hi welcome to dead and roasted what can I get you hey you welcome back what's the creepiest thing you ever woke up to true story and embarrassing too I used to have a cute little snower he would cuddle up with me on the couch whenever I took a nap I woke up once to this sound and a bad taste in my mouth when I opened my eyes he was lying next to my face but first gross but it did become the inspiration to our upcoming coffee flavor schow's witzer today I've got an assortment of very
creepy stories for you about sleeping with skinwalkers at Mount Yellowstone walking home not so alone and more enjoy these are Tales from the break room I slept with a skinwalker from jan07 my husband and I are a team of wildlife biologists specializing in large Predator tracking and population studies we will often find ourselves camping in remote areas for days at a time while collecting data and setting up trail cameras a few months ago we were assigned to a project in Yellowstone National Park the goal was to gather information on Wolfpack movements and their impact on
the local ecosystem it was supposed to be be a routine trip we had done this countless times before but what happened during those 3 days in Yellowstone still haunts me we arrived at our designated campsite on a Tuesday afternoon the weather was perfect with clear skies a light Breeze and the promise of a starry night ahead as we set up our tent and equipment I remember feeling excited about the work we'd be doing my husband I'll call him Tom here was in High Spirits too cracking jokes about how we should open up a five-star Wilderness
Resort with our expert tent pitching skills after a simple dinner of dehydrated camping meals which Tom insists they're getting better but I'm not convinced we sat by the fire going over our plans for the next few days the sun had set by then and the forest around us came alive I could hear some owls hooting and small animals moving around in the underbrush it was very peaceful very familiar but that didn't last long we were sleeping in the tent when suddenly maybe around midnight Tom sat up alert causing me to wake up too did you
hear that he whispered I hadn't but the look on his face made me strain my ears there it was the unmistakable sound of footsteps slow and deliberate moving through the trees near near our campsite Tom grabbed his flashlight and stepped out of the tent I watched as his beam of light cut through the darkness sweeping through the tree line nothing and the footsteps had stopped um probably just a deer Tom said as he crawled back into the tent but I could tell he wasn't convinced this scene repeated itself three more times throughout the night he
each time Tom would hear the footsteps go out to investigate and find Nothing by the time Dawn broke he was exhausted and on edge I swear he said over his third cup of coffee in the morning those weren't animal footsteps they sounded human I tried to reassure him suggesting it could have been another camper maybe even a park ranger doing nightly rounds but deep down I agreed something felt off why wouldn't they respond when Tom called out to them why did the sounds always stop just as he went to investigate despite his lack of sleep
we had work to do we spent the next day hiking to our research sites setting up cameras and collecting samples Tom was quieter than usual his eyes were constantly scanning the trees around us I caught myself doing the same that vague sense of unease growing stronger every hour that passed it was mid-afternoon when things took a turn from unsettling to downright terrifying we were checking a trail camera we'd set up a while back when Tom froze his hand gripped my arm look he whispered pointing to a clearing about 50 yard away at first I didn't
see anything but then figure stepped out from behind a large pine tree it was tall impossibly tall and thin too with limbs that seemed too long for its body for a split second I thought it was just a trick of the Light Shadows playing on a tree trunk of some sort but then I saw it move the figures movements were jerky and unnatural they reminded me of a marionette being pulled by strings it took three long strides into the clearing its head swiveling in a way that made my stomach churn then as suddenly as it
appeared it was gone melting back into the Shadows of the forest Tom and I stood there rooted to the spot when I finally found my voice it came out as a horse whisper what was that I don't know Tom replied his face pale but I think we should head back to camp now the walk back was tense to say the least we moved quickly constantly looking over our shoulders every snapping twig or rustle of leaves made us Jump by the time we made it back to our campsite the sun was setting casting Long Shadows across
the ground neither of us had much of an appetite but we forced down some food anyway knowing we needed the energy we didn't talk much not much to say I guess we knew that we'd both seen something something that shouldn't exist or some sort of Illusion that really freaked us out as Darkness fell we retreated to our tent Tom insisted on staying up to keep watch but I could see he was running on fumes eventually sheer exhaustion one out and we both drifted into an uneasy sleep I'm not sure what woke me up a sound
maybe or maybe that prickling sense of wrongness that had been following us all day what I do know is that when I opened my eyes Tom was gone Panic seized me I fumbled for my phone activating the flashlight app with shaking fingers the tent was empty Tom sleeping bag pushed to the side Tom I called out my voice trembling Ling there was no response heart pounding I unzipped the tent and stepped outside the night was cool and still all I could hear was my own breathing I swept the flashlight beam across our campsite seeing nothing
