[Music] this happened on New Year's Eve back in 2017 I'm from Ohio just outside of Cleveland and I was flying home after finishing up a semester at the University of Rochester I had to stay at school a week after the semester ended for personal reasons so I unfortunately spent Christmas relatively alone the flight itself was fine but I'd already been in a sour mood before I even boarded the plane I'm a big Browns fan and as I was at the airport the Browns lost their final game of the regular season to go 0 and 16
completely winless and as a lifelong fan it was a special kind of misery I think we were the first team to go winless since like the80s or something to top it off my flight was delayed which ruined my family's plans for the night originally we were all supposed to drive to my cousin's house together for a New Year's Eve party and St the night but because of the delay my parents decided to leave early taking the main car I was stuck driving the spare car alone my mom tried to make it up to me by
leaving ver or golden retriever behind to keep me company I wasn't thrilled about making the trip solo but ver was always good company I figured I'd make the most of it by the time my Uber dropped me off from the airport it was creeping on 10:00 I didn't even bother unpacking I just jammed all my stuff in the car got ver locked up the house and got on the road the drive itself wasn't anything special just miles of Ohio back roads winding through empty fields and patches of forest there wasn't much snow on the grounds
just a light dusting which was nice since I hated driving in the snow it was pitch black dark though the only light came from my headlights and the occasional Farmhouse with its porch light glowing faintly in the distance about halfway into the trip Vera started whining at first first I thought she just wanted attention but then she stood up pacing in the passenger seat that's when I realized she needed to go to the bathroom I groaned knowing there wasn't much else I could do but pull over the next clearing I came across was small barely
enough space for the car but it would have to do I remember noting to myself how dark it really was out there if not for the patches of white snow here and there I probably wouldn't have been able to see Into the Woods at all I jamed my hands in my pockets and tried my best not to freeze to death ver didn't seem to care about the cold or the darkness classic golden retriever I let her out not even bothering to leash her she sniffed around the edge of the trees taking her sweet time she
didn't wander far just enough to do her business and that's when I heard it all of a sudden a loud crashing sound echoed from somewhere in the woods it wasn't just a branch breaking it was heavier and Del liberate like someone or something was moving through the trees I literally jumped from how loud it was imagine a grown man sprinting through the forest that's genuinely what it sounded like I scanned the darkness squinting to make out anything but it was too dark to see beyond the first few trees before I could react VI bolted directly
into the woods it was some worst nightmare type stuff I'm telling you she disappeared into the trees and I lost of her in mere seconds I yelled her name over and over but she didn't come back at that point my heart was racing and it started getting hard to breathe the cold didn't help matters I couldn't leave her out there that wasn't an option without thinking I ran into the woods blindly yelling for her to come back I didn't want to think about what she was chasing after so I just ran letting the adrenaline take
over the only light to Aid me was my dim phone flashlight and the thin layer of snow on the ground it was so dark I was practically running into the trees I kept running praying I'd find her before she caught up to whatever was in there I ran until my lungs gave out from the cold forcing me to take a break after nearly falling over from exhaustion I leaned up against a tree and felt myself about to break down I honestly didn't know what to do and then finally I saw her she was crouched low
and shivering walking slow slowly toward me her tail was tucked tightly between her legs I had never seen her like that before I dropped my knees and embraced her relief flooded through me she pressed against me and I could feel her body trembling something had terrified her that's when I snapped back to reality and realized how serious the situation was we were still in the middle of the woods and there was still something out there I sprung up from my position and told Vera to follow me this time she obeyed and stuck by my side
like her life depended on it we started back to the car but I had no idea if I was going the right way as if things weren't bad enough I damn near jumped out of my skin when I heard crashing from behind me I didn't think I just started running VI darted ahead of me and I followed her praying I didn't trip the crashing sound didn't stop this time it seemed like it was following us I can't even tell you how scared I was in that moment I genuinely felt like I was going to die
