Episode 126: Last Exit

Summary

Otherworld Podcast Episode 126: "Last Exit" Summary

Introduction

In Episode 126 of Otherworld, titled "Last Exit," host Jack Wagner delves into two extraordinary and chilling experiences shared by Amy Palin and Christopher. This episode, released on June 9, 2025, explores the thin veil between reality and the paranormal, highlighting moments where individuals encountered inexplicable phenomena that blurred the lines of their everyday lives.

Amy Palin's Story: A Premonition Turned Reality

Timestamp: [01:07]

Amy Palin recounts a harrowing experience from 1997 when she was 21 years old. Living with her sister in San Francisco, Amy frequently traveled to Crescent City, a remote town in Northern California known for its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the ancient Jedidiah Smith Redwoods, and the infamous Pelican Bay Supermax Prison.

The Setting of Crescent City

Timestamp: [01:07 - 09:17]

Jack Wagner sets the scene by describing Crescent City as a place with a unique and heavy energy, exacerbated by its isolation and the presence of the maximum-security prison. Amy echoes this sentiment, detailing the town's transition from a thriving logging and fishing community to one grappling with economic decline and pervasive drug issues. The relentless rain and dense redwood forests add to the town’s haunting atmosphere.

The Nightmare That Became Real

Timestamp: [05:00 - 31:09]

On a fateful night before a planned trip to her parents' home, Amy indulges in heavy partying, leading to a severe hangover the next morning. She describes experiencing an intensely vivid and lucid nightmare where she and her sister are chased by a menacing figure:

Amy Palin [05:00]: "This was the most terrifying nightmare I've ever had. It felt so real... I knew he was going to kill us."

In her dream, Amy finds herself holding a remote control instead of a weapon, symbolizing helplessness against the impending threat. Upon waking, she shares the nightmare with her sister, Melissa, who unusually takes the warning seriously.

The Eerie Encounter on the Road

Timestamp: [08:08 - 25:58]

As Amy and Melissa embark on their eight-hour drive to Crescent City, Amy notices strange occurrences:

Amy Palin [22:00]: "We saw a car pass us twice, slow down in front, and it felt like they were hunting us."

The unsettling behavior of the driver mirrors Amy's nightmare. When the car reappears with distinctive features matching her dream's antagonist, Amy realizes the dream was a premonition:

Amy Palin [25:59]: "That's him. So she's like, okay, I'll be right back."

Frantically, Amy uses her rarely functional cell phone—a device that miraculously gains service at that moment—to call 911. The dispatcher responds promptly, and a highway patrol officer intervenes, apprehending the pursuit driver and his accomplice. Amy's father later confirms that the men were on parole for violent crimes, highlighting the fatal consequences that were narrowly avoided.

Christopher's Stories: Glitches in Reality

Timestamp: [33:21 - 46:58]

Christopher shares two separate, intense experiences that suggest anomalies in reality:

1. Subway Incident:

   • While riding the subway in his mid-20s, Christopher feels a sudden gust of wind that causes the train to tip and crash. Despite the violent impact, no time seems to pass, and only a few passengers are aware of the incident. This event leaves Christopher questioning the nature of his reality and whether he experienced a parallel timeline or an alternate universe.

2. Car Crash While High:

   • Years earlier, Christopher was involved in a car accident while heavily intoxicated. The crash resulted in significant injury, yet shortly afterward, he and his friends behaved as if nothing had occurred. The vividness of the memory and the surreal manner in which the event unfolded leave him unable to reconcile the experience with his conscious awareness.

Christopher ponders the possibility of multiple universes and the limitations of human perception in understanding such phenomena:

Christopher [33:56]: "Maybe there's a universe in which that happens, and then that universe was gone for me."

Insights and Discussions

Throughout the episode, Jack Wagner reflects on the profound connections between dreams, premonitions, and real-life events. Amy Palin's story serves as a compelling example of how subconscious warnings can manifest into life-saving actions. The synchronicity between her nightmare and the subsequent pursuit underscores the potential for deeper, unseen forces guiding our lives.

Christopher's experiences add another layer to the discussion, introducing the concept of parallel realities and the fragility of human consciousness. His narratives challenge listeners to consider the possibility that reality may be more complex and multi-dimensional than our current understanding allows.

Conclusions

Episode 126 of Otherworld masterfully intertwines personal testimonies with broader existential questions. Amy Palin's near-fatal encounter serves as a testament to the mysterious ways in which the universe might intervene to protect individuals from harm. Meanwhile, Christopher's stories push the boundaries of conventional reality, inviting listeners to explore the enigmatic intersections between mind, perception, and the fabric of existence.