out of place so far Tom I called again louder this time still nothing memories of the strange figure we'd seen flooded my mind what if it had taken Tom what if he was out there somewhere hurt or worse I started towards the tree line my legs feeling like lead the beam of my flashlight seemed pathetically small against the vast Forest I'd only gone a few steps when I heard it footsteps behind me coming from the direction of our tent I Whirled around relief washing over me as I I saw a silhouette enter the tent Tom
he must have gone to use the bathroom or check on something in the truck feeling a bit foolish for my panic I hurried back to the tent Tom you scared me half to death I said as I climbed inside where'd you go off to there was no answer but I felt movement as Tom settled into his sleeping bag I got back into mine still a bit shaken up but mostly relieved I felt Tom's arm drape over me it made me feel so much better and despite the strangeness of the past few days I found myself
drifting back to sleep I woke up to bright sunlight filtering through the tent walls Tom's arm was no longer around me and his sleeping bag was empty figuring he must have gotten an early start I got dressed and stepped outside I spotted Tom by our truck he was close the driver's side door the man looked awful dark circles under his eyes his movement slow and clumsy rough night I asked walking over to him he nodded stifling a yawn yeah couldn't sleep in the tent again kept hearing those darn footsteps ended up sleeping in the truck
I frowned confused the truck wait when did you leave the tent last night Tom gave me an odd look around midnight I guess I tried to wake you up to see if you wanted to join me but you were out cold a chill ran down my spine my mind racing Tom I said slowly what time did you come back to the tent this morning he shook his head I didn't this is the first time I've been out of the truck since midnight I felt the blood drain from my face as the full implication of his
words hit me if Tom had been in the truck all night then who or what had been with me in the tent whose arm had held me as I slept I opened my mouth trying to find the words to explain what happened but nothing came out Tom must have seen the horror on my face because he stepped closer and asked hun are you okay what's wrong I took a deep breath my voice barely above a whisper as I replied there was someone else in our tent last [Music] night we left Yellowstone that day abandoning our
research project we requested a transfer to a different area citing personal reasons Tom and I keep the story to ourselves afraid of what other people might think but knowing that our experiences were very real and we know that that thing wasn't exactly human even when I write this now I feel the Phantom weight of that arm on me that's something I can't forget it makes me feel so violated and unsafe I try not to wonder but still I do what would have happened if I had turned to look at that thing lying next to me
in the dark always remember to stop from J DZ I've shared this story a few times with friends but I think it might be worth telling here as well back in 2021 I was a fresh college student at the age of 25 I'd only very recently gotten diagnosed with an autoimmune condition which had effectively derailed my life for the past few years and I started to get my life back on track after being prescribed medicine to treat it during this time I would usually go to my mom's work after class since I took the bus
and her work was on a bus line then I would hang out at her job with her and work on homework until she was done then we'd go home together she'd been working at this church for over 10 years in administration and there had very recently been a change in the upper levels of the ministry as such the they decided to start doing their custodial work inhouse rather than hiring a company to clean the nearly 40,000 ft Church they hired a facilities manager but the work was too much for him to handle alone so they
were looking for a part-timer to come in and help with the grunt work like collecting trash cleaning the bathrooms vacuuming and helping with events as needed the manager went to my mom to ask her to put a notice in the church newsletter to let folks know they were hiring someone like a college student and roughly 20 minutes later I walked up to her work I'd say it's pretty obvious that I ended up applying for it and I got the job I worked there alongside my mom for months and we would usually car pull there and
back eventually my mom left her church job for her dream job in a larger Ministry but I stayed as such I ended up riding my bike to and from work and school most of the time I'd never had any issues with it and I only lived about 2 miles away from the church so it was a pretty good deal time went on and I'd been working there for about a year I ended up getting a second job too so I typically worked Fridays and Mondays at the church Saturdays and Sundays of my other job which
I had to take two buses to get to the thing is if the church had an event on Friday night or Saturday then someone needed to come in and clean up after the event prior to church on Sunday morning morning these events could be Church events but we also rented out space for people to host their events on our property as well we had an event on this one Saturday and my boss asked if I could clean up after it sure I told him I'll be there in the later evening since I won't be back