by some miracle VR led me straight back to the car and I practically threw her inside before slamming the door shut as I was jumping in the driver's seat I glanced back towards the woods and my stomach dropped there were three figures standing at the edge of the woods watching us I jammed the keys in the ignition and floored out of there I didn't stop I didn't even slow down I was still in shock it wasn't until I driven a few miles that I noticed ver was bleeding I started panicking as I realized there was
a cut just below her shoulder blade someone had stabbed her I slammed on the brakes and ran around the car to the trunk my mom always kept a first aid kit in every car and for once her insistence on being overly prepared paid off I cleaned VI's cut as best I could and wrapped it in Gau she whimpered and I worried that I was hurting her but I knew I was doing the right thing for the first time since the whole sequence had started I felt myself begin to relax it was over I tried not
to think about it for the rest of the drive but I was just so shellshocked that something like that had happened to me I ended up not telling my parents or relatives I don't know why it just felt like one of those things you keep to yourself what I'm about to tell you is something I still think about often especially during this time of year this happened on New Year's Eve a few years ago I was driving to my parents house to celebrate the new year with them they live a few hours away in upstate
Pennsylvania so I'd left in the late afternoon figuring I'd get there with plenty of time to spare the drive was supposed to be simple I'm the type who really enjoys long drives so a nice peaceful drive would give me some much needed time to think but the weather had other plans the snow started falling about an hour into my drive at first it was light just flurries dusting the windshield nothing to worry about I thought the snowfall was actually quite pretty but I'm pretty sure I jinxed myself the further I drove the harder the snow
came down it just kept falling and falling until I was literally in the middle of an honest to God blizzard the highway turned slick and visibility dropped to almost nothing my car a little sedan isn't exactly great in snow so when the tires started slipping on even the smallest Hills I knew I had to pull over there was no point in risking my life it was my own fault for not planning out the drive better I found a spot on the shoulder far enough off the road to avoid passing cars not that there were many
I texted my parents about my situation and they seemed worried sick I tried to reassure them that everything would be okay but I honestly wasn't too sure about that myself I figured I'd wait out the worst of the storm hoping it would just ease up but the snow didn't let up in fact it only seemed to get worse from that point it just kept coming piling up around the car and on the road ahead after an hour or so it became clear I wasn't going anywhere that night my dad offered to try and get out
to me but I told him that that was a death wish I told them that if the snow didn't let up I'd call the police which he begrudgingly accepted as a decent solution I really didn't want to call the police and I didn't have AAA either so that wasn't an option I told myself the storm would have to let up eventually and I decided that if it didn't by the time I got tired I'd call the police the thought of spending the night in the car made me uneasy I didn't want to run out of
gas trying to keep warm and I was worried about killing the battery if I kept the lights or heat on too long I sat there turning the engine on and off every so often trying to conserve what I could the wind howled outside I was starting to feel the weight of the isolation when I looked at my rear view and saw headlights cutting through the storm from behind me I literally wanted to jump for joy a snowplow pulled up beside me I was saved I rolled down the window as the driver leaned out of his
he was an older guy maybe in his late 50s he looked nice he was wearing a thick jacket and had a black knit hat that was pulled down over his ears I remember thinking his face was really wrinkly if that makes sense it looked weathered like he had spent decades in harsh conditions I expected him to say something but he just stared at me for what seems like an unusual amount of time eventually he spoke asking me if I was okay he had a really Gruff voice definitely a smoker and it was honestly kind of
off-putting I told him that I didn't think my car could handle the conditions trying to be friendly but also keep my voice steady he nodded saying that I wouldn't get far in a storm like this especially with the car I had he paused for a few moments as if he were considering what to say I watched his eyes scan my back seat like he was looking for something I was just about to respond when he offered to give me a ride I hesitated I didn't know him and yeah he seemed a little strange but he
