[Music] I grew up in a place that couldn't be more different from where I live now these days I'm in a big city surrounded by people and noise but back then I lived out on a ridge far from Neighbors and lights where it was just wide open land and Hills Halloween in the city now is packed with kids and families trick-or-treating house to house but when I was a kid on the ridge things Were different we didn't go into town instead we'd load up in the back of my my dad's pickup truck and he'd drive
us around from house to house one Halloween when my older brother turned 14 my parents let him take the wheel and drive us they figured he'd save them a few trips and out there kids grew up driving a little earlier than usual I was 12 that year my younger brother was nine and my best friend at the time Kenny joined us too we climbed into the bed of The truck candy bags ready and my brother set off he took us to the houses that we knew had candy for us and each stop felt like a
mini Adventure in the quiet chilly night after a few hours we had hit all the houses our parents had approved but instead of taking us back home my brother wanted to keep driving thrilled with his freedom and still buzzing with energy he decided to go further deeper into the hills on a road we didn't know well as he drove on The road got narrower and the trees closed in around us branches brushed against the truck making Eerie scraping sounds we were sitting in in the bed of the truck huddling close as the darkness swallowed the
world around us I knocked on the back window trying to get my brother's attention but he just waved me off signaling for me to sit tight it felt like we were driving forever down this lonely shadowed road with nothing but the faint glow of the headlights Piercing the darkness ahead finally the truck slowed and we reached the end of the road there was a gate blocking the way and Beyond it a single dim light glowed in the window of a small rundown house my brother got out of the truck trying to see if the gate
could be opened but it was locked up tight he came back to us and said he was going to go up to the house alone and ask the owner if they could open the gate so we could turn around we didn't want him to Go the place had a strange feel to it and I felt a cold knot of fear growing in my stomach but he insisted he handed me his pocket knife told us to stay quiet and then he jumped the gate disappearing into the shadows as he made his way toward W the house
the three of us were left alone in the bed of the truck huddled together in the cold and dark every little noise every rustling leaf made us jump we strained to hear any sign of our brother but there was Only silence and the distant outline of that dim Eerie house minutes ticked by dragging slowly our fear growing heavier with each second then out of nowhere a gunshot shattered the quiet we all screamed clutching each other convinced something terrible had happened to our brother before we could make a move I saw him stumbling out of the
darkness limping as he hurried back to the truck the look on his face is something I'll never forget pure Terror his eyes wide And frantic he climbed back over the gate and practically threw us into the cab of the truck locking all the doors without a word he started driving in reverse the truck jerking as he tried to keep it steady we begged him to tell us what had happened but he kept his eyes on the road Breathing heavily muttering that he needed to concentrate I could tell he was struggling to keep control driving backwards
in the dark branches scraping the sides of the truck as we Tried to get out of there it took us over an hour to reach the main road when we finally did my brother turned the truck around gunned it and didn't stop until we were safely back home as soon as we parked our dad came storming out furious with my brother for going off the approved route my brother didn't try to explain himself and refused to talk about what had happened my dad for some reason never pushed him for answers years later though he finally
told me That night he had gone up to the house and knocked on the door after a long wait the door creaked open and a massive man stood there his face shadowed my brother noticed that the man's hands were covered in blood at first he assumed the man had been preparing some kind of animal meat people around there hunted and it wasn't unusual but the man looked furi furious at my brother's presence refusing to open the gate and growling at him to leave when my brother Hesitated asking one more time if he could help us
turn around the man's expression Twisted he disappeared back into the house for a moment and when he returned he was holding a shotgun my brother stumbled back tripping on the porch stairs in his hurry to escape just as he got back to the gate the man fired a shot my brother didn't know if it was aimed at him or just a warning but he didn't wait to find out even after my dad yelled at him for going off course My brother kept quiet though I could see the fear hadn't left his eyes my dad never
called the police saying he knew who the man was and that the cops wouldn't bother years have passed since that night but I still wonder what was going on in that house and why the man was so desperate to get rid of us to this day my brother's eyes still Cloud over whenever I bring it up and I can't shake the feeling that whatever he saw that night was something none of us were Supposed to see Halloween was supposed to be a fun time for pranks and scares right but sometimes the line between a prank
and real danger can blur and you can never be sure if someone is just joking around or if they're using the holiday to hide something darker this happened to me years ago even as a teenager I loved Halloween I went trick-or-treating until I was 15 and as an adult I enjoyed giving out candy every every year I'd Fill up a huge bowl with candy and hand it out to anyone who showed up no matter their age one particular Halloween it seemed like every kid in town was out I'd never seen so many trick-or-treaters and I
silently thanked myself for buying extra candy as the night wore on I handed out my last piece and most of the crowd had gone only a few stragglers wandered the street I switched off my porch light hoping that would be a clear enough sign that I was out of candy and Went inside I made a bowl of popcorn ready to relax with a Scary Movie one that wouldn't be too terrifying but just right for the mood I'd only been watching for about 5 minutes when the doorbell rang I sighed figuring it was more trick-or-treaters who'd
missed my empty candy Bowl I got up turned the porch light back on and opened the door standing outside were four teenage boys maybe 16 or 17 they weren't in typical costumes they were dressed like the gang From A Clockwork Orange one of them dressed as Alex with a bowler hat and Cane stepped forward with an unsettling grin he held out his bag and said trick-or treat in a voice that sent chills down my spine something made me freeze for a moment it wasn't just the costumes though they were impressive disturbingly so but something about
the way they stood watching me without moving instead of telling them I was out of candy I found myself saying hold on a Moment I walked back into my kitchen grabbed a stash of full-size Snickers bars I kept for myself and returned to the door when I handed each of them a Snickers they exchanged glances almost as if they were surprised they gave me this strange look then thanked me and walked off without another word I closed the door feeling a strange unease but tried to shake it off as I went back to my movie