in the area until about 7:30 p.m. but I can make sure everything is good before I go home my boss was okay with that so I left my bike at the church then went to to my second job then came back afterwards I cleaned up and it took another few hours to get everything straightened back out for Sunday morning I can't rightly recall what the event was but it had really made a mess of things which was pretty common to any event we hosted I was exhausted by the end of it and needed to get
up early the next morning for my second job so around 10: p.m. long after dark I got my bike ready to go I had parked it outside the employee door I needed to exit through I put on all my reflective gear alarmed the building left and got on my bike I started to ride home now there's a hill I have to go over and two roundabouts before I'm on a straight stretch to my home one of the roundabouts is right on the other side of the hill this one is on a very low traffic stretch
of road almost no one uses it especially after dark but there are crosswalks with pedestrian flashing lights for this round about the other one just beyond the first didn't have flashing lights but it was better lit by street lights and was far more busy even in the evening I distinctly remember riding down the other side of the Hill that night and as I approached the round about I had a thought I'd seen and heard no one since leaving the church not a single car I can probably just go straight through the crosswalk without turning on
the lights I thought wanting very much to get home faster I knew I was nowhere near the end of my work week and I was tired then as I pulled my bike onto the sidewalk just before the crosswalk I felt a chill go down my spine all of a sudden I felt this presence surrounding me it wasn't the first time in my life I'd felt something like it so it didn't startle me but I heard something clear as day too just nothing I would have ever expected it was a voice stop you have to stop
and use the light it was like it cut through my soul it felt so intense like a command this is so stupid I thought there's no one here I don't hear any cars what a waste of time exasperated I still listened to the voice and I pulled the brakes on my bike stopping right next to the button to turn on the lights my gloved hand CED over the button and pressed it in one smooth motion having done it countless times before the very second I pushed that button a pitch black truck with faded headlights came
whipping around the corner of the roundabout it had to have been going at least 70 mph in an area that was barely 30 mph the truck came within inches of my bike's front tire I could not see the driver only this dark truck that had made no noise before not until it appeared right in front of me the driver sped off down the connecting back road and in a heartbeat they were gone had I not stopped at the exact moment I did that truck would have hit me with it going as fast as it was
I would have been dead and even if I hadn't died on impact the stretch of road was almost always abandoned if the truck driver had hit me and they themselves had not called an ambulance I would have died waiting for help I still remember the smell of its exhaust and how difficult it was to breathe I was shaking I didn't want to be in that area any longer than I absolutely had to so I rode my bike through the crosswalk and through the next roundabouts crosswalks as well this was a common spot for me to
stop when I needed a break before making the final stretch home and I knew I was pretty much safe there that's where I stopped and broke down I was incredibly scared and shaken I had had some close calls before it even crashed my bike a few times but I'd never been that close to well death I cried for a few minutes getting it out of my system before I wiped my face clean and drank some water to calm down I rode my bike the rest of the way home I didn't sleep well that night but
as the shock faded I was so incredibly grateful to be alive and that that voice had warned me I honestly think it was some sort of guardian angel directing me to do the one thing that would keep me safe that evening suffice to say I've never once gone past a crosswalk without stopping and turning on the lights ever since that night what was in my dream from Victoria C this story takes place during my sophomore year of college during the 2014 through 2015 school year at the time I was working as a resident assistant or
an RA as many may be familiar with I lived in one of the newer buildings just off the main campus and I had a site type of living arrangement I had my own room and I shared the suite with a few other people who had their own rooms and we shared the Living Spaces the amenities of this building were nice and I enjoyed my stay in these living arrangements there was nothing wrong with the space itself but rather one of the sweet mates who did things and had certain practices that made me wonder to this
day if they affected some of my dreams before I get into the interaction with the sweet mate I wanted to talk about what happened the summer before I moved into this building and met him unfortunately after a 10-year battle my beloved aunt died of cancer it was a very difficult time for my family and and I we were with her till the very end this occurred about a month or two before I had to move into this building and was very fresh on my mind I thought starting a new year of college would help me
reset maybe take my mind off of the events of the summer I was also very excited to be in a more social position as an RA and be living in a suite with multiple people I thought it could make me feel less alone put me in more social situations without me having to go out and seek parties as we would have a few parties in our suite while all this was true as I got to know more about one of my sweet mates let's call him Willie I became increasingly wary of him at first I