Jack Wagner concludes the episode by expressing a desire to further investigate such phenomena, encouraging listeners who have experienced similar events to share their stories:

Jack Wagner [46:58]: "I really hope to get more stories like this in the future. I'm not exactly sure what this is, but I'd love to explore it further."

Notable Quotes

• Amy Palin [05:00]: "This was the most terrifying nightmare I've ever had. It felt so real... I knew he was going to kill us."
• Amy Palin [25:59]: "That's him. So she's like, okay, I'll be right back."
• Christopher [33:56]: "Maybe there's a universe in which that happens, and then that universe was gone for me."
• Jack Wagner [46:58]: "I'm not exactly sure what this is, but I'd love to explore it further."

Final Thoughts

Otherworld Episode 126: "Last Exit" offers a gripping exploration of the unknown, blending personal experiences with thought-provoking insights into the nature of reality and the supernatural. Whether through premonitions or glitches in the Matrix, the stories shared by Amy and Christopher leave listeners questioning the boundaries of their own experiences and the unseen forces that may shape their destinies.

For more paranormal stories and unexplained phenomena, subscribe to Otherworld on your preferred podcast platform and join Jack Wagner as he uncovers the mysteries that lie just beyond our perception.

Transcript

[Amy Palin]

In case you haven't heard, it's officially in Abercrombie Summer.

[Jack Wagner]

The A and M Vacation Shop has everything on your packing mood board.

[Amy Palin]

I desperately need their new one piece.

[Jack Wagner]

The A and F Marina. It's strapless, so flattering and paired with.

[Amy Palin]

Denim shorts will be my go to.

[Jack Wagner]

Beach outfit this summer. Finally, your suitcase isn't complete without finding that dress. You know, the one for the photo shoot. Abercrombie's boho dresses have that perfect beachy romantic look. Make it an Abercrombie Summer shot.

[Amy Palin]

Their newest arrivals in store, online and in the app this episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like Prime Video, Amazon Music, and fast free delivery, prime makes it easy to get more out of whatever you're into or getting into. Visit Amazon.comprime to learn more.

[Jack Wagner]

Welcome to Otherworld. I'm your host Jack Wagner. This episode features two experiences from two different people, and one of these people is actually one of the earliest interviews I ever did for Otherworld. I've been sitting on this for way too long and I'm so glad that we could finally put it in an episode. The first story you're about to hear comes from a woman named Amy, and it takes place in 1997 when she was 21 and her sister was 26. At this time they were living together in San Francisco, but their parents lived all the way in the very northern part of California in a town called Crescent City. Now it just so happened that I had been to Crescent City myself right before interviewing Amy, and I was pretty excited to hear that this is where the story took place. I'm pretty sure you'll hear me in the episode very shortly. If you aren't familiar, Crescent City is a very unique place. It is literally the furthest north you can go in the state of California, and it really does feel like the edge of the world when you're out there. On one side of Crescent City is the Pacific Ocean. On the other side is one of the oldest forests in America, the Jedidiah Smith Redwoods. This is an incredible, huge and mysterious old growth forest that contains some of the biggest trees in the entire world. In fact, some of these trees are so large that their locations are kept secret in order to preserve them. Additionally, Crescent City is also home to Pelican Bay Supermax Prison, at one point the home of Charles Manson. So my Point is, there is a lot going on in Crescent City for being such a small coastal town, and the energy there is very, very different as a result. The second part of the episode comes from a guy who named Christopher, and I think his stories will speak for themselves. Like I said, this was one of the earliest interviews I did for Otherworld. He has had two instances where he was going about his day and then suddenly experienced a sort of glitch in reality. I loved this interview. I've been thinking about it ever since I did it, and I've been wanting to get it out for quite some time. This is episode 126. The title is Last Exit, and you're listening to Otherworld.

[Amy Palin]

Hello, is this Bobby?

[Jack Wagner]

Yes, it is at its core, the.

[Amy Palin]

Science you can't argue with. I'm so worried about up in the Sky.

[Jack Wagner]

It's almost frustrating that it's happening.

[Christopher]

I'm gonna die. His limbs were just, like, wrong.

[Amy Palin]

Everybody moves back into the light, even if it takes them a min.

[Christopher]

SAM.