some time passed and I'd almost forgotten about the boys when I heard a Noise on my porch it wasn't a knock just the soft sound of footsteps my heart skipped slowly I got up and walked over to the door I turned on the porch light and peaked out the window just in time I caught sight of those same boys running down my steps and disappearing into the night when I opened the door I noticed a piece of paper tape to it I reached out and pulled it off my fingers trembling as I read the message
scrawled in messy handwriting you're lucky you had extra Candy we were going to kill the first person who ran out we saw your light off and figured that was you I stared at the note feeling a cold chill settle over me after a moment I went back inside and called the police they assured me it was probably just a Halloween prank some teenagers trying to scare me for fun but to this day I'm not so sure it was Halloween night and the streets were buzzing with costumed kids darting from house to house the lights Of
South Florida's suburbs cast Eerie glows against the humid night but for the most part everything felt festive my wife Claire and I had just put our son to bed at his grandmother's house and were planning on a quiet night in but as luck would have it she got a call for an urgent hospice visit you see Claire is a social worker for a hospice company she often has to make calls late at night when patients pass especially when family members request a social worker To help guide them through the paperwork and grief given the nature
of her work she's no stranger to the strange and unsettling but I'd never had anything odd happen as at least not until that Halloween we left the neighborhood driving 20 minutes to a quiet suburb where the houses were nicely spaced and well-kept we arrived just after 10: p.m. and parked in the driveway of a dimly lit house a few family members were already there standing quietly mourning The loss of their loved one while Claire made a few phone calls to notify the funeral home and get things in motion I settled in to wait my job
as her unofficial security guard meant keeping an eyee on things while she worked I passed the time by catching up on episodes of The X Files on my phone popping my head up occasionally to check for any sign of her or the funeral van about 15 minutes in more family members arrived some went through the front door Others took a shortcut through the open garage I kept watching my show but something soon caught my attention as I glanced up toward the house I noticed a shadow at the front door I figured it was just another
person arriving but this wasn't any normal Shadow it was a dark dense Mass almost as if a shadow had broken away from the light and gained a life of its own it had no definite shape like a wisp of smoke swirling slowly yet it moved Deliberately toward the door the sight sent a chill through me it was unlike anything I'd ever seen just as I focused on it the shadow began to dissolve scattering like ash caught in the wind until it disappeared completely I rubbed my eyes trying to convince myself it was some kind of
trick of the light or a shadow cast by the trees but before I could settle back into my show the front door opened and a young woman with a ponytail and glasses poked her head out Looking around anxiously as if searching for something I shook my head forcing myself to look back at my phone a few minutes later I spotted CLA coming from the garage her expression tight with frustration the funeral H's running late she said exasperated they said they'll be here in another 20 minutes I just needed to step out for some air I
asked her how the family was holding up and that's when her face changed she hesitated glancing at the house over her Shoulder before admitting the family was doing all right at first you know holding together but then something strange happened I sat up straighter strange how I asked my curiosity peaked CLA explained that while she was speaking to the deceased woman's daughter they both heard a loud hard knock on the front door the kind of knock that seemed to echo through the house they all found it odd since most people had just let themselves in
Through the open garage the daughter got up to answer it but when she opened the door there was no one there not even the sound of retreating footsteps to silence when the daughter returned to the room CLA said the whole atmosphere seemed to change a coldness settled over the room draining any comfort or warmth from the air she described it as an oppressive heavy feeling almost as if the grief itself had taken form and was pressing down on them it felt like something else Was in the room with us she said her voice barely above
a whisper I felt a shiver run down my spine I tried to brush it off but something about the whole situation didn't feel right then almost jokingly I asked did the daughter have a ponytail and glasses white shirt cla's eyes widened yeah how did you know I took a deep breath and told her about the shadow I'd seen how it had dissolved before my eyes and how the daughter had looked out the door right after it Vanished we both sat there in silence for a moment processing what we'd each experienced it was as if an
unseen presence had lingered at the edge of The Grieving family feeding off their sadness and drawing strength from their loss eventually Clare gathered her nerves and decided to return inside to wait with the family the funeral home van pulled up shortly after a pair of large men dressed in dark suits wielded the stretcher inside their footsteps Heavy on the tile as they went about their business with silent efficiency when they returned Clare followed them out and I breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed back into the car you ready to go I asked she
nodded the tension slowly leaving her shoulders yeah let's just get home as I backed out of the driveway I scanned the house one last time the front door stood open but everything was still the night was quiet and as as we drove back I kept glancing In the rearview mirror half expecting to see that shadow trailing behind us but there was nothing that night we both said a quiet prayer hoping that whatever it was hadn't followed us since then I've accompanied Claire on many more hospice calls but I've never seen anything like that shadow again
and yet every Halloween I think back to that night wondering what other forces lingered just out of sight waiting for moments of grief to invite them in Check out true horror stories on my friend's channel YouTube is not pushing it for some reasons but your little push can help him head over watch a video and if you like what you see don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment love from afternoon Horrors it was Halloween night 1994 I was about 9 or 10 and Halloween was on a Monday that year but the air was chilly
enough to feel like Autumn had settled in school was out for a teacher work day So I spent the day looking forward to trick-or-treating with my friend Josh we'd grown up in the same neighborhood and even went to the same school so most Halloweens we'd plant our costumes and hit up the neighborhood for candy I dressed up in a simple skeleton costume and asked my mom if I could go see if Josh was home to start trick-or-treating early she nodded telling me to be back before dark I grabbed my candy bag and made my way