thought he was wonderful sometimes all these sweet mates including myself would jump into his car and he would take us to go out to eat or we would hang out with him oneon-one and we'd grab a coffee we were both from Texas too and had similar interests I found him entertaining and very worldly he was a bit bougie I could tell he came from a more socioeconomically well situated family but I still felt he could be fun to hang around with and he never unnecessarily flaunted anything he was a senior and I was a sophomore
so he had many stories and experiences that he shared from his years at College this college as I got to know him I started to notice things that were a bit off-putting but not yet red flags one time I was sitting with him on the sofa and we were talking about art he began to express how much he liked drawing human faces and was excellent at facial proportions the conversation then turned in a weird way when he began to intensely look at my face came in closer and talked about how much of an expert he
was at facial proportions to to the point where he could really tell if somebody had a symmetrical and proportionate face that's just allegedly how attuned he was to all the details of a human face it was a bit odd I felt in a way he was looking down upon me or trying to position himself in a higher way I quickly changed the subject and moved on to a different topic one day he was going through the kitchen cabinets looking for a drinking glass it's possible we might have had similar glasses but he insisted that I
took one of his this is untrue I pointed out that I only had a certain amount and they were all accounted for and maybe someone had left one in their room or one in the dishwasher he didn't seem to believe me and he walked off hastily again I didn't think too much of it other than he just seemed to be in a bad mood and maybe genuinely thought I'd taken something but again I hadn't after about 2 to 3 months of living in the suite I came home late one night and I walked in to
find him and a few other people in our living room he welcomed me home and asked if I wanted him to read my tarot cards I had heard of tarot cards but had never tried them or dabbled in any of that before he said that he would do readings for his friends and had just done some for our other sweetmates I was an a social mood and so I decided why not what could it hurt this proved to be a mistake he read my cards I don't even recall what cards were shown or what his
interpretation was I thought it was all light-hearted fun that was until I woke up the next morning I recalled a nightmare from the night prior a terrifying nightmare that I still think about to this day the Nightmare and tells me lying in my bed as I was when I went to sleep the night before on my left side there was an individual in a chair sitting right next to my bed the thing that scared me most was this individual was not just any person it was a depiction of my recently deceased Aunt I could tell
it wasn't truly her though my beloved Aunt would never do anything to scare me in this way the way she was depicted by whatever her thing was taking her form was shadowy as if there was a deliberate Shadow over half of the face of the thing there was a noticeable greenish Hue to its skin I understand at the moment of my aunt's passing her skin color did take a small tonal change into a near greenish color I think that could have been due to the chemotherapy or other chemical processes and the medication she was taking
but I'm unsure but I vividly remember a sickly green Hue on the skin of it the entity sat next to my bed it was very stiff and robotic in the way it moved if I recall correctly the face was pretty natural I believe it wanted me to believe it was my aunt it began to extend one arm out towards me and formed its hand as if pointing I can't recall if it had a really long arm and fingers or if it had a stick but as I lay there in bed it began to poke me
on the left side of my ribs and abdomen repeatedly with its extended finger or stick I don't know how long it lasted when I woke up in the morning I remember immediately noticing a sore sensation on my left side exactly where I'd been poked in the nightmare it was at this moment I realized this was not any other form of nightmare but something actually might have come in my sleep to mimic my aunt whatever it was it wasn't good I remember feeling uneasy when I came to this realization I knew I had a lot to
do that day so I ignored it and I continued to get ready as the weeks went by I was hanging out with my friend Dan Dan was also a sophomore coincidentally I had learned that Dan had dated Willie the previous school year Dan told me that Willie was also living in that same building the previous school year and at one point had hosted a seance Dan casually told me that while they were all at the table in the Sweet Kitchen with Willie hosting the Seance the lights began to flicker uncontrollably and the room felt like
it was shaking they all got scared and immediately stopped the Seance Dan also told me some things that made me believe Willie might have been into dark magic I didn't know this until after that tarot card reading from what I've learned from a friend in the spiritualist community the quality of the person doing the tarot card reading can affect what happens to the person receiving the reading as in the energy of the reader matters I wondered for years if Wily's involvement in Black Magic opened me up to experiencing something sinister that night since then I've