[Amy Palin]

My name is Amy Palin, and I live in Half Moon Bay, California. I am a corporate chef, but I really want to be a painter. I paint a lot. I have two beautiful daughters and. And a husband. We just live a peaceful life here in Half Moon Bay. Honestly, I think it's like the most beautiful place in the world. The California coast is just spectacular. Everywhere you look is beauty. There's this little trail called the Coastal Trail, and it's six miles long, and it goes right along the crescent of the bay, and that's where I go jogging every morning. And I mean, it's just. It's a very spiritual place. I love it. So I hope I get to live here for the rest of my life, because it's gorgeous. So I lived in San Francisco with my sister. She's five years older than me, and at this time, I was around 22. It's a little. I think it's. I think it was right around 1998. So my parents live in Northern California in a tiny town called Crescent City. And it's way up the. By the Oregon border on the coast, and it's very isolated.

[Jack Wagner]

Oh, I am familiar with Crescent City.

[Amy Palin]

Oh, you know, yeah. So it's a pretty creepy place in its own special way.

[Jack Wagner]

It is a very creepy place.

[Amy Palin]

It's beautiful, but it's creepy.

[Jack Wagner]

Took me a while to figure out why it was creepy.

[Amy Palin]

Ooh, I bet you have stories.

[Jack Wagner]

I mean, I was just there, and it's right next to the. Maybe the most beautiful forest in the World.

[Amy Palin]

Yes.

[Jack Wagner]

But there was something about the town. It was just like a very heavy place. There was a strange amount of people there, and, like, the mood was just off everywhere we went. And the whole time I was kind of scratching my head. I'm like, what are all these people doing up here? Why is everybody seem so sad? Like, what's going on? And then I drove north a little bit and realized that it is the home of Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison.

[Amy Palin]

Yes. Yeah.

[Jack Wagner]

So all of those people I saw were likely coming or going from that or visiting a loved one who's being locked up for a very long time for something that's probably very, very, very bad. Yes.

[Amy Palin]

But it was creepy before that because I actually lived up there with my parents. I went to high school up there. My dad's a highway patrolman and he got transferred up there. So we moved from Mill Valley, California, which is like the most beautiful little town in the Bay Area. And we moved up there and I went to high school. And it was weird. But that year they built the prison, so all the people, the families that had prisoners in the. They all moved up. So it. It went from creepy to, like, super dark. Like, there was just. There's a lot of gnarly stuff that goes on there. It's weird.

[Jack Wagner]

I didn't even think about that. That, like, they weren't just visiting families probably moved there.

[Amy Palin]

Yes. And the correctional officers. Nothing against correctional officers, of course. They're probably lovely people, but they moved up with their families. And to be in that environment, there's an energy to it and being saturated in that environment. And that area is very, very cold and dark and cloudy for literally like nine months. The first we lived there, it rained for 40 days straight. And not just like a drizzle, like a pelting, oppressive rain, because that's why we have that beautiful forest. It's a rainforest, and it gets over 100 inches of rain a year.

[Jack Wagner]

Yeah. The old growth forest, the redwoods.

[Amy Palin]

Yeah. Which is spectacular, but it's heavy, interestingly.

[Jack Wagner]

Like a few towns south. It's like the most idyllic, beautiful place you could ever imagine. It's just something about Crescent City. I remember just being there and the energy was just so off. I don't. I shockingly don't use that word too often, but when we were there, I'm like, there's just something off.

[Amy Palin]

Yeah.

[Jack Wagner]

And then I. I didn't know.

[Amy Palin]

