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welcome back to the podcast. I really hope you enjoy this episode and if you'd like to hear more stories like these with a different background sound, please check the description to check out my other two podcasts. And if you want to get rid of all of the ads, you can subscribe for just $2.99 a month. Last thing I really appreciate you being here and I'd really love if you would follow the podcast and come back again soon. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy. Approximately two years ago, I was working as an engineer for a relatively new company in my area. I hadn't been out of school very long, but I was excited that my degree at least seemed to be paying off. So far, the company I worked for had a large local client base and one of our new contracts was developing and designing a new set of exhibits for our local zoo. On paper, it seemed like a fairly simple job, but one that I found to be quite unique. Coming out of school, I didn't ever think I'd be working for or at a zoo on a job. I always envisioned larger, more commercial properties. For this job, we were going to have to work overnight so that the construction didn't upset the animals during the day when the zoo was filled with guests. We worked for about two weeks or so with no issues. We did have to make a few adjustments to our original plans or design, but it wasn't anything the construction team couldn't handle. Every night around 3am, we would head to a local diner for a lunch break and some needed food. But on this specific night I decided to stay back and work on one of the more complex locking mechanisms for one of the newly constructed exhibits. I remember finishing up about 45 minutes later and noticed the crew had not arrived back yet. I started cleaning up my area when I suddenly heard a noise, almost sounding like someone bumping into a workstation, like a scrape against the floor. I just figured it was one of my crew finally getting back from their longer than normal break and continued picking up my tools and scrap supplies no more than 30 seconds later, I started to hear more noises. This time it sounded like banging on the side of a door. Slightly annoyed, I made my way to the door to make sure it wasn't a staff member, or worse, someone who should not be on the property. I opened the door and saw nobody. Nothing was there. I made my way through the door over to the cafeteria where chairs were out of place and several tables had been flipped over. At this point, I thought maybe a group of teenagers had snuck into the property as it was well known to the public that our company was working overnight construction at the zoo. I yelled out and asked, who's there? To no response. At this point, I began to get angry because any damage that occurred on my watch would be my responsibility. And I knew my team would be careful to not disrespect our client and leave a mess like this. As I proceeded through the cafeteria, I started to hear little shuffles coming from the kitchen area behind the counter. I was about 10ft from the counter when my heart felt like it literally stopped beating in my chest. What I saw made me freeze in fear. It almost felt like I could not move, like I was stuck in a dream. Standing in front of me was four monkeys or apes. From what I remember, I counted at least four, and they seemed to be exploring the kitchen area. My yelling must have alerted them because one or two of them were staring at me. I tried to slowly and calmly make my way back toward the door. The animals weren't enormous, but they were a good size, and I had no idea if they were violent or docile. When I was just a couple feet from the door, the monkeys started howling and screaming like crazy. They were screeching and started banging on the walls. I turned and ran as fast as I could into the main office. To my horror, at least two of the apes had followed me and were now banging on the door that I had just shut behind myself. The sound of their cries and wailing was so unsettling, I actually was starting to fear for my safety. From the office, I called my co workers and told them what happened and to stay at a safe distance upon their return. And I also called zoo management, the authorities, so they could handle what seemed to be wild animals loose at the zoo. After only about 10 minutes, the proper authorities showed up to take care of the situation. At that point, the monkeys were no longer in my line of vision, so I'm not sure how they captured them and got them back to their exhibit. After an investigation into the matter, it turns out that some of the work that was being done at the zoo caused an electrical malfunction which allowed a few doors to come open at some of the exhibits. Every time this story gets brought up someone says that the lion exhibit was left open and I am lucky it didn't escape and try to eat me alive. I also get made fun of because of my terror and reaction to the event made the staff think that I was being chased by 1000 pound gorillas when in reality it was a much smaller species. As much as people like to joke about the situation, it was a truly horrifying experience. I know that this is not your typical scary story, but when you're staring at a wild animal and they are looking right back at you, it is completely rational to fear for your safety or even your life. Let me first preface this by saying that terrible things don't just happen in the movies, but in fact they do happen in everyday normal life. Most people are lucky enough to go through life without any major encounters. I had an experience that I would like to share to see what people think. Was I rational in my choices? Did I overreact? What would you have done? I think hearing responses will be therapeutic and perhaps help me get past the events of