Scary Stories For A Rainy Night – Ep. 350 – "He Was Not Dead"

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared
Date: March 28, 2026
Theme: True horror stories and unsolved mysteries, narrated with calm and suspenseful storytelling, underscored by ambient rain. This episode features unsettling true accounts of encounters with dangerous strangers, near-fatal mistakes, and chilling mysteries that continue to haunt their survivors.

Main Stories and Key Insights

1. The Road Trip Stalker (00:24 – 05:55)

• Summary:
  A 19-year-old man and his girlfriend, on a 10-hour road trip, encounter a deeply unnerving stranger—dubbed "Joe"—at a McDonald’s. Joe, with a primitive appearance and inexplicable accent, closely questions the couple and appears to purposely follow them for miles.
• Rising Tension:
  After leaving the rest stop, it's clear Joe is tailing their car, escalating the couple’s fear.

  "I knew deep down that we were in some kind of danger." – Narrator (05:55)

• Climax:
  At another rest stop, Joe parks next to them and pulls a knife. The narrator, while injured in the struggle, manages to subdue Joe, who ends up in a coma.
• Notable Moment:
  The disturbing realization that sharing their isolated location made them targets.
• Impact:
  The event leaves a lasting trauma, but the narrator now uses “putting someone in a coma” as a grim badge of survival.

2. The Garbage Can Watcher (05:55 – 18:25)

• Summary:
  A college student describes his increasingly disturbing experiences taking out the trash at night—culminating in the discovery that his elderly neighbor is stealing and emptying their garbage cans in the middle of the night.
• Building Paranoia:
  Initially dismissing his own fear, he soon notices the neighbor is always watching him, day or night.

  "I don’t think there’s a person on earth that would go out of their way to watch their neighbor take out the garbage if there wasn’t some kind of reason for it." – Narrator (13:54)

• Surreal Turn:
  Using binoculars to watch back, he catches the neighbor taking his trash cans inside his own house, confirming the man is secretly disposing of their garbage for unknown motives.
• Resolution:
  Switching to dumping the trash directly and noting the neighbor’s activity ceases.

3. The Cabin Stalker in Texas (18:27 – 29:46)

• Summary:
  A group of friends, seeking a rural escape on private East Texas land, are stalked by an unknown, bearded figure. After two nights of strange sightings, including one encounter where the figure stands wordlessly behind a friend, the situation escalates when the group is shot at while hunting for hogs.
• Chilling Details:
  • The stalker is seen twice near the cabin: once as a vague silhouette, later as a tangible, menacing presence staring at one friend in particular.
  • Friends initially dismiss the narrator’s fears, joking about “Bigfoot,” until the shooting.
• Quotes:

  "I clenched up so tight I could have snapped a steel rod with my sphincter..." – Narrator, humor breaking the tension (23:52)
  "Why did our so-called stranger seem to focus so much of his anger onto my friend?" – Narrator (29:46)

• Aftermath:
  The event ends their annual trips, with authorities finding evidence of a squatter but never identifying the attacker. The narrator reflects on the possibly unresolved fixation of the stranger.

4. Lake Path Pursuit (30:21 – 35:24)

• Summary:
  Two young girls attempting to get ice cream at a summer campground are stalked by a man in a long black coat. Marie, the narrator's friend, spots him with something shiny in his hand and, panicked, quickly leads them to rent a kayak and retreat to the middle of the lake.
• Creepy Moment:
  The man paces the entire lake’s perimeter, never once looking away from the girls, reinforcing their sense of danger.

  "He had a terrible smirk on his face and she swore... she saw him put something shiny away into his coat." – Marie, recounted by the narrator (33:06)

• Resolution:
  Only returning to shore after dark, the girls avoid a direct confrontation and never see the man again, haunted by the close call.