I bet there's a lot of stories up there, because I've had some weird. There's Some weird stuff. It's weird up there, but the energy, you know, like, you've made that drive recently. I don't know if you drove or flew, but if you drove, you probably. If you drove on 101, you drove the same way. My sister and I Dr. It is isolated and there's this section of road that's, you know, in Mendocino County. When you're going from Mendocino county into Humboldt county, there is nothing. I mean, you are they in the eight. In the late 90s, early 2000s, they called it the Emerald Triangle because that was where they used to grow all the illegal marijuana when it was illegal. You don't go hiking out there. It's dangerous. It's like really rugged, first of. That's why they would grow out there because it was so rugged. Like these canyons in this dense forest. I mean, you couldn't even like, get around. So regular people would grow. But then there was also the cartel that would grow out there. It was a dangerous, dangerous place. And it was still like that during the time this was. My sister and I drove that direction. 1998, you know, marijuana wasn't legal yet, and there was still a presence of like, just a lot of dangerous, violent crime. And there was also. And I don't know if it had anything to do with the prison system or not, but there happened to be a very vast methamphetamine issue, especially in Crescent City. I think it was because it was so poor. And it started as a logging town. Like, you know those old pictures of the giant redwoods with, you know, they logged that whole area. And so it was like a gold rush in the 40s, 50s. Everybody had money. They had these big houses. It was beautiful up there. The fishing was really good. And then somewhere around the 80s, everything fell apart. And the logging industry went out and the fishing industry wasn't so good anymore, and people became poor. And they started, you know, it was a depressed community. And so that's when the. The cheaper drugs, the methamphetamine started coming in. But that was kind of synonymous with fishing anyway, just because they have to stay up for so many hours. But then it just kind of was pervasive in the community where there was like this drug element. And so that was still very much alive when I went to high school there. And then my sister was only there for a little while. She's older. She's like, I gotta get back to the Bay Area. So she moved back to the Bay Area. I followed her. We lived together in A flat in San Francisco, which was so much fun. And so we would go periodically, go up there to visit my parents. And we make the drive a lot. And it's like, it's a pretty gnarly drive. It's eight hours. There's sections where there's no gas station. And this is back in the day before cell phones were all that, you know. I didn't have a cell phone. I was kind of one of those weird kids that was resistant to like technology. I don't know, I was like a hippie, I guess. I was like, no, I don't need a cell phone. But my sister had one. But it didn't work up there anyway because it was like so desolate. So my sister and I are living together. Like I said, she's five years older than I am. I'm just 21 or 22 at this time in my life. I party hard, like party, party, party, drinking all the time. My sister's a little older, she doesn't drink as much. So of course I like, I live with her thinking, oh, maybe her good, you know, maybe she'll like rub off on me and I'll be like, better, you know. But we were supposed to drive to my parents house to visit them. And the night before, of course, I go out as a 22 year old and rage and just like get really drunk with my friends, have a great time. She's so mad because I didn't come home until like 3am So I come home, go right to bed, she's like, we're gonna leave early, I don't care, you know, she's all mad. So that night I have the most terrifying nightmare I've ever had in my whole life. And like I've had a little bit of like lucid dreaming or whatever. This was on another level. Like the dream was not only lucid, it felt so real. I mean I. And it was weird because the dream was very dreamlike. It was like my sister and I were together in this dreamscape that was like rolling hills, like black void sky, red rolling hills. We're running for our lives. And that's like the dream just started with us just running for our lives. And we're like running together and we keep looking back, keep looking back. And there's this man following it. He was tall, broad shoulders, big beard, mustache, dark eyes, dark hair. And he was just like a menacing presence. Like he was just like murder, just absolute predator. And the feeling of the dream was like relentless, relentless. And he was like running with a gun. And he was going to kill us. Like he was going to kill us. I knew in every fiber of my being that if we didn't get away from him, he was going to kill us. And I just kept, I just kept saying, we just have to run, run, run, run, run, you know, and we're running together and then all of a sudden he gets in front of us and I look at his face and he's wearing a red and black flannel shirt and he has a beard and a mustache and he has dark hair. And I look right at his face and he is pointing the gun at us and he's going to kill us. And suddenly I realize I'm holding a remote control and I'm like, what the hell? This is so stupid. Like I wanted to kill him with something. Like I went to like, like, like I was like looking for a knife or something. And then I. All I have is a stupid remote control and it has a circular red power button on the top left corner. And I'm like, well, what the hell am I gonna do with this? And I'm like, well, shit. And I just hit the power button and I wake up. And I mean, it's like waking up, like shouting. Like we're like. I was screaming and I could tell I had been crying because I had tears all down my face. My heart is pounding a mile a minute. I'm drenched in sweat. I have a raging headache. Of course, probably because I'm like super hungover. But that's another thing that's really weird is when I drink that much, I normally don't dream about anything. Like I'm just out, you know, I just sleep like the dead. And for this dream to be so intense, I mean, it just like I got out of bed, my sister was already awake. She was still kind of mad at me. And at that time, you know, we smoked. So we were having a cigarette and I'm telling her, at first I didn't want to say anything because I was like, this is going to like, maybe put her in a bad, a worse mood. So I told her about the dream, but I didn't tell her any of the details really because I was still kind of like, God, that was, you know, just really weird. Like I kind of wanted to like put it out of my memory. And I had a terrible headache. I did not feel good, was like, whatever, like just, ugh, let's, you know, let's get this over with. We had a eight hour drive ahead of us that I wasn't really looking Forward to. So we're packing to get ready, and Melissa says, hey, should I bring my cell phone? And I'm like, well, it doesn't even work anyway. She's like, ah, I'm just gonna bring it just in case, you know? And I never even really noticed her cell phone or looked at it. I didn't even know what