struck me as a genuine guy plus staying put with my car all night would have been stupid I asked him if he could drive me to where I was going and he said it would be no problem I then asked him what I should do about my car to which he Shrugged his shoulders and said leave it after a moment I agreed I grabbed my bag and climbed into the cab of the plow at first the warmth was comforting I felt the tension in my shoulders start to ease as I settled into the sea he
asked me where I was headed and I told about my parents house I gave him directions and he nodded again but didn't say much after that the silence wasn't awkward but as the minutes passed I started to feel more and more uncomfortable that's when I noticed something odd he wasn't driving in the direction of my parents house I knew because the navigation was literally pointing in the opposite direction I mean we were on a local highway there were only two ways to go I tried my best to sound calm and asked him if we were
going the right way in the most normal tone I could muster I don't think I did a good job though because I could feel his demeanor slightly change with my question without looking at me he told me we were taking a short detour and that the back roads would be better than the highway I didn't know the area well enough to argue but something about the way he said it made my stomach twist we drove a little longer and he did in fact get off the highway and start driving along some back road at least
the GPS said we were heading in the right Direction so I thought I was just being paranoid something in my gut was still telling me he was off though so I started looking around the cab more closely there were red flags everywhere empty liquor bottles rolled on the floor near his feet there were torn up maps stuffed into the side pockets and I caught a glimpse of a knife wedged between the seats I felt my heart start pounding you know that feeling where your heart just starts beating like crazy and you're worried other people can
hear it that's what what was happening to me by that time I was also positive we weren't going the right way the GPS kept re-calibrating because he missed turn after turn not even looking at it I was panicking as we continued driving I spotted a house in the distance it was the only one I'd seen for Miles I had to act it felt like a Lifeline I waited until we got closer took a deep breath grabbed the door handle and then kicked the door open as hard as I could the cold air hit me like
a slap but I didn't stop I slammed into the ground and felt my leg flare up with pain I didn't care though I got to my feet and started running toward the house the man shouted something at me and I glanced back to see him fumbling for something in the glove box probably going for a gun for all I knew I didn't look back again I sprinted through the snow trying not to slip until I reached the house I pounded on the door screaming for help a man and woman oped it and they basically pulled
me inside I collapsed onto the floor trying to catch my breath I told them what had just happened and they didn't ask questions they just called the police by the time the cops arrived the snowplow was gone they said they'd keep an eye out and search the area but in that storm finding him was unlikely they offered to give me a ride to my parents house and even helped me call someone to tow my car I was beyond grateful my dad was Furious once he found out out and I haven't driven in the snow since
I always think about what might have happened had I not jumped out of the car when I [Music] did I've never been one for parties even in college I got sick of the whole going out culture pretty quickly and I found that I always had more fun doing something meaningful with a few close friends I'm from a rural area Northwestern Ontario this happened a couple years ago ever since I was a kid my dad and his buddies had a New Year's Eve tradition of going ice fishing while everyone else was celebrating the new year however
they celebrated my mom wasn't really in the picture and we didn't have much extended family so I grew up spending New Year's Eve on a frozen lake in The Frigid cold with my dad his brother my brother and my dad's friends my dad isn't around anymore and my brother moved to Chicago a number of years ago but I still try and go ice fishing as much as possible especially as a way to celebrate New Year's Eve I'm not really sure why I just feel like I have some kind of obligation to keep the tradition going
my two best friends Nate and Trevor are pretty rugged guys themselves you know the type those Burly Lumberjack looking dudes that seem more in touch with Wilderness than Society that's honestly how I describe myself too anyway the three of us tried to keep the tradition alive as best we could which was great because spending New Year's Eve alone would be depressing as hell Nate was the one driving that day his truck was perfect for the job big tires four-wheel drive and enough room in the back for all of our gear we' packed everything we needed