across the street only to Find that Josh wasn't there his mom told me he was over at his cousin's house with his older brother helping set up a small haunted house in their garage for the night eager to meet up with him I told my mom where I was heading and decided to ride my bike the town was small about 2,000 people tops so most families knew each other and no one was too worried about kids out on Halloween the cousin's house was only a short ride away maybe 10 minutes at most when I Arrived
Josh and his cousin were watching the end of a ERS game I joined them figuring it'd be better to wait than to go alone and when the game ended I finally asked if they wanted to start trick-or treating but instead Josh's cousin suggested a detour he said he knew of a field on the edge of town where some houses always left out entire bowls of candy we'd just have to take a shortcut through a thin line of woods and we'd get there in no time excited we Grabbed our bags pulled on our jackets against the
Chill and headed out as we entered the woods it felt darker than it should have the wind rustled the branches above and the last bits of daylight slipped through the trees casting Eerie Shadows around us we walked quietly listening for anything unusual we didn't expect to run into anyone this far out especially since the area was mostly fields and empty lots at one point we crossed a narrow road and Spotted a car in the distance barely visible through the branches it seemed out of place but we ignored it and continued into a clearing on the
other side of the trees the field was bordered by tall grass and a thin line of barbed wire separated it from the road we planned to cut across the field to the next neighborhood but just as we started walking I noticed the car again now much closer it stopped just down the road and a man stepped out in the Twilight it was Hard to see his face but Josh squinted and whispered that looks like my cousin or maybe his dad they both had similar builds and from a it was easy to mistake the guy's shape
and the car the man walked around to the back of his car and then in one swift motion he opened the trunk pulling out something long and dark as he lifted it the glint of metal caught the faint light and my heart stopped when I realized it was a shotgun for a second I Tried to laugh it off as a prank thinking maybe it was his cousin trying to scare us before Halloween but then he raised the gun and pointed it directly at us without thinking Josh and I bolted dashing across the open field toward
the barbed wire fence on the far side the first shot rang out echoing through the quiet night as we sprinted ducking down as low as we could the sound of shotgun blasts tore through the silence and I felt the wind from a bullet just grazed Past my arm it was real whoever this was they were actually trying to hit us we pushed harder fear pounding in our chests as we neared the fence Josh reached it first holding the barbed wire apart as I dove through scraping my knee in the process he tossed his small flashlight
through and jumped right after me and we both crouched low behind a boulder just on the other side of the fence I could hear him panting Whispering who who is that peering over The rock we watched as the man lowered his gun placed it back in the trunk and got into his car he stared out into the field for what felt like ages before slamming the door and speeding off into the dark we sat Frozen Hearts pounding waiting to see if he'd come back but didn't when we finally felt safe enough to stand we quickly
made our way back to his cousin's house our hands shaking and our clothes covered in dirt and leaves we rushed inside blurting out the story To Josh's cousin and his older brother they looked at us puzzled and a little scared themselves insisting they had been in the house the entire time making chil and setting up the haunted house maybe he thought we were trespassing or maybe it was some Twisted prank gone too far but we never went went back to that field and every Halloween since then Josh and I still feel that chill creep up
our spines remembering the night a stranger turned a simple trick-or treat Outing into something truly terrifying hey everyone I'm curious to know more about you all drop a comment below and let me know which country you're watching from I love seeing how far our community reaches so don't be shy I'll be reading through the comments it happened a few years back I was working as a room service attendant at a hotel most nights were routine a few orders here and there nothing too challenging the overnight shift wasn't My favorite but I didn't mind it things
usually quieted down by then with most guests asleep but one night just after Halloween something happened that I still can't forget it was around 4:00 a.m. and the hotel was silent then an order came in it was a simple request just a cheeseburger and fries a typical late night craving the cook prepared it quickly and I loaded the tray I glanced at the ticket room 14113 the 14th floor or highest level the top floor was Usually empty around this time so I was a little surprised as I stepped into the elevator a shiver ran through
me maybe it was the time of night or the echo of my footsteps but something about the quiet of that building felt unnatural still I brushed it off just nerves I told myself the elevator chimed and the door slid open to reveal a dark silent hallway stretching out in front of me there was an odd hush as if the walls were absorbing sound I walked down the Corridor my footsteps the only noise until I reached the room I knocked lightly room service I called out my voice barely breaking the silence there was a rustling sound
inside it wasn't the kind you hear when someone's getting out of bed or muting a TV it was frantic almost like someone shuffling things around in a hurry the sound made my skin prickle with knees then the door opened a man stood there looking slightly out of place in casual clothes his pale blue Eyes set in dark circles as if he hadn't slept in days his smile was polite but strained just a little too wide and his gaze stayed on me lingering in a way that made me feel exposed I figured he must have been
exhausted or maybe a bit tipsy from a long night out here's your food I said stepping into the room to set the tray on the table by the window the moment I entered I heard the door shut behind me followed by a soft click of the lock it didn't feel like an Accident my pulse quickened but I kept my face calm I turned back to hand him the check for his signature but he had moved closer much closer my heartbeat pounded in my ears and the room felt like it was shrinking I forced myself to
keep it together my voice steady could you just sign this please his pale blue eyes held mine as he took the pen instead of signing right away he looked up up and asked so do you work here often the question wasn't strange on its Own but his tone was unsettling cold I forced a smile keeping my response short yeah here and there he scribbled his signature his eyes flicking back to me with a hint of something I couldn't quite place then he started asking more questions questions that got a bit too personal how old are
you you grew up around here he asked his voice low and probing uh I'm 19 I replied trying to keep my answers vague I could feel his gaze moving over me lingering just a Little too long my Palms began to sweat and I was suddenly aware of how isolated we were 14 floors up no other guests and a locked door behind me then without warning he lunged forward Instinct took over I dodged to the side barely escaping his grasp stumbling back into the bed as he reached for me again in that moment everything seemed to