never had any type of nightmare even similar to that that night nightmare felt very real and very intentional it made me feel Disturbed it felt like it was testing me prodding at me but when I woke up in the morning feeling that real soreness in the same area I realized this might be Beyond a generic bad dream or even sleep paralysis I had sleep paralysis many times and had never manifested in this way I was not unable to move or speak nor were there sounds of screaming by my ear that I would normally have during
sleep paralysis it was like I was just in my sleep watching this happen to me I felt it wanted me to believe it was my aunt I was Disturbed that something would try to depict my aunt in such a sickly and disrespectful way there was nothing about that figure that was in any way related to her mannerisms or who she was as a person during her life at the time particularly the first 5 months of the school year I had a mixture of sleep paralysis type situations and at this time I was having a persistent
nightmare of a green smoke that would show itself in the face of a skull trying to get inside my head in my sleep I could feel my brain almost vibrating and tingling as this greenish Smoky face would try to enter through my forehead this happened three or four times it even happened when I went back home I understand grief can do a lot to a person I believe that sleep paralysis and maybe even this greenish form that would appear at times could be symptoms of stress but the figure in my bed was unmistakably different than
anything I've ever experienced before or after my relationship with Willie became more and more distant I never confronted him about it because I wanted to forget about the situation and as mentioned earlier I became wary of him with my busy schedule and him becoming more and more personnic I didn't feel a strong need to associate with him as much sometimes I could hear his conversations with his roommate and frankly he could say mean things about people as the year went by he became more judgmental he would complain about the college quite often and he seemed
very unhappy he just wanted to graduate in fact I don't think he even stayed to cross the stage for graduation because he hated being at that school my takeaway thoughts about this experience is if you're someone who is interested in getting any type of spiritual or tarot card reading please be sure that you know the person or can read reviews about them that they are reputable and positive as a person if you find a person who is dabbling in Black Magic and is doing tarot card readings I think it could affect some aspects of your
life in this case my dream state ever since this experience I've stayed very far from tarot card readings honestly they scare me and I don't think I could trust anyone to do that again take care and stay vigilant to whom you trust your spiritual energy with ghost in the private dining room from ladybug 9924 I used to work as a CNA a certified nursing assistant until my body could no longer handle it 12 long years my second job as a CNA was at a facility that consists of four floors and a basement they had three
different areas of specialty housed there a memory unit for Alzheimer's and Dementia patients a skilled nursing area for patients that could no longer care for themselves and an assisted living area which is where I worked the way the building is set up was the basement house the maintenance Crews office housekeeping things Etc the first floor housed the memory unit management offices the second and third floor housed more rooms for assisted living beyond the first floor and the fourth floor housed the skilled nursing area we were told to consider it a completely separate facility from us
and were not allowed to ask the nurses up there for assistance the nurses for assisted living left around 5:00 p.m. every day along with management and the front desk staff they also had the supply room and Rehab area on that floor which was the only thing we were allowed to go up there for I tell you all this to help you understand the layout of the building to better understand my story I worked the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift so I was there during dinner time for the residents we weren't allowed to call them
patients also we weren't called CNAs there we were called care managers each shift deferred on the amount of CNAs working the morning shift had six employees two CNAs per second and third floor a shower Aid and the lead care manager they were in charge of the other CNAs and took care of these six residents on the first floor the afternoon shift had five CNAs the lead and the four other care managers and graveyard had two or three care managers so during each meal they have one or two kitchen staff helping serve meals in the dining
room and three CNAs then one CNA is in charge of delivering trays to Residents that do not want or cannot come to the dining room to eat for one reason or another the other CNA is in charge of helping or reminding residents to go down to dinner the day this experience happened to me I'd been one of the Care managers helping in the dining room the care managers and kitchen staff that work in the dining room are responsible for setting up the tables for the next day by this I mean setting down places mats silverware
and water glasses at each place on the tables well on this day we didn't have enough dishes to finish setting up after dinner because the dishwasher hadn't finished cleaning all the silverware and glasses so we decided to go upstairs to help the residents in our sections that needed assistance with showering and getting ready for bed then come back downstairs and finish setting up later also an important note here is the lead care manager was in charge of vacuuming the dining room after each meal because it makes so much sense to have carpet in a dining