kind it was. I wasn't interested in that kind of thing. I mean, I was still like. I don't know. I was just kind of like. I wasn't interested in getting a cell phone myself for some reason. So that was just. It was in her bag in the front seat. So we drive all the way up through Ukiah, and that's like four hours or five hours into our drive. And we realize there's no gas. Like, after you, like, you have to stop. There's this little tiny town called Garberville. We called it Garbageville because it was like, kind of a shitty little town right in the middle of Humboldt County. And my dad, since he's a highway patrolman, he always was warning us, like, don't get out. Don't get gas in Garberville. Like, just get gas before. Just drive all the way through. Get gas in Santa Rosa. And we never, like, he never said why. We were just like, yeah, dad, whatever. Like, he's so prejudiced against people, like, thinking everybody's a dirt bag. He'd always say, oh, they're all dirt bags. Yeah, typical. He's a highway patrolman. So anyway, we forgot to get gas in Santa Rosa, so we stopped in Garberville. And we weren't thinking. You know, we were young. We weren't really thinking about anything. So anyhow, we weren't really paying attention to who was around us or what was going on. So we got gas. Then the next portion of the drive from Garberville to eureka is like 80 miles of nothing. It is just wilderness. And especially back then, it's just redwoods. And so we're driving and we're talking, and then Melissa. I'm not really paying attention. Then Melissa turns to me and goes, oh, that's weird. And I see this car pass, get in front of us and kind of slow down. And this section of road, it's like, you know, eight miles of where you can stay to the right, be in the fast lane or whatever. So we were going fast, and I'm like, what? She's like, well, this guy's passed us twice, and he's done the same thing. Like, he's passed us and then slowed down in front of us. And I. And then he comes, and she's like, look, it was like a shitty old Toyota Celica or something. It didn't have any real distinguishing features other than it being, like, older. He'd be back, you know, 10 car lengths, just hanging out. We. And we'd be in the left lane going 80 because we were trying to get home because it's a long drive. He would pass us on the right, get in front, and then slow way down, and, like, it started getting more noticeable. She was like, amy, this is weird. Something's off. Like, I don't know what they're doing. And so, you know, the car was slowing down. We would pass. Then it was creepy, too, because the car would back off. And so I just remember watching the car in the rearview mirror, like, backing off enough to where we were both like, okay, okay, maybe. Maybe it's okay. Maybe it's okay. You know, that feeling in your gut, like, oh, God, you know, this is. Maybe. Maybe we're. Maybe we're overreacting just enough, you know, Give it. He would give it like, three or four minutes of backing off, and then here he comes again. The thing is, like, my sister, she is not like a scaredy cat. She is confident and brave. When she said, hey, this is weird. Watch what this guy is doing, I took notice because she's not one to be, like, you know, mention something like that. She's not paranoid or whatever. So when I see her face and her body language, she is scared at this point, and I can tell because she's noticed this behavior. And then when they drove by and she looked over, she saw them looking in at us, and that's when she really got scared, and I could feel that fear from her. And as that's happening, you're just like, what the are these people thinking? What are they doing? Like, is this. Is there. Are they doing this on purpose? And it got to be the point where we knew they were doing this on purpose to freak us out. And that freaked us out even more. We're alone on this highway, two men and two women in two separate cars. And these men are purposely hunting us on this road and, like, playing with us. And that was so creepy. The, like. The playing. Like, we have you. We can do whatever we want. And I started getting this, like, edgy feeling. And she's like, I'm gonna pass him again. Look over. Look over and see if you see. Look in the car. See what it is like. So she passes him, and I look over, and the guy Has a red and black checkered shirt and a beard. It is the guy from my dream. And I mean, I just, like, went ice cold and there was ice. There was another man sitting next to him, but I didn't even notice. I was so shocked, so shell shocked. It was like ice went through my veins. And I knew that if we didn't figure a way out of this situation, we would die that day. And it was going to be a horrendous death. Like, this was no. There was no buts about it. Like, these men were not playing with us. They were hunting us. They were going to kill us. And. And I knew it. And I looked at Melissa, I said, you're going to think I'm crazy. That is the guy from the dream. That is the guy. It's him. That's the guy from the dream. And she just said, holy shit. She didn't even question it. She stomped on the gas pedal and tried to go as fast as she could. And she's like, get my cell phone. Grab my cell phone. Call 91 1. Call 9. She didn't even. She didn't even bat. And I'm like, okay, you know, thinking, oh, God. And thank God she understands. Thank God she. She's listening, you know, like, she believed me. And I was so grateful in that moment. And I picked up that stupid cell phone, and it looked just like a remote control. It wasn't a flip phone. It was like the old just like rectangle. And it had a circular red power button in the left hand corner, just like my dream. And I was like, holy shit, this is weird. This is very, very weird. And I. I mean, I'm shaking. I hit the power button and it turns on and we have service, which is a freaking miracle we are even today. I swear to God. When my sister and I went to visit my parents just last summer, we did that drive and we talked about this story. And our cell phones had absolutely no reception. And this is 2024 and there's still no reception. It is like a dead zone. So the fact that we had a bar, I did 911 and a woman. I got a dispatcher. And I was like, oh, my God. Oh my God. You know, like, I couldn't believe it. I was so, so relieved. And so I told the dispatcher what was happening. And she said, okay, we have a. We have a highway patrolman right ahead of you. They're gonna pull over. When you see the cop car, pull over and tell that officer what's happening. And we were like, oh, my God. You know, we drive. We're going, you know, 100 miles an hour. We. We see the cop car. We pull over, and at this guy time, the guy, like, stayed behind. He didn't follow us. He. He stayed back, thankfully, because, I don't know, I mean, he was. You know, we were really trying to get away. So as soon as we pulled over, we jumped out, we told the cop it was a female cop, and which we were kind of relieved about because we just didn't feel like. I don't know, I didn't feel like a man would have done, like, really listen to us or whatever. But anyway, I just felt really happy that it was a woman. When we're telling her the story, the car passes and we shout, oh, that's him.