move in slow motion I scrambled over the bed my pulse racing as I looked back to see him just a step behind me his expression Twisted into something that sent chills down my spine I didn't think I just moved I dashed for the door desperately reaching for the handle but before I could pull it open his hand clamped down on my arm holding me tight I could feel his grip squeezing his fingers digging in painfully and I let out a scream that tore through the silence somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that
if he didn't let go I'd be trapped here with him isolated from help I screamed again Louder hoping that somehow someone would hear the man's grip faltered for just a second just long enough for me to wrench free throw open the door and bolt down the hallway I didn't stop running until I reached the elevator my fingers shaking so badly I could barely press the button when the doors finally opened I stumbled inside frantically hitting the ground floor button the doors slid shut and I collapsed against the wall G gping for breath when I reached
the Lobby I went straight to the night manager my voice shaky as I told him everything he looked horrified and immediately called the police I waited for them to arrive still trembling from the adrenaline when the police finally got there they went up to the room but by the time they opened the door it was empty the man had vanished leaving nothing behind not even the untouched plate of food I delivered the room itself seemed almost untouched with no Sign of the struggle I had just been through the name on the reservation didn't match any
real person and it turned out that he paid in cash leaving no paper trail it was as if he'd simply melted away into the night the officers assured me they'd keep an eye out for him but without any solid leads they weren't optimistic and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was still out there maybe watching from the Shadows every noise seemed Amplified every movement Suspicious that drive home felt like the longest journey of my life I kept checking my rearview mirror certain I'd see him trailing behind me but there was nothing just the empty
road stretching out before me when I got home I locked every door and window my mind still replaying the events of that night the next day I quit my job at the hotel the thought of working another night shift of possibly running into him or someone like him was too much I still think About that night sometimes about his pale blue eyes and the way he looked at me it's been years but I'll never forget that Halloween and the man with the cold smile who tried to trap me in that silent haunted room 14 floors
above the city this happened about 2 years ago deep in the wilderness of Northern Lapland Finland the nights up there feel endless a dark cold stretch of Silent forests and icy Lakes I'm a soldier like most Finnish men and was out on one of Our annual military training stins as a Corporal I had a small Squad under me 16 men all familiar faces from our unit that week we were stationed far from civilization in a frozen desolate camp for 4 days we'd carried out drills and exercises trkking across the snow covered Forest by that fourth
night the snow was falling thick covering the world in a deep unsettling silence around midnight we split into smaller teams each taking a different direction To explore and practice Maneuvers it was myself and five others and we hiked a few kilometers to an old part of the forest where we sometimes practice shooting that night we decided to stray from our usual spot and followed a faint Trail winding through the trees after some time we reached a fork in the trail and split up again my team took the path to the left leading us through denser
Woods Until We Came Upon an abandoned warehouse the structure was decrepit Half buried in snow looking like it had been forgotten for years windows were shattered and the walls seemed ready to collapse we weren't expecting anything unusual but something about the place made me hesitate as we stepped inside we walked around quietly our breath visible in the freezing air our boots crunching on the snow that had seeped through cracks in the walls at the far end of the building I found a blown out window I looked through it catching a glimpse Of the forest stretching
toward a dark still Lake just a 100 meters away and that's when I saw her on the edge of the lake a woman was kneeling by the water hunched over as though she was praying or hiding something she wore a tattered coat and her figure seemed strangely motionless despite the freezing wind at first I thought she must have been a lost hiker maybe injured and needing help but then the Moonlight revealed something chilling her coat and pants Were stained dark so dark I realized it was blood she was using the icy water to wash herself
dipping her hands into the lake and splashing the Crimson liquid away I couldn't look away even as I felt a chill run down my spine she stopped raising her head as if sensing she was being watched her eyes met and I froze the woman had a cold twisted smile one that felt far too wide for her face her eyes were glassy staring through me with an intensity that made me feel she could See right into me she kept smiling as though this was all a joke like the blood on her clothes and her Eerie ritual
by the lake were part of some dark game then still smiling she stood up slowly never breaking eye contact as she turned to walk back into the forest I saw it a knife handle jutting out from her waist bed its blade stained with something dark my heart was pounding as I called for my squad when they arrived I tried to explain what I'd seen But the Look in their eyes told me they thought I was seeing things still the soldier and me couldn't just leave her out there if she was hurt or worse a danger
to someone else we were armed so I convinced the others to come with me and search the woods we crossed a shallow part of the lake waiting through the freezing water the cold biting at our legs the forest on the other side was dense and as we regrouped we radioed the other teams asking them to join us by The forest edge once we were all together I gave a quick recount of what I'd seen my team mates still seemed skeptical but the silence in the forest held an eerie weit as though it was listening waiting
we divided into three groups spreading out into the woods to search for any sign of her the forest seemed endless Shadows twisting into shapes that played tricks on my mind each crunch of snow felt louder than the last we searched for at least 15 minutes Before I heard it a gunshot shattering the silence we all sprinted toward the sound we through the trees until we reached the others one of my soldiers had fired a shot to get our attention as I caught up to him I saw his face pale as the snow around us he
pointed at something on the ground a pile of clothes drenched in blood discarded near a tree I felt a surge of dread as I looked closer the clothes were torn and mangled and embedded in the tree beside Them was a dagger its handles still warm to the touch the blade was thick with dried blood and deep scrap pches marked the trees bark as though someone had plunged the knife into it repeatedly the rest of the squad gathered around and a thick silence fell over us there was no sign of the woman just the bloody clothes