room later on that night after we finished our tasks in our sections two fellow care managers and I headed down to the dining room to do what we needed to do me and the other regular care manager finished setting up the tables and our lead started to vacuum as we were all working on our tasks at hand out of the corner of my eye I saw lights flashing I look up and I see the lights in the private dining room flashing on and off rapidly if you're thinking it was just someone flipping the light switch
on and off you'd be wrong I forgot to mention that the French doors to the private dining room each have two huge panes of glass in them and they have very flimsy Lacy curtains in other words it's very easy to see inside the room also the light switch is located in a position where if someone was standing there flipping it on and off you would see them quite clearly the lights flashed on and off for about a minute then the two French doors flew open and closed again then the activity stopped my co-workers and I
looked at each other and asked if we all saw that we each confirmed we had and decided to hurry up and finish so we could get the heck out of there after that I didn't like going down to the kitchen or dining room by myself after Dark there were other strange things that happened there to other co-workers that couldn't be explained but it doesn't surprise me as much as that did also considering how many people died there I'm surprised I didn't encounter more paranormal activity while working there good luck to anyone who works at a
residential facility at night terrifying walk home from staff I was 20 years old and a sophomore at College in Southern California when this happened it was a Thursday night and I had just worked the closing shift at my campus's coffee shop that particular night my co-workers and I headed over to the taco place next door for a few beers and some food for context most of my co-workers were students either at the University or one of the local community colleges everyone was cool for the most part so it was pretty typical for us to go
for drinks or smoke in the parking lot after closing up the cafe to chat joke around and decompress at the end of a long busy shift despite our late closing hour we usually had a constant stream of customers right up until we locked up at midnight college students and their late night caffeine needs after all this night was a little different though because one of the usual closers had called out sick my manager had called around to see if someone could cover him that's how we ended up closing with Eric on the one hand I
was grateful because every time ID had to close while we were short a worker we would leave the cafe nearly an hour later than usual on the other hand I really wished that it had been anyone but Eric who had agreed to come in while most of my male co-workers were great and treated me like a sister Eric was the one coworker who had always unsettled me slightly he was older probably in his early 30s he usually worked the midday shift because of my classes I almost always worked the closing shift so we would often
overlap by a few hours at first I thought nothing of him and assumed he was a graduate student or maybe just a random local I was friendly and cordial with him like I am to all my co-workers but the more we worked together the more he made odd comments and jokes around me I remember he once offered me a sausage breakfast sandwich that had been left uncollected on the pickup counter when I declined he smiled weirdly at me and said are you sure I thought you'd want it then he winked at me I told him
that I was sure before turning and walking away I thought that was weird being a young bunch of mostly students we messed around a lot at work so I thought maybe he was trying to make a joke into fell flat or maybe that he'd made some sort of reference that I wasn't understanding I didn't think more of it until a couple weeks later we just gotten the first shipments of the cookie straws yes actual cookies in the shape of straws which we'd be selling all summer my coworker broke a few into pieces so we could
all try them after sampling the cookie I got back to my closing duties of preparing bottles of caramel drizzle and whipped cream for the next day Eric Was preparing drinks at the Espresso Bar when he came closer to where I was working to use the blender he said to me hey I bet if we had a cookie straw eating contest you'd be able to fit the most in your mouth I don't remember exactly how I reacted I was somewhat taken aback I probably just awkwardly laughed it off I thought about his strange words for the
rest of my shift the joke didn't really make sense and eating cont contest is obviously different from a stick as many in your mouth as you can contest but despite my naivity I understood what he was trying to get across like I said my co-workers would joke around a lot and sexual jokes were not uncommon I tried to brush it off thinking I had no other choice because it wasn't a big deal these strange encounters weren't over though a few weeks later when I was eating a banana in the back scrolling on my phone he
joked that I could probably fit the whole thing in before grabbing a sleeve of Cups and heading back to the front later that same night over drinks after Eric was gone I asked my other co-workers what they thought of him none of them said they had any issues with him just that he was a quiet guy who didn't interact with them much I thought about repeating his idiotic jokes to them but decided against it I didn't want to seem like I was blowing anything out of prop portion all that background happened a couple months ago