[Christopher]

That's him.

[Amy Palin]

That's him. So she's like, okay, I'll be right back. And she jumped in the car, took off after him. So we're on the side of the road. We're like, well, now what do we do? You know? And the cell phone buzzes. It's my dad. And he's like, what the hell is going on? You know, I hear all this over the radio where you get to tell me what's going on. Like, you know, he's been hearing the dispatch and all that, and the call came out and everything. So we told him what happened, and he was trying to get through to us since he heard the call over the radio. But the phone. The phone he couldn't connect because there was no reception out there. So he finally got through, and so we're on the phone with him, and we're like, what do we do? Do we wait for the cops? She's like, no, don't. Don't wait for her. Just come on home. And so we get back in the car, and I'm talking to my dad, and he's listening to the radio, trying to figure out what happened, and he goes, well, they're making a felony arrest, so it's a good thing that you, you know, called. And he's like, it's because you got gas in Garberville. That's where they picked you up. You got gas in Garberville. Those guys saw you, and he. They wanted to. Wanted you. Later on when we got there, he said, yeah, they had methamphetamine, knives, guns, and they were both on parole for violent crimes. And I'm not. My dad didn't elaborate, but I think he didn't want to scare us too bad. But, you know, you can only. I'm sure they had some pretty horrible things on their record. And they, he said don't worry, they're going to be gone for a long time. He said, this is the kind of thing that you go away for, for, for a long time. It was crazy. I still think about it just like as soon as I saw that red brown power button on that cell phone, I was like, oh my God, we're gonna live. Like, we're gonna make it. We're gonna be okay. I knew that that dream, I knew that that was the message. Like that's why I couldn't, I couldn't ignore it. Being was just like, this is happening. Like pay attention. And, and I'm, and my sister had the same feeling. And I was so grateful that she, she believed, she absolutely 100 believed me. And it's like she knew too. Like, we have to act or we're going to end up, we're going to be murdered today. And it was like, you know, a power greater than ourselves stepped in and said, hey, wake up. You need to pay attention. And I felt so protected, like, oh thank God. Like truly, I especially now know for a fact that there is something greater than ourselves. I do truly believe that we have a connection to a source. We have a connection to a, like a consciousness that we're all a part of. And I feel like we can communicate with loved ones that have passed. And I mean I truly believe in all of that. I feel like we have a collective consciousness and if we keep our minds open, especially during sleep, I feel like we can get messages. And I've had this, I've had situations like this before where I've gotten these clear messages like, hey, wake up, pay attention. And the more you like, the more you're aware of that, the more it happens. And it can happen in good ways too. It doesn't have to be this horrible life threatening thing. But I do truly believe that whether you want to call it guides or guardians, whatever you want to call it, there is a force that everybody has their like protection circle of things that are watching out for them, higher self, whatever. And I truly believe that that was tapping into that and saying, hey, it's not your time to be taken out yet and you need to pay attention or this could go bad. You know, it's just kind of, it just, it's just opened my mind to like the possibilities of there is something going on and we don't know what that is and that's okay. And it's like, it's incredible and it's and you cannot ignore it. You have to pay attention to it. And you know, this is. This is the first episode I had where it was like, wow, this is. This is real. This is not. This is no bullshit. This is real. This really happened. And I need to pay attention. And I was just so grateful that I did.