and that dagger still quivering slightly from its plunge the feeling of being watched crept over us but as we scanned the forest we saw Nothing but Shadows we hurried back to base barely saying a word to each other the officers filed a report and we were debriefed but there was no explanation just a warning to stay vigilant during future drills that woman her face her smile haunted my dreams for months afterward her cold grin seemed to linger in every dark corner every silent place like she was still watching waiting just beyond the edge of the
trees and every time I return to Lapland I wonder if She's still out there somewhere in the snow waiting to play her Twisted game again which story setting scared you the most let me know in the comments [Music] in 2016 my best friend Lisa and I went trick-or-treating together I dressed up as Harley Quinn from Batman and Lisa was Minnie Mouse we hung out at my house for a bit took some pictures and then headed out we had planned to go back to Lisa's house after trick-or-treating since my Parents were going to a Halloween party
we walked around the neighborhood which had a good number of kids out I remember seeing seeing someone in a full skeleton costume with a mask walking past us he waved and we waved back not thinking much of it about 20 minutes later while we were at a house I noticed the same skeleton guy behind us walking up the driveway it felt a little weird but we kept going we stayed out for about another hour and the skeleton guys Seemed to be following us the entire time at first we didn't pay too much attention to it
but when we decided to call it a night and head back to Lisa's house we noticed he was still trailing behind us by this point there weren't many other trick-or-treaters left so it started to feel more suspicious you looked big maybe like a high schooler or something we walked all the way back to Lisa's house which took about 30 minutes and the guy followed us the entire way Always about 50 ft behind we were both getting pretty creeped out but I kept telling myself it was just a coincidence finally we reached reached Lisa's house and
once we got inside we felt safer her parents were home and we watched out the window until the guy disappeared from sight when we told her parents they reassured us that he probably just lived nearby we went up to Lisa's room and tried to forget about it we watched a scary movie Ate some candy and before we knew it it got pretty late it was a Thursday night so since we had school the next day I decided to head home my house was only about a 5-minute walk away so I left and started walking down
the street as I walked I was still a little spooked from the movie and it being Halloween didn't help not long after I started walking I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the road I looked back but didn't see anything so I kept walking Then I heard the footsteps again and they were getting closer I turned around and saw the skeleton guy about 40 ft away on the other side of the road I was really close to my house at this point so I just bolted running through a neighbor's yard and into my
own backyard I unlocked the back door and went inside as fast as I could never looking back I didn't want to know if he had chased me or not once inside I was disappointed to see my parents were at home yet I Quickly went around to check all the doors making sure they were locked while I was at the front of the house I heard someone trying to open the back door my heart almost stopped I knew it had to be the skeleton guy I slowly peaked around the corner to see who it was as
soon as I did we made eye contact he was looking right at me I darted back around the corner grabbed the phone and called the police he kept trying the doorknob while I was on the phone the operator told me The police would be there in 5 minutes which made me feel a little better but I was still terrified I ran upstairs locked my bedroom door and called my parents I told them what was happening and they said they were coming home right away I hid in my closet and plugged my ears trying to block
out everything it felt like forever until I heard shouting from downstairs I uncovered one ear and heard multiple voices that's when I knew the Police had arrived I slowly left the closet and opened my bedroom door there in the hallway was the skeleton guy held by the police his mask was off now and he looked like he was at least 30 years old the police took him away and asked me a bunch of questions my parents got home about 5 minutes later it was a really late night and my parents let me stay home from
school the next day that was the scariest Halloween I've ever had my name is Bella I'm 22 years old And from a small town I grew up with three brothers my mom a bunch of stepdads and my grandparents who we visited a lot growing up I remember some strange paranormal things happen happening that I just couldn't explain a few events stand out to me like they happened yesterday but for now I'll stick with the one that happened when I was about 9 years old at the time my mom two of my brothers and I were
living in a small trailer back then my mom moved Us around a lot my oldest brother stayed with my grandparents who never moved but the rest of us went from place to place usually living in Old trailers always changing towns and schools the trailer I'm talking about was small and I had the middle room it wasn't a big room but I was used to that so it didn't bother me the problem started a few weeks after we settled in at night after everyone had gone to bed I'd lie there trying to fall asleep and hear
what sounded like Whispering I could hear my mom and my brothers Breathing heavily in their sleep so I knew it wasn't them a few times I was sure I heard someone whisper my name it scared me so much but when I told my mom she just said it was a dream or my imagination the whispering kept happening but I didn't tell her again because I knew she wouldn't believe me so I dealt with it night after night terrified then something even stranger happened at the foot of my bed there was A small hole in the
wall that had been covered with duct tape I never touched it just sometimes ran my fingers over it and that was it but one night I woke up feeling really scared it was Pitch Black in the trailer and I was afraid I'd hear The Whispers again so I jumped out of bed and turned on the light I sat there trying to calm down looking around my room that's when I noticed the duct tape was on the floor I inched closer and saw the hole was uncovered the tape had Dents and small holes in it like
something had pushed it out from the other side I thought maybe a mouse had done it but after that night things got worse the whispering faded but something else started I began seeing a shadowy blur dark back and forth in front of my bedroom door my mom had a small light on in the hallway so I could see the shadow clearly once it stopped in my doorway a dark Mass with no clear shape before it darted off again I knew it wasn't my mom Or my brothers because I could hear them sleeping and their Shadows
would have looked human and been cast on the walls plus the floors in the trailer were so creaky that no one could walk silently but the shadow moved without making a sound a few nights later I heard scratching on the wall I tried to convince myself it was a mouse or maybe my pet turtle but when I checked on the turtle he was sound asleep in his box so I laid back down and that's when I Noticed my blanket moving it looked like something was pushing it up from underneath right where the scratching had come