shortly after the banana incident we hired a new bista and Eric was moved to the opening shift so we no longer overlapped much to my relief until now that brings us back to this Thursday night my co-workers and I had already been planning to get drinks after work so one of them cordially invited Eric and he agreed I tried to interact normally with him throughout the ship sh but something about the way he kept looking at me unsettled me while I changed the trash bins in the lobby I would turn around in time to see
him staring right at me before he turned back to whichever drink he was making behind the counter we even made brief eye contact a few times when I began sweeping the lobby I noticed him staring again when I came behind the counter to sweep he suddenly turned to me and asked need a ride home tonight uh no thanks I responded reflexively I would often accept rides from my co-workers home as I lived a couple miles off campus but the thought of taking a ride with this guy sent a shiver down my spine he didn't respond
to this and continued to stare as I quickly finished up sweeping by the time we were locking up and heading next door for drinks I was contemplating just going straight home I simply didn't like being around Eric his presence gave me a knot in my stomach but when I floated the idea of bailing to my other two co-workers They begged me to stay for at least one round on them as an underaged and broke college student I rarely looked at a gift horse in the mouth so I agreed plus I again figured that I was
probably overreacting to some degree sure Eric was a little off but he was probably just a socially awkward harmless guy right that night we opted for a bottle of white wine to go with our usual huge basket of chips and salsa one of my other co-workers named Chris tried to make friendly conversation with Eric that's when Eric first mentioned his fiance and I felt the knot in my stomach lift partially thinking back now it was naive of me to think this new information was evidence that I really had been reading too deeply into his comments
and looks from before regardless in the moment I was more at ease figuring he just had an unfortunate and immature sense of humor so I stuck around when someone ordered a second bottle of wine this time it was pink I was feeling pretty warm and loose by the time the taco place closed and we had to leave we all said goodbye and Chris and I walked over to the bus stop and waited together we both lived off campus and I always took the bus most nights Chris's girlfriend would come pick him up after work but
she was out of town that week for some reason even at this hour there were usually still a few college students Milling out and about so close to campus but Chris's presence put me even more at ease we boarded the city bus a few minutes later the bus was less than half full so Chris and I sat in two seats beside each other and continue to chat I lived further out from campus than Chris so when we got to his stop and we said goodbye and I watched as he climbed off the bus and into
the night I popped my earbuds in resuming the audio book I'd been listening to on my way to work I should let you know here that when I was younger I had a bad habit of not paying much attention to my surroundings when I was out so I sat there and looked out the window for the remainder of my ride I rang the bell when my stop was next and stood to get off the bus as it came to a familiar curb as as I exited from the front door I noticed someone in a dark
hoodie getting off the bus from the side exit my stop wasn't a busy one at this hour more often than not I would be the only one getting off the bus here but still I didn't think much of it as I began my 20-minute walk home at the time I lived in a residential area with lots of houses and apartment complexes it was much cheaper to live out here than closer to campus I was just enjoying my audio book when the chapter came to an end and I paused it then I heard it footsteps behind
me I glanced over my shoulder feigning to look at a sign as I passed it I glimpsed a dark figure a few hundred feet from me walking in the same direction on the same side of the street the figure seemed to keep a steady distance but I could feel my heart rate Quicken it was probably just another person and heading home I told myself yet unease settled in my gut reminiscent of the feeling I'd had around Eric I tried to Shake it Off telling myself I was being paranoid I picked up my Pace slightly hoping
to create some more distance I took out one earbud listening for the sound of footsteps they quickened too matching my speed my mind raced with thoughts of the strange comments and the unsettling stair from my coworker earlier I turned at the next Corner hoping to lose whoever it was but the footsteps turned with me my apartment complex was only a few blocks away now I glanced back again and the figure was closer I could make out the shape of the hooded person their face still obscured by the Shadows my pulse pounded in my ears my
mind screaming at me to move faster and I obeyed no longer caring about appearing paranoid suddenly I Heard a Voice Gruff grally and deep as it called out need a ride home Stephanie my blood ran cold then this person knew my name the voice sounded strange as though A man was trying to disguise his normal voice I knew in my gut it was Eric my breath came in ragged gasps as I broke into a full Sprint towards my blue building I desperately fumbled with my keys my hands shaking uncontrollably the footsteps grew louder closer and
