The creepiest thing about this AskReddit thread where people shared the creepiest things that ever happened to them is that, as a rule, none of the stories are paranormal. It's not ghosts doing these things—it's human beings. And, OK, in one instance, Chewbacca.
1. CommiePatrol83 was nearly kidnapped, or worse.
When I was a little kid, like 8 or 9 I was walking down a pretty main street in Moscow, with a friend of mine. I don't really remember where we were headed, but I was the type of kid that was always out and about. So we turn down a smaller street and I see this guy, he was sorta sick looking, like his face was weird. He was standing in front of an open door and it was really dark inside. He calls to me and he says "could you please go inside and grab my glasses for me? I can't see without them." I look inside and all I could see is a table and a chair. So he tells me it's right there on the table. I was a little weirded out plus the door was one of these thick metal doors so it got me even more scared. So then I tell him if you know where the glasses are why can't you get them yourself? And he tells me it's hard for him to see so why don't I do it. At this point I just walked away really fast. Sometimes I still think of that moment and I think that I could've been easily raped or molested or killed that day.
2. HexYourEx had things go bump in the night.
I lived in a rural area, mountains and woods around the premises, anyways I used to smoke outside on this slab concrete type thing on the side of the house. I was standing under a dim outdoor porch light which lit about 20 feet around the area so not very far, it was late at night just me and my baby home but my baby was sleeping. Not even halfway into my cig, I heard a deep growling noise, and it slowly got closer and closer and louder as it did. When I first heard it my reaction was to freeze, didn't want to make eye contact with anything so I don't even know how close it got, I just know it wasn't in front of me but next to me.. how close I don't know. Didn't want to make a slow sudden movements either so I flicked my cig into the distance and jumped into the house, slammed and locked the door. Made a plan that I'd tip over this large wooden cabinet in front of the door if something tried getting in. Waited a few minutes in case whatever it was tried busting through then looked out the windows around the residence and didn't see anything. Assumed it was a bear.
Another time, same residence. Heard numerous (4 maybe 5) slams on the back door, slowly crept to the door and tried looking outside without being obvious though the lights were off back there. But then I heard some thuds on the roof above me. I called the police. They came out within 10 or so minutes. They searched the area and said they didn't see anything suspicious and it could have been a bear. So yeah but it doesn't explain the roof thuds.
3. Simmonater93 was more worried about getting in trouble.
When I was around 13 my single father worked nights and because of this I was in charge of babysitting my 10 year old sister. I was up at 3am on a school night in the living room watching tv (this is around the time I discovered the "girls gone wild" commercials) when I hear a car pull in my driveway. Thinking it was my father I did what any sensible child would do and I turned off the tv and like a bolt of lighting ran to my room. As I waited pretending to be sleeping I noticed that the vehicle never turned off, and so I mustered up some courage and peeked out my bedroom window. Outside there was a truck I didn't recognize just sitting in the driveway with it's headlights on. I heard the front doorknob jingle and for whatever reason I grabbed a metal pole ran into my sisters room locked the door and started hitting it making it sound like a house alarm. I did this for what felt like an eternity while my sister kept watch and saw two men get in the truck and drive off. They could've been lost, they could've been looking to rob us, who knows, but I never told my father (for fear of being punished being up at 3am) and I never saw anything like that again.
4. TulsaBrawler's game turned real.
9 years old; I was playing cops and robbers in the woods at night and a police search helicopter was patrolling over us with a spotlight. Turns out they were looking for an escaped inmate from the state pen.
5. KTC8426 had a standoff with a gun-wielding alien.
I work an overnight shift as a security guard and aside from myself, another guard and some cleaners, the building is totally empty. Once the cleaners leave around 3:30 am, I normally try to go around and lock up any offices and rooms that need to be closed before any employees arrive before the lights shut off at 4:30. One night I got caught up with some other things and by the time I got around to doing this, the lights were off, and since it was the middle of winter, there was no sign of sunlight saving me from the dark until I left at 7. So I rushed around and closed all the doors as quick as I could so I could get back to safety. I made my way to the second floor but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the outline of a person on the other end of the floor with their arms positioned as if they were holding a large gun. I panicked and crouched behind a cubicle, but I kept looking to see where they'd go. No one had access to the building for several more hours, and if an employee happened to have come in that early, the other guard would have radioed me before something like this happened. The figure never moved from its spot, so I decided to creep closer and look around incase there was anyone else. I was pretty certain I was going to have a heart attack because all I have at my disposal is a flashlight keychain, a walkie talkie and some keys and this person might possibly have a gun. I managed to make it to a spot where the moonlight shining through the window illuminated the figure enough for me to at least make out some features. They wore a baseball hat, had long shaggy hair, they were in fact holding a gun and they were easily 6 feet tall, but they still hadn't moved. I moved a little closer and noticed that the light reflected off of the figure in an odd way. I gathered the nerve to fish out my flashlight and while still hiding behind another cubicle, I flashed the light on their face and finally caught a glimpse of the intruder. I was startled. This mysterious, gun wielding intruder was actually a life size cardboard cutout of chewbacca. I legitimately spend 20 minutes stalking and building up the courage to confront a giant pice of cardboard.