from I was terrified I slowly reached out pulled the blanket back and looked between my bed and the wall what I saw made me gasp a shadowy hand with was retreating back into the darkness I froze too scared to move and started crying I turned on the light and stayed up until morning when daylight finally came I fell asleep exhausted later that Day I told my mom what had happened but she just brushed it off again saying it was a dream or my imagination I was frustrated but mostly I was scared I still had to
sleep in that room and things were only getting worse around Halloween my mom bought two skeletons decorations a bride and groom skeleton that could sing when you pressed a button on their heads I was already scared of spooky things because of what was happening so these skeletons freaked Me out they were just a little shorter than me and while I thought their singing was kind of funny I couldn't shake how creepy they were to make things worse after Halloween my mom stored them in my closet I hated it my closet had sliding doors that didn't
close all the way and I was scared I'd see one of the skeletons peeking out at me in the middle of the night I made sure to close the closet doors as tight as I could every night but I never felt Comfortable for a few nights after the skeletons were put in my closet nothing happened no Whispers no Shadows no scratching I began to think maybe it was all in my head so one night when my family was in the living room watching TV I decided to be brave I took one of our new puppies
and went to my closet I opened the door and there they were the bride and groom skeletons standing just as we'd left them I giggled nervously and pressed the button on the groom's Head to make him sing after a few minutes I felt a little better so I decided to move them to the side to get into my closet more easily that's when it happened as I stepped back about to set my puppy down I looked up and the groom skeleton's hand moved his hand which was made of hard thick plastic reached out toward me
bending its fingers as if it was trying to grab me I froze my puppy yelped and bolted out Of the room I slammed the closet door shut and ran after him crying and shaking I told my mom what had happened and though she didn't believe me she let me sleep in the living room for the next few nights I kept thinking about what had happened trying to explain it away but I couldn't there was no way the skeleton's hand could have moved on its own and my puppy had seen it too after that night he
refused to go back into my room I missed my room though I missed my Toys and my TV so I decided I had to take matters into my own hands my family was religious and I believed in God so I gathered up all the Bibles I had and put them all over my room under my bed on my dresser next to my pillow everywhere I stood in the middle of the room and shouted at whatever was scaring me I told it that this was my room and that I wasn't going to be scared anymore then
I noticed the hole in the wall I never liked it so I put new duct tape over it And made a cross out of the tape placing it on the hole I even made a few more crosses around it it might sound silly but it made me feel safer after that night nothing else happened no more Whispers no more shadows and no more moving skeletons I don't know what was Haunting me but whatever it was it left me alone after that even though I still have those skeletons they don't scare me anymore I hang them
up for decoration every Halloween but if I ever have kids And they tell me something is scaring them I'll listen to them I'll believe them I'd rather be cautious than have my child go through what I did feeling alone and terrified Halloween was supposed to be about fun and scares but once you get older it's all about messing with each other seeing who can handle it and who's scared that's what I always thought anyway when I was 13 I didn't really want to give up trick-or-treating but High school was right around the corner and my
new friends made it clear we were too old for that so even though I still wanted to dress up and go for candy I tried to act cool when my mom asked me what I wanted to be that Halloween I just Shrugged and told her I was hanging out with friends instead my dad gave me the thumbs up even letting me stay out a little past curfew which was a rare treat that Halloween night I met up with my four best friends we walked around The neighborhood watching kids and poking fun at them a few
guys in the group loved scaring the little ones by jumping out from bushes or making creepy noises but I wasn't into it deep down I still wished I was out there with my own candy bag when we'd finally exhausted our laughs we wandered to the edge of town the graveyard was close by so we figured we'd go in and check it out but that didn't last long a group of older teens were there and they made it clear We W welcome so a bit aimless we started roaming again feeling restless and wanting something a bit
more exciting that's when my friend Jeff had an idea a brilliant idea or so we thought on the far side of town there was an old abandoned School building the whole town knew about it and rumors had swirled for years that it was haunted kids whispered about strange noises shadows and the windows even ghostly figures so obviously it had the perfect Halloween Vibe letun go to the old school Jeff suggested a mischievous grin on his face we all agreed instantly feeling that mix of thrill and fear the school wasn't huge but it looked dark and
forboding even from a distance most of its windows were either boarded up or shattered and no trespassing signs were plastered everywhere it was the kind of place you knew you shouldn't be but couldn't stay away from especially on a night like Halloween when we got to the yard all our c faded we all acted tough pretending we weren't nervous but the truth was obvious to hide our fear we started daring each other to go inside finally Jeff being the boldest of the group took the dare he had to go up to the second floor and
waved to us from a window to prove he'd made it he laughed swearing it'd be easy and marched inside we waited watching the windows and waiting for that wave minutes passed we Kept looking up squinting through the darkness expecting any second to see him at the window but nothing more time went by the longer he stayed in there the worse we felt Whisperers started Among Us what if something went wrong but we brushed it off he was probably just messing with us dragging it out to make us nervous but then over an hour later the
reality sank in Jeff was really truly taking too long he wasn't just pulling a prank Panic said in and we Knew we couldn't call our parents or the police without getting ourselves into into huge trouble so the only choice we had was to go in ourselves we banded together each of us holding our breath as we crossed the threshold inside the air was Heavy stale and it smelled like old wood and dust broken glass and trash littered the floor bottles and cigarette butts were scattered everywhere and graffiti covered the walls every Creek and Shadow set
our nerves on edge we Called Jeff's name softly but only silence answered slowly we worked our way through the Dark Hall ways searching the first floor nothing we found a staircase and knew we had to go up Jeff must be on the second floor the stairs creaked as we climbed each step feeling like a countdown to something terrible at the top of the stairs we finally saw him Jeff was sprawled on the floor bloodied bruised and unconscious we froze none of us knew what to do but we Were all terrified we managed to wake him