this story. Last year I attended college at a major university on the southeastern coast of the United States. I loved it so much, mainly because I didn't have to deal with snow or the cold weather. I basically had hot or warm weather every day, which was a huge change from the climate I grew up in. On this particular spring break from school, I decided to go home and visit my parents back in Maine. I decided that I was gonna try to drive the over 20 hour drive straight through, perhaps stopping for brief naps or food along the way. At first this seemed like an awesome idea. I could get there relatively quickly and spend most of the time at home rather than traveling. I spent most of the drive listening to music and catching up on some of my favorite podcasts. Unfortunately, the trip would take a terrible turn in Pennsylvania. I was driving through Pennsylvania shortly after midnight and well, my eyes started to get a little heavy and I was having a lot of trouble focusing on the road. And anybody who has driven through Pennsylvania knows that it's a hard drive. Even when you have complete focus. It's always foggy and very mountainous with many twists and turns. I decided that at the next rest area I would pull over and at least rest my eyes for an hour or two just to be safe. Well, I never made it to the rest area. I Dozed off for a second and I lost control of my small car and went right off the side of the road through a guardrail and down to a small drop off. Miraculously, I wasn't injured too badly, but my car was destroyed and I was completely surrounded by trees, not sure how to get back up and onto the highway. Of course it was pitch black outside and the trees consumed the entire area, blocking out most or pretty much all of any natural light. I tried to remain calm and ignore the terrible pain I was experiencing to try and call and get some help. One problem, I could not find my phone. It was in my cup holder, but after the crash it was so dark I couldn't find it anywhere inside or outside of my car. I didn't think I was injured badly as previously mentioned, but I wanted to use the flashlight on my phone to make sure I didn't have any major cuts or anything. I then decided my best course of action at this point point would be to see if it was possible to climb back up the slight decline that my car had fallen off of. It seemed impossible in my condition and with the limited visibility. It just wasn't a height I could reach at the moment. And truth be told, I was lucky that I was not injured further after my car dropped down this thing. Thankfully the guardrail slowed my car down enough. Realizing that climbing, driving or calling anybody was not an option, I began to yell and scream for help. But as you can imagine, it did nothing. There was no one around. I slouched to the side of my car and finally started to feel real emotion. I was scared and cold and now the real fear finally started to make my eyes fill up with tears. I had no survival skills. What was I going to do until morning? Just sit in a ball in the fetal position? I decided that walking through the wooded area until I can find an area to climb where maybe there was a slight hill instead of the drop off where my car was. Of course now in hindsight, my best bet would have probably been to just stay put because somebody in the morning would have noticed accident and phoned it in. Maybe even someone passing by in the night and noticing the damage at the side of the road. As I grabbed some items from my car, I heard a noise. It sounded like the rustling of tree branches and footsteps. Wait, footsteps. I hid on the other side of my car, paralyzed in fear. What kind of animals did they have in Pennsylvania? My first thought was a bear or something like that. Is that how it was going to end? Mauled by a bear? However, what actually presented itself in front of me was even more shocking. It was three men coming out of the trees. I couldn't make too much out, but all three of them had huge beards, looked like their clothes were completely dirty, and were carrying some kind of hunting rifles. I wasn't sure if I should yell for help or try to stay hidden from these men. For some crazy reason, my instincts were telling me to stay hidden, which seems like the exact opposite thing you should do in this situation. One of the men, who looked like the tallest of the three, yelled out in a raspy, rugged voice, has anyone out there? They didn't have any flashlights or anything, so I decided to quietly sneak around to the other side of my car and make a run for it into the woods. As I slowly and very quietly made my way around the car, I was wrestling with the idea in my head that these people probably just wanted to help me, and I was probably putting myself in more danger by running into these woods. But the demeanor and possibility of getting shot was a chance that I did not want to take. I was about 5ft cleared from the car when I started to sprint. And of course, in no time at all, I brought noise and attention to myself. The same man as before caught a glimpse of me as I ran into the woods and screamed, hey, get back here. I swear I heard the loud boom of a gunshot. I didn't hear it hit a tree or anything. I just remember hearing a loud boom. I don't know what else it could have been. I was terrified. I heard them following me from what seemed like several directions. I heard one of them yelling something about private property or restricted land or something of that nature. I just kept running and running for about an hour until I finally saw faint light shining through the trees. It was a road that looked like it led to a small town or at least a few stores with lights. I walked into the gas station feeling and looking bloody, battered and bruised. The worker inside looked baffled and disgusted. I told him