I managed to unlock the door and slam it shut behind me locking it with trembling fingers I backed away from the door heart racing grabbing my phone to call the police in a trembling voice I told the woman on the phone that someone had followed me home suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door and I nearly screamed into the receiver he's at my door I gasped between sobs please send someone the woman assured me that help was on the way I was so scared that I begged her to stay on the line with
me she promised she would then when the knocking at my door turned into fullon pounding I was convinced this person was actually about to break in busting my thin wooden door down as I I sobbed incoherently the woman directed me to lock myself in the bathroom until help arrived as I waited for the police I cowered in my own bathtub listening to the banging at the door after the longest wait the banging stopped abruptly at first I was relieved but then I was even more scared because what was he doing now was he going to
try the windows God had I even remembered to lock all the Windows as I strained to listen I thought I heard footsteps pacing on my front porch until even that sound went away when the police finally showed up they found no one they took my statement and assured me they would Patrol the area but even after they left I could not shake the feeling of being watched I called in sick from my classes and from work the next day I contemplated what to do I didn't have proof per se that it was Eric who chased
me home but I knew deep down in my gut it had to be him who else knew my name who else would have offered me a ride home in that creepy way the next day at work I finally decided to report Eric to my manager and told her about all these strange comments over the past few months and my terrifying walk home the other night I expected her to say I was overreacting but instead she said that he would be fired immediately I remember him dropping by that Friday afternoon to pick up his last check
and tips I tried to busy myself with random tasks behind the bar I didn't want to interact with him or even look at him out of the corner of my eye I watched him approach the register none of my other co-workers knew what had happened yet so my coworker at the register cheerfully asked him if he wanted a drink before he headed out Eric proceeded to order a cappuccino I begrudgingly dumped milk into the milk frother and started pulling shots of espresso before my coworker handed me the cup I made the drink and quickly put
it on the pickup counter before heading to the back to restock the milk I hoped by the time I came back out front he would be gone I was wrong in fact he stood at the pickup counter looking angrily at me this is too heavy I want this dry I tried to keep my expression neutral as I set out to remake his drink for those who don't know a cappuccino is supposed to be espresso shots with even parts of milk and foam a dry cappuccino means the customer wants more foam than milk this is obviously
the kind of thing that is most helpful to be told before making the drink but I swallowed my attitude down down and sat the second lighter cappuccino in front of him wordlessly I just wanted him out of the store at this point he picked it up still too heavy I want it bone dry my jaw tightened I was irritated and it was obvious what he was doing a bone dry cappuccino means the person essentially wants only foam with their espresso I said nothing as I dumped the prior two drinks in the sink and set about
pouring even more milk I steamed two pitches full and painstakingly separated the foam from the milk with the spoon I nearly threw the drink down on the counter at him and told him to have a good day in a tone that suggested I would not be remaking his stupid drink again I turned away to tidy up the bar and noticed him lingering there at the pickup counter for a few more seconds before leaving for a while I feared that he would come to the cafe while I worked or follow me home again but week after
week passed and he didn't show back up after a while I assumed it was over until around 4 months later I found a note tucked into my front door frame I figured it was my lease renewal from the landlord I grabbed it on my way in locking the door behind me me after settling in I absentmindedly remembered the notice at the door and unfolded it I swear my heart stopped in a neat almost childlike script the paper read why did you tell on me I was genuinely terrified I knew getting the police involved would be
unlikely to be helpful for me as I had no way of proving who this note was from or that Eric had even followed me home in the first place I started to spend most of my nights at friends houses until I saved up enough to move closer to campus a few months after that I found a new job on campus I was sad to leave my co-workers at the cafe many of whom I was close with at that point but I couldn't stand the anxiety and paranoia that Eric would show up again or appear behind
me on one of my walks home thankfully I never saw Eric again even now years later I still get that unshakable feeling that someone is watching me or following me when I walk home alone I find myself constantly checking over my shoulder my heart quickening at the slightest sound behind me looking back I wish I had trusted my instinct and reported Eric's Behavior to my manager and the authority sooner instead of brushing off my unease and convincing myself that it was simply nothing maybe then I could have spared myself from the nightmares I've had since
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