up at least enough that he could half walk as we helped him out of the building the entire time we felt like someone or something was watching us every little sound made us jump every shadow seemed to move we barely breathed until we were off the property finally outside we were ready to call for help but Jeff stopped us he was still dazed but he begged us not to call the cops or our parents he knew he'd be grounded for Life we asked what had happened but he wouldn't say it first later when we were
safe at my place he finally told us as soon as he got to the top of the stairs someone or something jumped him from behind he didn't see who it was just a blur and then Darkness as he lost Consciousness the bruises and cuts told the rest he didn't want anyone to know the truth so he later made up a story about a bully at school for years that old school building stayed in my mind None of us went back and its reputation only grew whatever happened to Jeff that night whoever or whatever was in
there with him remained a his but one thing was for sure whoever attacked him was probably still in the building waiting for the next unlucky kid to wander inside a few Halloweens ago I had a pretty scary experience that made me realize how important it is to always be aware of your surroundings if something feels off speak up it's better to annoy Someone than end up on the news with your body found in the middle of nowhere okay maybe my situation wasn't that extreme but you get the point it was Halloween and I had a
couple of classes left theater and math before I could get on with my evening once I was dressed up in my Harley Quinn costume which is one of my favorite characters I headed to campus I remember getting a lot of compliments from classmates who liked my costume and I even took a few Pictures with others who were also dressed up it was fun but I was ready for the day to be over fast forward to around 5:00 p.m. and I was finally done with classes I was starving and started thinking about what to eat I
figured Panera Bread was a good option since it was right next to the school plus my little brother was sick at home and I thought it'd be nice to bring him some soup and bread my grandma was watching him so I gave her a quick call to ask if He'd like that and she said yes with that settled I made my way over to the shopping center where the Panera was located this is when things started getting a little weird as I walked up to the door I noticed a homeless guy sitting outside he was
just staring at me in a weird way I didn't want to be rude so I gave him a friendly wave and a smile before heading inside inside there were about five people in line ahead of me one guy was dressed as Jack Sparrow Which I thought was cool since I love that character too but I didn't have much time to think about that because just after I'd been in line for maybe 30 seconds I felt a tap on my shoulder the tap was followed by this horrible smell like a mix of alcohol and rotten eggs
I turned around and sure enough it was the homeless man from outside he didn't say much at first just that I was really pretty and then he started Breathing heavily while looking around left and Right it was awkward to say the least all the alarms were going off in my head telling me something wasn't right I should have said something to someone but I didn't I just stayed in line trying to ignore him but he stood right behind me the whole time finally it was my turn at the counter and as I placed my order
I noticed the guy had walked out of the store he disappeared around the corner and I thought well that was strange but maybe That's the end of it once my food was ready I left the store with the meal in hand ready to head home I live really close to campus just a 10-minute walk so it's usually not a big deal I sometimes drive but parking is such a nightmare that I usually just walk to avoid the hassle I wish I'd driven that day as soon as I stepped out of the Panera Bread I noticed
the homeless guy was following me at first I told myself I was being paranoid after all there were Plenty of people around it was Halloween and cars were driving by so he wouldn't try anything with so many people around right but when I got to the intersection that leads to the neighborhood where I live the guy got way too close for comfort then he said something that made my blood run cold hey baby we can do this the easy way or the hard way I turned around confused and that's when I saw it poking out
from under his jacket was a knife I can't even describe How scared I was in that moment my heart was pounding and just then the walk sign lit up at the crosswalk without thinking twice I bolted across the street as fast as I could I could hear him running after me and I was heading toward the neighborhood screaming for help and trying to get someone's attention thank F there were trick-or-treaters and their parents starting to walk through the neighborhood I ran up to one of the families waving my arms and shouting for Help can you
imagine what they must have thought there I was a 20-some yearold woman dressed up as Harley Quinn being chased by some crazy guy with a knife it felt like the plot of a cheap horror movie but luckily when I glanced back I saw that the man had stopped chasing me he was just standing at the end of the Street staring at me with this look of defeat I couldn't believe it he just gave up and stood there watching as I got closer to the family once I felt Safe I stayed with the family as I
called the police they showed up and took my statement but I never heard anything after that I don't know if they ever caught the guy and I'm not sure what happened to him but one thing's for sure that experience taught me a valuable lesson I now carry a knife and pepper spray with me wherever I go I don't take any chances anymore I grew up in California and my childhood was definitely different from Most kids my parents weren't bad people or anything but they were always busy with work and weren't around much they took care
of me and my sister made sure we had food and clothes but they weren't very attentive so I had a lot of freedom to do whatever I wanted which probably wasn't the best for me one of the things I used to do which which messed me up a bit was staying up late watching TV until I passed out on the couch I loved it though watching late night movies Seeing stuff my friends couldn't watch yet it was cool but it was on one of those nights Halloween of all nights that I saw something way worse
than any horror movie something that to this day I can't fully shake off it was Halloween night and I was on the couch after trick-or-treating with my friends my candy haul was huge and I'd eaten way too much I was half watching Nightmare on Elm Street feeling a bit sick from all the candy when I heard a strange Noise coming from the porch at first I didn't think much of it just thought it was the old porch swing we had one of those metal ones that creaked whenever it moved but then it hit me no
one was supposed to be out there my parents were upstairs doing whatever they did at night and my sister was in bed I started getting creeped out but at the same time I couldn't help but want to see who or what was out there I had always been really protective of my little sister so I felt like I had to check it out so I tiptoed over to the big window in the living room the one that looks out onto the porch I peaked through the curtains my heart pounding and at first I couldn't see