to please call the police. The police showed up in no time, and my parents were notified. They were going to drive down and pick me up as soon as they could. The police insisted I go to the local hospital so my injuries could be assessed. When talking to the police, I told them everything about the three guys that came to the scene and chased me with weapons into the woods. The police said they would locate my car and take a look to see if they could find anything or anyone. My car was empty. Everything had been stolen out of it, Even some of the interior car parts had been removed. Nothing else really came from this incident. I didn't have any major injuries and my insurance took care of the car. I now live back home with my parents and attend school locally. I try not to drive at night if I don't have to. I guess I have a phobia or something. Now I am thankful to be alive and well, but still have anxiety and terrible thoughts pertaining to that night. Spring break has always been one of my favorite times of the year. As a child, I used to vacation to the ocean or sometimes even Disney World. And now as an adult, my wife and I go on vacations together around the time the children are out of school for spring break. For me, there is no better place than the ocean at night. The way the moonlight glows on the waves of the water and the sound of the waves crashing always gives me peace of mind. Well, this particular year, my wife and I saved up a little extra money and rented a private house right on the ocean. It was absolutely amazing. Drinking my coffee on the ocean every morning and enjoying an alcoholic beverage every night as the moon rose was truly amazing. One day I passed out on the beach for a couple of hours only to awaken with horrible nightmares. They were strange and the only thing I remember is darkness and screaming. A lot of screaming. My wife asked me if I was okay and I said yeah, just a little bit shook up. That night my wife went to bed fairly early, but I could not sleep. Not sure if it was the long nap I had taken earlier in the day or the horrible nightmares that woke me from said Napoleon. Either way, I wanted to clear my head, so I decided to go for a walk on the beach. As I kept walking on the desolate beach, I approached something that appeared to be glowing in the sand. I started to approach quickly, but with a little bit of caution. It was some sort of glowing red ball. It's kind of hard to describe, but I will do the best I can. It didn't look like cheap plastic. It literally was a glowing red ball of light that didn't seem to have any actual shape. I stared rather intently until it flashed so bright that it knocked me down into the sand. The ball flew up into the air and shot itself out into the ocean. And as it reached the horizon, there was a huge blast of light. Within seconds, the sky looked as if it was storming, but there was no rain. I saw all sorts of colors in the sky and a lot of red flashes that I could only describe as looking like heat lighting. But these flashes were lighting up the entire sky as I watched all the intense flashes of light. Before I knew it, I blacked out completely. The next thing I remember is my wife waking me up the next morning in a frantic panic because she didn't know where I was. I tried explaining to her what I had witnessed, but she said I was just dreaming and was upset with me that I wandered off last night, accusing me of getting drunk and passing out. But it's important to note that I don't get drunk and I would never just wander off and not come back. Something I can't explain happened that night. Can someone let me know what I experienced? Could it have been just a vivid dream that I passed out? Has anyone else experienced something similar? Either way, I know that I don't have the same affinity for oceans and vacations as I did before this occurrence. During the early 2000s when I was attending law school, I worked nights delivering pizza for one of the national chains. I had done something similar when I was younger and attending my local community college. Anytime I found myself sorely in need of quick cash, that was the avenue I would choose. Despite the many stories I have heard questioning the safety of the job, I never had a single run in with a thief. I'm sure back in the early days it could be a little dangerous, but by the time I joined the game, companies had learned that implementing practices such as limiting the driver to $20 lowered the chance of holdups drastically. Even though I was never a victim of a robbery, I did have one or two scary incidents I could write about. The worst of these happened to me back in the 2000s. I was very familiar with the city I was living in at the time. Moving there after junior college and delivering for several places over the last five years had made me intimate about almost every nook and cranny of the place. However, one evening I would be called
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I, nor any of the other drivers even knew existed. When the order came in, I went straight to the map to find the address, but it wasn't there. Not even the GPS on my phone showed it. We didn't have any no delivery areas at that time, so I had to take it despite my misgivings. Theoretically, the place would have existed if the road continued for 10 more blocks. So I turned on to said road a block before its ending and followed it south. Sure enough, a newly paved road began where the old one should have ended. For what seemed like miles, I continued on this new section of road. Nothing stood on either side of it, and I didn't pass another car the whole time. How the state managed to build it without a single report of its creation leaked to the media had me bewildered. The five years I had been driving all over this city, I had not known this part