[Jack Wagner]

All right, we'll be right back after this quick break.

[Amy Palin]

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[Christopher]

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[Christopher]

My name is Chris. I live in New York City in western queens. I'm pushing 40 right now. You know, I'm married with a son and I used to. Well, I'm an electrician by trade. I don't do field work anymore, but I'm a union electrician. And I guess this first story, you know, I was working with my tools. It was a Friday afternoon. I got out of work at 2:15. Friday afternoon in the summer, nice early day, normal day really. But so I get home, have something to eat, I clean myself up and then I go to meet my girlfriend, now my wife out after her work in Manhattan. I was heading out and I was trying to beat the storm that was coming in one of those, I don't know if it's actually a supercell or whatever they are, but the real, real quick and hard summer storms that hit a lot and didn't, didn't quite make it. And I get on the subway which is elevated by me. I go a couple stops and I could feel, you know, it's starting, it's raining, there's thunder and lightning. The wind is absolutely hammering the train and right when it's going to take a turn to go into Queensborough Plaza, I feel a gust of wind catches it and it must have been, I mean the exact right moment or whatever it was. And I felt the train tip. I remember like my legs coming up as the, as the, the subway car tipped backwards into the turn. And then I remember bouncing off the roof of the train as it went down and just getting buffeted a little bit and kind of the sort of weightless feeling in the air. It was less than a second and really all I remember is my view as there's like the brief moment of panic and then just getting tossed around. And when I say tossed around, but really it was like thump, thump, black. You know, doesn't take that, doesn't take that long to fall. And then the train hit the ground and next thing I know it was pulling into the station. No additional time passed or anything like that. You know, it wasn't like a final destination. Like I saw it and then it happened situation and I was just kind of in shock at that point. I could still feel like the impact from bouncing around the inside of the subway car. And you know, it was rush hour so the trains were running pretty quick. And being only a couple stops from the first stop on the line, there weren't a ton of people on the train. There couldn't have been more than six people in the car. There was one woman who, you know, an older woman who seemed kind of confused. Nobody else seemed to notice. She just got off the train. She was like an older Hispanic woman. She was coming home from work or whatever, and she just shaking her head, got off the train, and that was it. I mean, I went on with my life. It was terrifying, but it was so sudden. And then it happened so suddenly, and then it just didn't. It just didn't happen. I don't know how else to describe it. I went out. I went down. I went downtown, went out to a bar. And, you know, I drank pretty heavily that night in particular. But, you know, at the time, I was in my early mid-20s. That's kind of how it went. And that was it. And before I had mentioned it, I mentioned it to a friend of mine kind of in passing, shortly afterwards. But then I never said a word about it to anybody ever again. I mean, I don't even know how you bring something like that up. And, you know, I heard an episode of Otherworld recently where somebody had a similar experience. And what struck me most about it was when he was describing the sort of, like, the feeling after, you know, the event occurred and the sort of, like, weird confusion and like, your brain just trying to process what just happened really struck a nerve with me. I mean, I was. I was awake. It was maybe, you know, 90 seconds after I got on the subway. I never really had. I don't know if people have dreams like that. I certainly haven't, but I don't know. I really. I don't have any proof that it happened or that I wasn't sleeping. But, I mean, I remember it. I remember it vividly. And it's not. It's a memory. It's not like. It's not me trying to cobble together, you know, fragments from a dream. So something very similar happens many, many years ago. Actually, probably not that long before this story. I used to smoke a lot, smoke a lot of weed. You know, driving around, smoking blunts. One day I was with some friends. We got in a car with a guy who I wasn't really friends with. Didn't hang out with him too much, but got in the car, driving around. He was the winter, he was driving everyone, you know, driving around a residential neighborhood in the snow, over people's lawns, in his. You know, in His Explorer or whatever he was driving. And I just remember being extremely high, which is why I was a little. You know. I know this is like, that's not what being stoned does to you, but I. We were in the car, he was whipping around, and I just remember being so nervous because this was. It was crazy. Like, it's unnecessary. I can't imagine anybody doing some shit like that. And he just whips this turn, driving like an. And we crashed. And I was sitting bitch in the middle, in the middle seat. I think there was probably four of us back there. And I remember hitting the windshield. And I remember the feeling of my teeth in my mouth, loose and pulp and blood. And I remember just being in excruciating pain, but also it was really, really dulled by the fact that I was so high. And the next thing I know, we're driving down the road like nothing happened. And I turned to my friend and I was like, what the fuck just happened? Did we just crash? And it's just. What the fuck are you talking about? And I just. And that was it. I mean, that was at the time. I was just like, oh, all right. I. I guess my imagination just got the better of me. But honestly, I still. I still remember the feeling of my teeth loose in my mouth. I mean, I don't know. I've never been in a car accident, so I don't know what that's like. I guess I've never been in a car accident. But, yeah, I mean, that was the first time that happened. And then I guess it happened again. Whatever. Whatever it was, this experience. I'm not saying that it's real, but I'm saying that it happened to me. I understand how those two ideas are contradictory, but I certainly can't explain it or justify it or really say anything other than that it happened to me. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe it did happen. Maybe. Maybe it happened that it didn't happen at the same time. The only thing that I can kind of think to say about that is, you know, the world wasn't made for us explicitly, you know, human. We as people are kind of just meet and some. I mean, we're conscious, whatever. Whatever that is. But, you know, we make sense of the world, but really all that we know is what we personally experience and that varies from person to person and what we kind of understand and the sort of consensus reality is just the stuff that we can all agree on. And, you know, I feel like your show. And there's a ton of other people on this planet, past and present, who have experiences that don't align with, you know, the consensus. Some people keep it to themselves. You know, some people get TV deals. But there's no real way to negate some of this stuff or disprove it. Same way, there's no way. There's no way that I could legitimately prove it, but for all I know, it did happen. I mean, I don't want to say, you know, I'm not saying that I'm dead, or double dead, for that matter, because either way, I still got to get up and go to work in the morning. Like, it doesn't. Hasn't really affected my life. There's no impact of it, but I just. I don't know what happened. I don't know that it was real. I don't know that it wasn't real. But I know I was awake. You know, I was awake. I could see and feel and hear, and I remember it. It was seamless. It's just, you know, with the exception of that one split second where I was, you know, in the car and then I wasn't as far as what I think actually happened. I don't know. I'm not a scientist, but, I mean, maybe. Maybe there's a world in which that. There's a universe in which that happens, and then that universe was gone for me. And maybe that was the only difference between the two. For all I know, like, cute sort of stuff happens all the time. People don't remember it, or people don't want to remember it, or they say it was just a dream or I don't think there's a real. Rather, I should say, I think the difficulty I had processing it immediately afterwards was enough or could have been enough perhaps, if it weren't quite so vivid that I would have forgotten it entirely. You know, it was the real. The lingering sensations that made it, the sort of sheer vividness of it that really made such, like, an indelible imprint in my memory.