5. The Tall Guy at the Apartment (35:24 – 40:18)

• Summary:
  A woman in her first apartment encounters a silent, intimidating figure outside a bar and later finds him at her door, insisting she lets him in. She refuses, calls for help, and—discovering he’s linked to targeting other women—learns police eventually apprehend him.
• Memorable Quote:

  "You may not know me, but I know you. Open up so we can talk." – Tall Man, through the door (37:22)

• Relief & Warning:
  The responding officer warns her she was very lucky not to open the door.

6. Locked in the Sauna (40:18 – 47:13)

• Summary:
  Two young girls are allowed into the adults’ sauna at a nearly empty YMCA by a female lifeguard who then locks them inside and drastically raises the temperature. Unable to escape for over 45 minutes, they are only freed accidentally when another patron arrives. The narrator believes the lifeguard purposely tried to harm them, but is plagued by questions of motive and disbelief from family.
• Notable Details:
  • Lifeguard appears to intentionally ignore or even prevent their escape.
  • Lingering psychological trauma for the survivor.

7. Unsolved Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders (47:33 – End)

• Summary:
  The episode closes with a meticulously narrated investigation into the unsolved Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders of the early 1970s. Multiple young women and girls are abducted and killed under disturbing, ritualistic circumstances.
• True Crime Deep Dive:
  • Victims: Profiles and last sightings.
  • Repeated murders with a distinct MO and occult undertones; in one case, a “carrier of spirits” witchcraft symbol found.
• Suspects & Theories Explored:
  • Hillside Stranglers: Bianchi & Buono, later ruled out.
  • Ted Bundy: DNA, timing, and financial records exonerate him.
  • The Zodiac: Parallels in symbols and signatures, but ultimately inconclusive.
  • Arthur Lee Allen: Child molestation charges and circumstantial links, but forensic evidence rules him out.
• Quote from Zodiac Letter:

  "I shall no longer announce to anyone when I commit my murders. They shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, plus a few fake accidents, etc." – Zodiac, San Francisco Chronicle letter (approx. 49:40)

• Conclusion:
  Despite decades and notable suspects, the murders remain unsolved, leaving a chilling legacy in an otherwise idyllic Sonoma County.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He looked like he didn’t come from this country...this accent just didn’t seem like it came from Earth." – Road Trip Story, on "Joe" (02:16, 03:18)
• "I started screaming every insult that I could...None of that mattered when Joe pulled out a knife." – Road Trip Confrontation (06:28)
• "I wonder why our so-called stranger seemed to focus so much of his anger onto my friend...Is he still out there, waiting for his chance to finish what he began all those years ago?" – Texas Cabin Story (29:46)
• "He had a terrible smirk on his face and she swore...she saw him put something shiny away into his coat." – Lake Path Pursuer (33:06)
• "You may not know me, but I know you. Open up so we can talk." – Tall Man at the Door (37:22)
• "I truly think that that woman was going to let us cook alive in there. What was her endgame?" – Sauna Survivor (46:33)
• "But given that almost 50 years later, each murder remains distinctly clear just who was murdering hitchhikers in the hills around Santa Rosa, California." – Host, closing unsolved case (End)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:24 – Road trip stalker story begins
• 05:55 – Car confrontation & aftermath
• 05:55 – Garbage neighbor story starts
• 18:27 – Texas cabin shooting story
• 30:21 – Campground/lake stalker
• 35:24 – Apartment stalker
• 40:18 – Sauna entrapment/YMCA
• 47:33 – Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders

Tone & Storytelling Style

The episode uses calm, conversational narration to tell deeply unsettling real-life experiences—often with wry humor or reflective self-doubt, making the horror more intimate and raw. The soothing rain backdrop contrasts with the terror, making the episode perfect for listeners craving suspenseful tales in a cozy atmosphere.

For New Listeners:
This episode weaves true encounters with predators and unresolved mysteries, emphasizing not just the fear, but the psychological aftermath. You’ll leave both unsettled and oddly comforted by the host’s gentle delivery—true horror for a rainy night.