existed. In one way, I was very excited seeing all of it, like a Victorian explorer tracing the source of the Nile, but at the same time, a deserted road popping up out of nowhere gave me a chill down my spine. It must have been a good 10 minutes before the house in question appeared in the distance. I couldn't understand why someone would build a house out here in the middle of nowhere with no way to reach it. When I got closer, I could see that the house had to be at least 15 years old or more and probably had not been repaired since then. No cars were around, and for a moment I thought the house was abandoned. But I could see that the front door was wide open behind the rickety old screen. Everything looked to be above board, so I grabbed the pizza and headed for the door. I knocked on the screen door but got no answer. I could see what appeared to be a young female walking around the kitchen. When I knocked a second time, I heard a female voice say to come in. Despite my reservations, I stepped just inside the house and waited in a small foyer. I had learned from other drivers early on not to enter an unfamiliar house, but I had yet to see anything to concern me. I assumed the woman would be coming out soon to pay me. Instead, I overheard an unseen man whisper call him into the kitchen. When I heard that, I fled from the place as fast as I could. I was so freaked out. I got back to the restaurant and half the time it took me to get to the house. After I told my boss what had just occurred. He called the police. All the excitement had me rattled, so my boss sent me home for the day. My phone rang a few hours later. It was the police. They had called to let me know what they had found. Whoever had been there was gone. Even though the place had more than likely been abandoned for a while, they did find evidence that people had just recently been inside. This was stuff my boss had already told them. However, they did shed light on where the road came from and why the house was the only building on an otherwise deserted area. The state had been trying to purchase the land on which the new section of road and house were for 20 years, but the landowner would not sell. They even tried to use eminent domain to get it, but a judge blocked it around two years before, the owner passed and his children finally sold the land to the state. They were so happy to get the land after all that time, the construction on the road was started immediately. It technically had yet to be formally opened, but locals had already began using it anyway. This was good to know, but I still wondered how the two people knew about the empty house sitting in the middle of nowhere. This was something the officer didn't know, of course. We could only assume they drove past it and decided it would be as good a place as any to ambush a delivery driver. Even $20 is a good score if you're desperate enough, he said. From personal experience, people had killed for much less. The officer left me with one good piece of news, though. The county had slated the old house to be demolished in the coming week so no other poor delivery driver would be led out there to be robbed or worse. Two days later I was driving down the brand new road, which I was now using as a shortcut across town, and witnessed the house's destruction. A load was being lifted from my shoulders right before my eyes. Never again would I enter a customer's home or even deliver to an area in which I was not well versed. Because my parents had separated before I was born, I spent my time growing up between each of their houses. Each summer Until I turned 19, I stayed with my dad in rural Missouri. He had grown up in the area himself and most of his family still lived there. Without much to do, like going to the movies and stuff, I would fill my days hanging out with my older cousin and getting into mischief. Many of our long summer days were taken in wandering the surrounding woods. On one of these journeys we came across a big lake setting quietly by itself out in the middle of nowhere. The water was crystal clear and filled with tons of monstrous fish. We asked the adults if they were aware of its existence, but none had heard of it. That was probably the reason for it having so many large fish. No one living in the area had fished it and any who had in the past allowed its location to be lost. We would fish the pond three or four times, coming away with a stringer full of lunkers on each occasion. On the fifth occasion, we hoped to accumulate enough for a big family fish fry. The summer holiday was starting to wind down and we figured a fish fry would be a great way to cap it off. It was a warm Saturday morning when we headed out. We started about an hour before sunup because the walk in took over an hour. Besides, the fish stopped biting by the hottest part of the day and we hoped to get back to my dad's house by early afternoon. The beautiful side of the pond came into view around dawn. It didn't take long for us to get our first bites and for the next three hours the fish came quickly, one after another. Our limit was caught by 10:45 and I was rearing to get going. We had a 90 minute walk back with two 5 gallon buckets packed to the top with fish, so I imagined another 30 could be added to that. To my displeasure, my cousin thought it would be refreshing to take a dip in the lake before we left. He tried to pressure me into joining him, but I didn't know how to swim at the time. I just wanted to get back, but he was older than me so he was in charge. I plopped my tail onto a rock and waited while he did his thing. There was an old rope to tied to a tree, probably from a hundred years ago and he wanted to swing from. Looked unsafe to me. However, my concerns were laughed off and he stripped down to his boxers. Setting his clothes on the ground next