rods tip ups bait a sled to haul everything and a small pop-up shelter to Shield us from the worst of the cold the forecast predicted a clear night but in Ontario you never trust the weather reports entirely we were prepared for anything at least we thought we were the lake we were heading to wasn't a well-known spot and that's what we loved about it it was tucked away surrounded by thick trees with a surface that stayed frozen solid even in the milder parts of winter it wasn't a place you'd stumble across unless you knew exactly
where to look as Nate navigated the snowy back roads the excitement started to build there's something about the quiet Stillness of ice fishing just you your friends and the promise of the catch definitely beats drinking beer after beer at some random bar as we pulled up to park near the trail head I noticed someone standing nearby he was a few yards away bundled up in heavy winter gear but something about him didn't feel right he wasn't moving just standing there staring at our truck at first I thought maybe he was just a fellow angler sizing
us up but then I saw him glance down at his phone then back at us then back at his phone again for some reason it didn't feel casual I don't really know how to explain it it just felt off I muttered to my friends that that guy was creeping me out the two of them looked up Trevor Shrugged his shoulders and Nate nodded but didn't say anything we were about to start unloading when the man suddenly rushed towards us waving his arms wildly I rolled the window down to hear what he was saying he started
screaming that we needed to come help him immediately and that his buddy had just fallen through the ice he pointed at his phone saying the other guy they were with just told him he sounded frantic and his desperation was definitely real he didn't even think Trevor opened his door and then we were all out following the man as he took off down the trail toward the lake we didn't stop to grab anything not even our coats the urgency in his voice was enough to override any second thoughts the man was practically sprinting and we had
to jog to keep up as we got closer to the lake I started to notice something that didn't sit right he wasn't leading us to the usual fishing spots instead we were heading toward a more remote part of the shoreline away from where the ice was thickest I was about to stop following but it was too late they appeared in view before we could do anything two more men standing near the edge of the lake they weren't dressed for fishing and they weren't moving they were just standing there waiting I glanced down at their hands
they were both arms my blood ran cold one of them yelled at us to stop right there as we approached he raised his gun and pointed it directly at me I honestly can't describe the feeling that you get when someone points a gun at you I hope no one ever has to experience what I felt that day my heart dropped as the man we'd been following turned to face us a smirk creeping across his face we'd been set up the second guy demanded Nate's Keys along with everything we had on our person we didn't really
have a choice these guys didn't seem like they were messing around Nate reached into his pocket and tossed the truck keys to the man and the three of us emptied our pockets I tried to hang on to my phone but one of the men told me phones too Nate said his was in the car which they laughed about I've never been more Furious in my life how could we have been so foolish I clenched my fists wishing those guys w't armed I would have taken all of them on within moments they grabbed everything and walked
us back up The Path at gunpoint before one of the men sped off in Nate's car the other two backed away into the woods presumably to their own vehicle I debated following them but I figured that wouldn't be much help we stood there for a moment shivering before Nate pulled out his phone I knew he had lied about it being in the car I honestly don't know what we would have done had he not thought quickly on his feet somehow we still had service he called the police explaining everything as as he could the dispatcher
told us to stay put and we huddled together for warmth as we waited for help to arrive I was still so unbelievably angry Nate was the worst though he kept kicking nearby trees and cursing at the top of his lungs there was nothing Trevor or I could do to calm him down the whole thing had happened so fast I was honestly still processing it all why the hell would there be people out in the middle of nowhere on New Year's Eve of all days it didn't make any sense I'll skip all the boring details the
cops took an official report and were gracious enough to drive us all back to Trevor's house which was the closest as you might expect Nate's car was never located and those people were never caught the three of us still can't believe what it happened Trevor thinks we just stumbled into the wrong people at the wrong time that they weren't planning on robbing us but we just so happened to be the perfect targets I think that's possible but it still feels so unlikely who just Springs a trap on some random people in the spur of the
moment but it also wouldn't make sense for them to be waiting for us at such a secluded spot they had no guarantee anyone would show up I really have no idea what to make of this whole incident