much because it was dark outside but after a few seconds my eyes adjusted and I saw her there was a woman maybe in her 50s or 60s sitting on the porch swing she was rocking back and forth slowly she wasn't wearing a costume or anything just an old stained Night gown in her hand she was holding something that I couldn't quite make out at first but then I realized it was a knife it wasn't shiny though it was covered in something dark something that looked almost black under the street lights I froze I didn't know
what to do it was like I couldn't move couldn't scream nothing my brain finally caught up with my body and I ran upstairs to my parents room they didn't like it when I barged in on them and I knew that but I Was too scared to care as soon as I got inside they started doing what they always did shutting drawers hiding stuff I didn't know then but years later I found out my parents were actually dealing drugs which explained a lot of their behavior they were annoyed with me at first thinking I was just
being a kid my dad was especially mad telling me I shouldn't have come in without knocking I was crying trying to tell tell them about the woman on the porch but they Weren't listening my dad even said it was just a nightmare from watching too many scary movies and eating too much candy I didn't care what he thought I just kept begging him to check the porch eventually he gave in probably more to shut me up than anything he grabbed my arm and dragged me downstairs all the while mumbling angrily under his breath when we
got to the living room he stomped over to the front door still thinking I was making it all up he flung It open and stepped outside pulling me along with him he was halfway through saying see there's no one out he when he stopped his face changed I had never seen my dad look scared before but right then he did because the woman was still there just like I had said she wasn't rocking anymore though she was just sitting there staring at us her night gown was soaked in Blood and she was holding the knife
in her lap her eyes were wide and there was something Dead About about them like she wasn't really there then she stood up slowly her grip still tight on the knife and said something I'll never forget I killed him I had to I couldn't take it anymore my dad yanked me back inside so fast I almost fell he slammed the door shut and ran upstairs to get his gun I was left standing there still shaking not sure what to do after a minute my dad came back down with the gun in his hand and went
outside I watched through the Window as he pointed pointed it at the woman and told her to leave he lied and said the cops were coming which wasn't true but it was enough to make her go she didn't even run she just turned around and walked off down the street disappearing into the night I found out years later that the woman had been abused by her husband for years and that night she had finally snapped she killed him and then she just wandered the neighborhood in shock the cops found her Later that night when she
tried to break into a neighbor's house she went to prison for it as for my parents they were more concerned with keeping their secret than anything else they lied to the police when they came by asking questions said they hadn't seen anything I guess they didn't want anyone sniffing around their business after that night I stopped staying up late I didn't want to see anything like that ever again this happened when when I was 20 And living downtown with my boyfriend I had just found out that he had been cheating on me after nearly 3
years together we were in the middle of breaking up and splitting our things that night we were invited to a Halloween party and at first I wasn't going to go but after finding out about the cheating I decided I was going and I told him he could stay home if he wanted we lived in a pretty sketchy part of downtown one of those new apartment Complexes built in a rough neighborhood normally I'm the type to keep my windows up and doors locked until I'm out of that area but my mind was all over the place
because of the breakup so while I was driving to the party I had both the driver and passenger windows down to smoke a cigarette at the first red light I stopped at I was still in the rough part of town I was the first car at the light so I had a clear view of a guy probably in his 20s walking across the Crosswalk right in front of my car he suddenly looked over and made eye contact with me I was flicking ash from my cigarette out the window and might have given a polite nod
honestly I can't remember next thing I know he picks up the pace and walks straight over to my open passenger window he leaned in and asked me if I could give him a light for his cigarette I tend to get flustered and polite in awkward situations so without thinking I handed him my lighter I was just planning to pull away when the light turned green even even if he didn't give the lighter back but instead of taking the lighter he reached into my car and opened the passenger door then he just climbed in and sat
down like we were old friends at that moment the light turned green I grabbed my purse and wedged it between my left leg and the driver's side door more worried about being robbed than anything else the guy thanked me for the ride and I Slowly started to drive asking him why he got into my car he smiled and said I could tell you wanted to give me a ride and then started telling me some weird story about how his girlfriend had just broken up with him and left him stranded downtown I told him I would
take him to the nearest gas station since I needed gas even though I didn't I just wanted to get him out of my car in a public well-lit place the gas station was only about six blocks away but those were the Longest six blocks of my life while we were driving he started telling me I was pretty and asked if I could give him some money to get a cab home stupidly I gave him $4 and4 that I kept in my car for parking meters just hoping it would make him stop talking instead of being
grateful he started laughing and throwing the quarters down the front of my shirt one by one I was shocked I told him to stop but he just kept laughing then finally I Saw the gas station up ahead I pulled into the lot and told him we both needed to get out I could pump gas he hesitated for a second but eventually got out the moment he stepped out of the car I locked my doors faster than I ever had in my life I walked inside the gas station and pretended to prepay for gas but instead
I found a group of people and explained what had just happened one of the guys in the group went outside and came back in telling his friends That the guy was out there telling people I was his girlfriend and that I'd accidentally driven away with my purse on top of the car thankfully the group of college guys went outside and made him leave staying with me until I felt safe enough to get back into my car I have no idea what that guy's real intentions were but whatever they were I'm glad I didn't stick around
to find out unwanted hitchhiker from downtown let's never meet again hey everyone Thanks for listening if you stuck around until the end don't forget to hit that like button subscribe and click the notification Bell so you never miss a new episode as always I'm looking for more story ideas so drop a comment below with any themes or experiences you'd like to hear next stay safe out there and until next time keep your eyes open