to me, he climbed the tree a little way and grabbed the rope. Pushing off, he swung out just a short distance before the rope snapped right above him. He had made it out far enough to hit the deep water, but probably not as far as he intended. When he hit the water, his body made a dull thud sound. It certainly didn't sound normal and likely hurt. I was planning on laughing at him and saying I told you so, but as the seconds passed, he never resurfaced. The situation was quickly becoming scary. I looked around to see if he came up somewhere farther away, perhaps floating unconscious because of the hard contact with the water, but still nothing. I was beginning to panic and waded out as far as I dare looking into the water for him. Unfortunately, the water became so cloudy with every step I took and made it impossible to see. Soon it was clear to me that he had drowned. How? I had no idea. Perhaps if I could have swam back then, I may have been able to help him. But it was too late now. I was helpless to do anything more than pick up and head home. On the entire walk back, a small nugget of hope lingered in the back of my mind that maybe he had tricked me and he would pop out at some point. This did not happen, however, and the dread I carried of telling my family grew with each step. I tried several times to find the words, but with each attempt I would break down and choke on my tears. Ultimately, I could only manage Mark drowned. They got the point, and after. Once I was able to pull myself together, I led my dad and my uncle back to the pond. Mark's body was still nowhere to be found. With no other options, we went into the sheriff's office to report the drowning. When I realized where we were headed, I started freaking out. In my young mind, I thought I was going to get in trouble or be blamed for my cousin's death. It took a few minutes, but they were able to convince me that I was not in trouble. Even after they had. I couldn't help but feel guilty every time I looked at my uncle. Regardless of what he claimed, I couldn't believe that he did not blame me, even if it was just a small amount. I explained what happened to the sheriff, and the search began the next morning. Just by chance, that was the day I was going back to my mom's. That Monday night, my mom sat me down to tell me that a team of divers had found Mark's body Earlier that day. When they discovered him, one of his feet were hung up on a sunken log, so they assumed that was why he never surfaced. I wish I could say this made me feel better, but it didn't. It did, however, serve as a catalyst to learn how to swim. The guilt of not being able to help my cousin stayed with me for most of my life, and I never wanted to be in the position of not being able to help another person ever again. So in a twisted kind of way, his death had a positive impact on my life. However, if I had the choice, I'd prefer that he still be with us. This is the story of the day I learned to really trust my instincts. What I refer to is nothing metaphysical, but rather an educated gut feeling based on our life lessons and general alertness. I say that because my family made sure to teach me about bad people. But I think it was my own instincts that potentially saved me from a terrible trauma. When I was around six or seven, my grandparents lived in a big city on an apartment apartment building that had three apartments per floor. My grandma was good friends with the next door neighbor which was a middle aged woman named Marley. She lived with her also middle aged husband who I'll call Theo. When I say next door, I mean their door was glued to my grandma's. The corridor was small and cramped with a security metal door separating my grandma's and Marley's door from the rest. Since the town was very dangerous, this metal door served as extra protection for both apartments. Theo was a big quiet man with a round belly. He had a classic mustache and never really visited my grandma's apartment when Marley did. Therefore, I don't think my parents nor grandparents were that familiar with him. I used to visit my family every weekend and sometimes my 5 year old cousin would be over as well. We were both generally quiet girls and we often played together around the apartment. Being the eldest, I was always given the responsibility to take care of my cousin. She could be very difficult to control sometimes. But I tried my best and thank God I did. One afternoon we were playing when my grandma announced that she was going out with Marley. I don't remember where my parents and grandad were, but they were not home. It was okay for me to stay a few hours by myself since my grandma wouldn't take long and my mom had taught me from an early age to be very independent. The apartment wouldn't be locked though because the outer metal door would. My grandma used to say that if I ever needed any help I could call Marley or Theo. I never wanted to actually need them because that would mean an emergency or something scary like that. But I felt a sense of safety knowing there were adults nearby. That sense of safety could not be more wrong. Everyone left and me and my cousin stayed by ourselves. It was really hot that day and we were wearing light summer clothes. I don't recall the exact reason, but sometime later my cousin decided she would go over to Marley's apartment and play over there. I guess she was bored or something like that and decided to venture over to the unknown, as she put it. Instantly I knew this was a bad idea. I had never been over to their place. But something hit my gut the wrong way when my cousin suggested that. I can't explain that feeling of dread, but I do remember how unwilling I was to go and How I tried to convince her otherwise. My cousin, however, didn't listen to me and just ran over, knocking on their door. I heard Theo's