedroom window and Watch me. I

[00:24:41] Continued to call the police who told me that I didn't need to file a report and that just calling was good enough He also began using his friend's social media to harass me Begging me to give him another chance

[00:24:55] He even emailed my school email to attempt to get me to talk to him. I Eventually contacted the school who personally delivered a letter to him banning him from the campus This only made him more angry

[00:25:10] He texted me from a friend's phone telling me that unless I texted him back He would come on to campus whenever he wanted just to intimidate me That was the final straw. I went to the police and filed a report

[00:25:26] Eventually, he found a new girlfriend and the stalking stopped however Just last week. I was taking the train and I saw him staring at me from a train car His eyes were so dark and empty. I truly hope I never see him or hear from him again. I

[00:26:06] Attended a pretty awful University in the UK In fact, it was so awful that vice even published an article written by a student that attended at the same time as I did It was titled three years of hell at the University of Wolverhampton. I

[00:26:21] Lived in a student building in the middle of the city of the three student buildings available It was the middle choice literally It was situated in the middle of the three and also figuratively

[00:26:33] It was the middle as it wasn't as fancy as the fancy one and not as unbearable as the worst one Most of my friends lived in the fancy building to get there I had to walk a small trek through a residential part of the city

[00:26:46] But my friends found a shortcut you could actually cut through and climb up the back of a garden behind an abandoned house To get there in less than half the time. I started using this shortcut all of the time

[00:27:01] One morning I walked towards the garden and down to my shortcut and I found three grown men standing there They all looked for lack of a better word thuggish and large I Uttered a small Oh

[00:27:16] When I saw them and they all looked up at me a pale 19 year old gay country boy with a blonde Mohawk. I think I apologized for barging in on what was

[00:27:27] Probably a drug deal and I turned and walked the way back that I came and took the long way around As I walked away one of them shouted to get my attention. I ignored them Then I heard them coming after me. So I started to run. I

[00:27:44] Was much younger slimmer and fitter back in those days So I managed to outrun them pretty easily and sprinted all the way around The long route to my friend's building where they let me in I explained what had happened to them and no one was surprised

[00:27:59] This was Wolverhampton after all After a few minutes a friend of ours arrived He lived at a non-university student building off campus and had to walk a different way to get where we were When he arrived he asked me Kyle. What did you do?

[00:28:16] I asked him why and he said that an enormous guy had come up to him and asked him if he'd seen a guy with A blonde Mohawk, but my friend acted dumb, even though he knew immediately who he had been talking about

[00:28:28] My poor choice of hair was fairly distinct The worst part this guy was carrying a brick in his hand It still gives me shivers all these years later But it doesn't end there

[00:28:43] My friends and I went for a day out to Birmingham bright lights big city, whatever I didn't get home until late we got back to their building and drank until Way after midnight. I started to relax and forget my horrible ordeal from earlier that morning at some point

[00:29:02] More than a little drunk. I decided to head home I was now pretty sure I would never take the shortcut again. So I took the long way home instead as I was walking through the residential area a car stopped on the opposite side of the road

[00:29:18] there were two guys inside and the car was filled with smoke and stank of weed as They rolled down the window to speak to me. I Didn't have headphones on or anything and I was the only person on the street

[00:29:32] So I couldn't ignore them or pretend that I couldn't hear them Nice hair the driver said his friends snickered Do you know where we can get some food? I Don't know The city center maybe I said I kept walking Trying not to show them how unnerved I was

[00:29:54] They were facing the wrong way to drive alongside me So the driver put the car in reverse so that they could keep in pace with me Do you know any places a? Few there's a kebab place at the top of the road Get in and show us yeah

[00:30:13] I'm drunk and tired and I've got lectures in the morning I said trying to sound casual even though I was just about to piss my pants It hadn't been a good day We're going to turn around and come back and pick you up. You wait there

[00:30:28] Okay, the driver said as the car started towards the end of the road, which was a dead end to turn around. I Heard the passenger say it's him. I knew it was him

[00:30:42] When the car was far enough away, I broke into a sprint and ran back towards my building I stumbled down some stairs and twisted my ankle pretty badly

[00:30:52] But managed to limp the rest of the way and got through the front door just as the car drove past I Dread to think what could have happened that day For the rest of my time at that god-awful University, I prayed to never meet those guys ever again

[00:31:10] Fortunately, I never did So even though the time has long passed. Let's not meet scary drug dealers Thank you for listening to this week's episode of let's not meet a true horror podcast this week you have heard an

[00:31:27] Untitled story by a listener who asked to remain anonymous get in the car I just want to talk to you by a reddit user who asked to remain anonymous Another untitled story by another listener who asked to remain anonymous

[00:31:51] I'm not sure if you've heard of the story of the guy who asked to remain anonymous Another untitled story by another listener who asked to remain anonymous when I became his obsession by a reddit user who asked to remain anonymous and

[00:32:05] Finally, I was nearly attacked or abducted at University by reddit user that Kyle guy Tune in next week where I'll have a new guest on the show Curtis Connor of the very really good podcast

[00:32:18] Check it out on Spotify iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts or check out his YouTube channel If you have any stories, you'd like to send into the podcast

[00:32:27] Email let's not meet stories at gmail.com or just email me at let's not meet podcast at gmail.com If you have any questions or inquiries about the show and follow me on twitter at let's not meet cast

[00:32:40] I'll see you guys next week for that brand new episode of let's not meet and guest Curtis Connor. See you then