6. EventuallyFormer was saved by a hero.
When I was in college, I was stopped at a gas station putting air in my tires and this man came over and started talking to me. It started off fine, it seemed he was just friendly and without much social finesse. But then he continued to get closer to me and lean on my car... it is very difficult to explain, but I very much felt like I was in danger. There was no real way I could get into my car without trapping myself and it just really seemed like he was intent on sticking around. My keys were also in the car NB because I was a 19 year old Midwestern girl who still trusted the world. He also kept glancing toward the gas pumps, which I felt was a sign he was waiting for me to be alone. I know all the comments to this post will be "You should have...." but I felt very trapped by the situation.
About 5 or 6 minutes into this, I locked eyes with a different guy (much older) across the parking lot. I tried to convey "something is WRONG" as hard as possible... and he quickly walked inside the gas station. I felt like he was trying to avoid seeing something unpleasant and I was going to end up alone.
A minute later the older guy comes out of the gas station with a few sodas and walks directly out to me and said something like "Good thing you stopped, your mom has been hinting about being thirsty for the last half hour. I got you a soda too while I was in. Now do you know how to get to (some town name) or do you want to follow?" I replied that I had better follow because you know how I am with directions. So yhis accomplished two things:. he gave me an out to the situation and let the creepy guy know that someone was watching.
So I followed him for about 3 miles out of town at which point the guy just kind of waved like "You're good" and I turned and went back to my dorm.
I never got a chance to thank him in person, so every time I tell this story, I have to say a big thank you to anyone who has ever done anything like this. I have gotten two opportunities to step in and do something similar (both times pretending to be the BFF of a drunk girl because it looked like she was in a bad position). I wish I could tell that guy that I will now always get involved when someone looks like they are in trouble, because if I'm wrong, well then I look crazy/can be embarrassed, but if I'm right I can basically save someone.
7. DrunkenBusiness was "helped" by a guy named Leopold.
When I was 18 or 19 I went out to a New Year's Eve party in the city and dropped my ID in the street. It was mailed back to me by a gentleman named Leopold.
Leopold was 53 and had recently been released from prison. He sent pictures of him "volunteering" at a soup kitchen. Leopold was determined that him finding my ID was "a sign" and that "we were destined to be together." He sent Bible verses that, to him, justified this belief.
He mostly expressed regret that I lived to far away, and that he didn't have a car to come visit me. I was not at all regretful about this. Leopold sent other letters, but I never opened them.
8. Biglittlesmalltall brought this on himself by letting his six-year-old watch The Grudge.
A week before Halloween a couple of years ago, my kids and I were watching scary movies to get into the spirit of the holiday. They were scared and I really wasn't, at least not consciously. The last movie we watched was The Grudge.
Well, we were all creeped out and sleepy. To top it off, it was raining. Thundering and lightning, wind whistling through some opened windows. Some real haunted house shit.
My son and daughter begged to sleep with me. I told them that everything was OK and that I was in the next room. They reluctantly went to their own rooms. Wussies, I thought.
Well, Lo and behold, as soon as I go to sleep, I start having nightmares. Lots of groaning and hair everywhere. I guess that movie, The Grudge, really fucked with me.
Suddenly, I was woken up. Something was talking to me, like right in my ear. I look up and in the flashes of light from the storm outside, I see a silhouette standing right next to me. I just see hair everywhere!
OH MY GOD, ITS THE FUCKING GRUDGE! So in a panic, I grab a fistful of The Grudge's hair and just start shaking her head violently. I'm totally screaming like a bitch too.
All of a sudden, The Grudge yells, "Daddy!" I immediately recognize that the voice is my daughter's voice!!!
As it turns out, my baby had come to my room to ask if she could sleep in my bed because she was having nightmares and I totally just manhandled her like a jittery fuckface.
This happened when she was six. It's almost a decade later and I still catch her giving me the side eye.
So, either my daughter or my cat are going to murder me one day.
9. Nujurzy87 has a good friend.
9th grade, my friends and i left campus for lunch, and were walking through a neighborhood. my friend noticed up ahead on the other side of the street, some guy in a pick up truck was talking to a little girl right outside his front door with the front door open. he said something wasnt right and i thought it must just be her father.
anyway, my friend walks up to him, my friends and me following, and asks if there's a problem. the older guy said no leave him and his grand daughter alone. my friend asks her if that's her grandfather and she said no. when he asked her if she knew him she said no. thats when my friend john stepped in between them and started talking shit to him threatening to kick his ass.
my friend called the police. police came. it got the neighbors attention. some guys across the street came out with baseball bats and chains when they saw what was going on, the police had to go and keep them from intervening, that the cops were taking care of it.
the girls mom came outside and was crying and screaming which is what got the neighbor's attention besides the sirens. we had to write down a report for the officers. give our contact information, though they never contacted us.
if we didnt decide to walk to lunch that day, this little girl could've been kidnapped, raped and killed.