deep voice inviting us in, and we did. The apartment itself was very standard for the 90s. Wooden furniture, bad art on the walls, dinner table with some ugly centerpiece, etc. Nothing creepy about it. What was creepy, though, was how Theo stared at us from the start. He was sitting on a lounge chair, wearing a white buttoned shirt with the top buttons opened. He was sweaty and it showed on his clothes and hair. I remember this in detail because I felt immediately grossed out. Without taking his eyes off of me, Theo greeted us, inquiring about our visit and whatnot, trying to appear friendly. I held my cousin's hand as we stayed in the middle of the living room, kind of testing the ambiance. I wanted to bolt out of there, but my cousin was very curious and started to walk around, exploring the cabinets, tables, and decor. All the while, Theo was rambling on about things I don't really recall. My cousin was still exploring and answering things sporadically. Suddenly, Theo said something that made my chest explode with a sudden release of tension. He called me pretty, cute and polite. He asked if I wanted to sit on his lap and smiled. I hate to recall this moment because it felt like some kind of violence was imminent. My instincts were screaming that this was a dangerous place to be. Finally, I managed to say no thanks, and turned around. My cousin was nowhere to be seen. Anger and fear boiled inside of me. What if this huge, sweaty man decided to grab us? What if he did something bad or locked us up forever? These were possibilities in my head. While I looked for my cousin and called her name, I finally found her looking at something in the kitchen. She asked why I was crying, and that's when I realized it myself. This was how nervous I felt around Theo. I think he might have been calling for us, trying to lure us back closer to him, but I don't remember. I guess he had a bad leg or knee because he didn't move much or get up. All I know is that I didn't run, but firmly grabbed my cousin by her arm and dragged her back to our grandma's apartment. I couldn't lock the door, so in my childish desperation, I created a barrier with a bunch of chairs and waited until my family came home. My cousin was upset set, but she quickly forgot about it. When my mom arrived, I was very nervous, but managed to tell her. For some weird reason, I felt really ashamed. However, she wasn't mad at me, but was incredibly concerned and told me I did the right thing because any adult who did something like that was not to be trusted. Of course, we were consequently prohibited to go over to Marley and Theo's apartment or even talk to them. I didn't mind one bit. I actually welcomed this decision. So far, the encounter would have been creepy enough to any child or teenager, but it got worse a few years later after my mom had a chance encounter with Marley when she was on vacation. My mom was traveling with my aunt and they were having breakfast at the hotel when they spotted Marley from a distance. Mom tells me that she didn't say hello, just pointed Marley out to my aunt and nothing more. But then my aunt casually mentioned that Marley was alone because her husband Theo had been arrested a few years back. He had been given a long sentence, so the case was pretty serious. He was arrested for being a predator. My mom was shocked because she had no idea he was in jail. She called me right away and told me I was already a teenager but still felt a knot in my stomach remembering that afternoon with my cousin. Marley even tried to say hello to my mom, but my mom just ignored her and stepped away. It serves Marley right because the story is that she knew what Theo did and kept quiet. To this day, whenever I think of that tense, dreadful encounter with Theo, I am drenched with disgust, but thankfully, also with relief. It's.
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Hunters, Haja Boys Breakfast Meal and Hunt Tricks Meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi?
D
It's not a battle. So glad the Saja Boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.
B
It is an honor to share.
D
No, it's our honor.
B
It is our larger honor. No, really, stop. You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side Ba da ba ba ba and participate
D
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It's.
Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared
Date: April 5, 2026
Ambience: Soothing rain, calm narration
In this chilling episode, host Being Scared shares a series of unsettling, true listener-submitted stories, each exploring different shades of real-life horror. These stories, accompanied by the tranquil sound of rain, delve into unexpected zoo encounters, late-night terrors, mysterious beach phenomena, dangerous pizza deliveries, a traumatic childhood accident, and the life-changing intuition that averts danger. Each account blurs the boundary between everyday life and lurking peril, vividly told in the ordinary—and sometimes confessional—voice of their original narrators.
[Start – 09:50]
[09:51–18:16]
[18:17–20:15]
[21:03–26:50]
[26:51–36:36]
[36:37–47:58]
Across all stories, a central thread emerges: the sudden shift from normalcy to horror, the unpredictable danger lurking in familiar places, and the pivotal role of intuition and split-second decisions in survival. Whether facing wild animals, humans with ill intent, the mysteries of nature, or our own inexperience and instincts, each narrator’s ordeal leaves them changed—sometimes with a phobia, sometimes with new resolve, always with a chilling memory.
(The remainder of the episode transitions to advertisements and non-story content. Not summarized.)
For sleepless listeners and fans of real-world horror, episode 357 delivers a range of tales that will leave you glancing over your shoulder long after the rain has stopped.