[Jack Wagner]

All right, thank you so much to Amy and Christopher for both speaking to me and sharing these experiences. You know, I typically avoid stories that involve dreams for many reasons. Probably the main reason is that if you've ever had somebody tell you about the dream they had last night or tried to do it yourself, you know that they typically do not make for good stories. But obviously, if the dream prevented you from an attempted kidnapping, I think that's a pretty good exception. Thank you. Once again to Amy. Also, my apologies if there are any listeners in Crescent City. I assure you this is a beautiful, beautiful town. I'm sure the people there are wonderful, but it is a bit of a strange place. I don't think there's any denying that. Thank you as well to Chris for sharing his experiences and my apologies for holding onto this for so long. I am completely baffled by situations like this. I've had a few people write in who have had similar experiences to this and then not get back to me. I am very interested in this type of story. It reminds me of our episode Everything Goes Black. In that story, a young man experiences his own fatal ATV accident and in the moment of death or where he should be dying, he basically wakes up suddenly in a different timeline, just sitting in the grass with the ATV running normally next to him. I really hope to get more stories like this in the future. I'm not exactly sure what this is, but I'd love to explore it further. So of course if you've experienced anything like this, send it on in storiesotherworldpod.com thank you once again to both Amy and Chris. This has been episode 126. The title is Last Exit and you've been listening to Otherworld. Otherworld is executive produced and hosted by myself, Jack Wagner. Our theme song is by Cobra Man. The soundtrack of this episode is by North Americans. This episode was edited by by Theo Krantz and engineered by Theo Schaeffer. Our associate producers are Nikki Kate Delgado and Haley Pearson. Our artwork is by Cul de Sac Studios. If you want to hear bonus episodes of Otherworld, you could become a [e-mail] Otherworld Please show us your support by subscribing, leaving a five star review and telling your friends about the show. Our social media is otherworldpod. Thank you to the team at Odyssey. Leah Rhys Dennis, Rob Mirandi, Eric Donnelly, Maura Curran, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor, Michael Lavey, Josephina Francis and Hilary Shuff. Follow and listen to Otherworld now for free on the Odysee app or wherever you get your podcasts. And finally, if you or somebody you know has experienced something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained, you can send us your [e-mail] Sam.