Wednesday One-Shot: Beware the Terror in Texas

[00:00:01] Welcome to Wednesday One-Shots, the series where we share a bonus story with you to help you get through that midweek slump. This week we have a story by a listener named Gabrielle titled Terror in Texas.

[00:00:26] After getting permission from my mother, I decided to write to you about a horrifying event that she experienced during her young adult years. Although she had no idea how terrible it could have gone until years later.

[00:00:41] My mother is an amazing person, she loves her family and often goes above and beyond for her kids, me and my brother. I knew I could rely on her growing up, and now in my young adult years, I call her my best friend.

[00:00:55] She's also an absolute animal lover and loves traveling and exploring. It's terrifying for me to think that her life could have ended before it actually began. This story took place in Dallas, Texas where my mom had gone to college in the late 80s and early 90s.

[00:01:13] During the fall of 1989, my mom started her first day at work at this kiosk in a mall. She had arrived at the mall where she worked early. She spent the extra time that she had before starting work to finish her breakfast.

[00:01:29] She had ample time and wanted to relax while finishing her breakfast, so she took off her shoes while sitting in her car. When she was ready to head to work, she opened her driver's side door to put her shoes back

[00:01:42] on and as she was bending over lacing up her shoes, a man suddenly appeared above. He leaned forward, trapping her in the door frame. He was short with oily black hair and a thin mustache. My mom vividly remembers him being extremely startled and flustered at this moment.

[00:02:03] The man proceeded to gesture for her to climb over to the passenger seat of the car. She assumed this was so that he could take control of her vehicle. My mom asked him where he needed to go, but she couldn't understand the location that

[00:02:18] he was trying to give to her as his speech was unintelligible. All the while, he was threatening her with a long, sharp, tapered tool like an ice pick. My mom's brain then sort of short-wired. She stuttered as she explained that it was her first day of work.

[00:02:36] She was telling him that she couldn't go anywhere. Besides that, the console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat in her car was far too big. She knew she wouldn't be able to climb over it.

[00:02:47] The man then demanded that she give him all of her money, so she gave him a few loose dollars from her bag. She told him that was all she had. This was a lie. She did have more money in her wallet.

[00:03:00] I'm not sure if he got frustrated or perhaps nervous with it being broad daylight, but he gave up on trying to get her to move and he just snatched the money out of her hand. He couldn't leave without providing one last disgusting gesture.

[00:03:15] He looked straight in her eyes, grabbed her face, leaned in, and kissed her. Then he simply left. Stunned and flustered, my mom grabbed her things without finishing putting her shoes back on. She then ran into the mall while imagining a scenario where he comes back to carry out

[00:03:33] what he had in mind. She found her manager and told them of the encounter she just had. Frustratingly, not only did they brush her off, they left her to her own devices on her first day of work.

[00:03:48] My mom then called her mom, my grandmother, who lived a few states away. My grandmother calmed her down and suggested that my mom call the police. In the end, though, my mom didn't.

[00:04:00] She went on to live her life with a frightening story to share with others along the way. This story came to be told to me when I was younger, but when I was older, I was watching

[00:04:11] a woman's harrowing survival story on the show titled I Survived a Serial Killer. During this episode, I became increasingly freaked out as the man who attacked the woman sounded so familiar. I started to connect the dots. The description of this man matched my mother's attacker.

[00:04:30] The woman on this episode and her boyfriend were attacked by a man carrying an ice pick while walking along some railroad tracks. With the comparisons piling up, my heart was beating out of my chest.

[00:04:43] When the episode finally displayed a picture of this man, I took a picture of it and sent it to my mom. I then called her. She was silent for a moment before shakily replying that it could have very well been the man that she encountered that day.

[00:04:58] My mom encountered the man in 89, but I'm glad that he was eventually caught and faced the punishment that he deserved. My heart goes out to all of his victims and the victim's families.

[00:05:09] I'm so glad I got the chance to know my mother for the wonderful person she is. She's one of the lucky ones who made it out after a terrifying brush with a monster. Thank you for listening and thank you to Gabriel for sharing that terrifying story.

[00:05:25] If you have a story to share on the show, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. I'll see you all next week for a brand new full episode of Let's Not Meet, a true horror podcast. Everyone, stay safe. Bye.