[Music] breakups are tough even when you know they're for the best I've been trying to keep myself together after splitting up with my boyfriend of 2 and 1/2 years I don't really want to get into it it wasn't messy or dramatic we just weren't right for each other anymore but that did make it any easier some days it felt like everything reminded me of him I'd been forcing myself to stick to no contact telling myself that it was the healthiest way for both of us to move on it was hard though really hard one of
the things I missed most about us was playing pool together it was our thing I'm a pretty decent player definitely better than average but my ex he was incredible on his good days he could pull off trick shots like it was nothing one rail two rail Banks kicks combinations I'm pretty sure he was even learning a standard mess we each had pool tables at home but obviously we're young and staying inside every night wasn't exactly ideal when we did go out we always made sure that wherever we were going usually a bar had some pool
tables we hated crowded bars with long waights for tables and screaming patrons though so the places we went were quieter usually attracting an older crowd Dive Bar bars with old scuffed tables and sticky floors were our sweet spot obviously you can't expect to find a regulation table and pristine condition at any bar but the dive bars were definitely a better shout than Rowdy College bars we were usually the youngest people there but we didn't care at that point in our relationship we had grown somewhat bored of the typical College let's get plastered every night mentality
plus even though I'm kind of shy my ex was pretty charismatic and would get along with anyone us not being total newbies that pool didn't hurt either a few weeks ago I found myself missing that part of my life more than usual it was a random Wednesday though so none of my friends were free I didn't want to sit around the house feeling sorry for myself anymore so I decided to head out to one of the bars we used to go to I told myself it wasn't about Nostalgia that I just needed to get out
believe me I'm not the type of person nor do I usually have the confidence to go out myself but I was feeling some type of way that night the bar was exactly the same as I remembered dim lighting worn out stools a jukebox in the corner the familiarity was comforting but it also stung the memories came flooding back and I almost turned around and left right then but I forced myself to stay after grabbing a few drinks I wandered over to one of the pool tables and started idly chalking a queue I'm not really sure
what I was planning on doing there playing alone would have been a little odd luckily my question was answered because a guy walked over he was maybe in his mid-20s the only person in the room even close to my age he leaned against the table and asked if I was up for a game I nodded and told him to Rack him up he put some money in the slot and started racking the balls I laughed to myself as he racked them wrong but I didn't say anything we played a few rounds and I started to
relax he wasn't bad not as good as my ex but not terrible I wasn't going easy on him though I won every rack we played we chatted as we played and he even bought me a couple of drinks he was friendly enough but it quickly became clear he wasn't the brightest guy in the world I like sharp and quick witted guys who can hold their own in a conversation this guy not so much still I didn't mind it felt good to just play and talk and not overthink things for once I was having a good
time after the fourth game he popped the question asking if I wanted to go back to his place the question caught me off guard but I guess I couldn't have been too shocked I froze for a second before shaking my head I tried to make it playful saying he'd need a second date for that in all honesty I just didn't want to move so quickly I guess I wouldn't have been totally opposed to taking things further with him but a random Wednesday night wasn't the time for that I guess I didn't do a good job
turning him down though because his entire demeanor changed his smile dropped and he literally started scowling at me I was not prepared for what happened next he said are you serious and grabbed my wrist saying something about spending all that money on those drinks before I could respond he snatched my purse too I had never been in a situation like that so instead of screaming or fighting I just kind of froze up even though we were in a public place I was still terrified luckily a couple of older guys at the bar noticed what was
happening and stepped in I'm honestly not sure what I would have done had they not one of them told the guy to let me go the guy glared at me muted something under his breath and threw my purse back onto the table before storming right out of the bar my heart was still racing and I thanked those guys profusely for helping me out that was it for me though I called an Uber and left the bar still kind of shocked and trying to process what had just happened I decided to close my eyes in the
Uber I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is the Uber driver gently waking me up we were parked across the street from my house I thank him got out of the car and started walking toward the door as I rummaged through my bag for my keys I impulsively checked my phone for the first time since leaving the bar that's when I saw it that God awul notification air tag found moving with you I nearly dropped my phone my hand started to shake as I rummaged through my purse tossing aside my wallet
and makeup until my fingers brushed against something unfamiliar I pulled it out and stared in disbelief there was literally an air tag in my bag a wave of panic hit me way worse than what I was feeling earlier I was still standing in the middle of the street so I threw it on the ground and stopped on it a bunch of times until I was sure it was broken I fought back a scream and started Breathing heavily the cold wasn't helping I needed to get inside I looked around frantically but the street was completely empty
whoever had planted the air tag probably that guy from the bar would know exactly where I was was maybe not my exact house but the street for sure the houses on my street are large and spaced out so he'd definitely be able to narrow it down I grabbed my purse and sprinted to the back door fumbling with the lock before finally getting inside I slammed the door behind me and locked it my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst I was safe but I couldn't stop shaking I walked up to my room
wondering how I had gotten myself into this mess normally I'm asleep by 10: and out cold for 9 or 10 hours but there was no way I was going to sleep that night I looked out my bedroom window thinking maybe the scenery would lull me to sleep or something as I was looking out the window kind of mindlessly I noticed an old beat up Lincoln Drive slowly past my house nothing too unusual but it was kind of late for cars to be driving on a residential road but then it came back from the opposite direction
and I knew something was wrong it passed even slower the second time like the driver was scanning the houses I didn't want to face the reality of the situation but when it passed the third time I had no choice it was the guy it had to be he was trying to find my house I wanted to scream again the next time the car passed the driver's side window was rolled halfway down I wanted to call the police but I didn't want that guy to know he was in the right area I know that doesn't make
any sense but I was so scared and couldn't think straight the next time the car passed the driver's hand was hanging out of the window holding something it looked like a knife and then instead of driving past the car stopped in the middle of the road right across from my house I duck down my heart beating a million beats a minute again I stayed there crouched below the window too terrified to move by the time I looked up the car was gone I waited for what must have been an hour but it didn't come back
the next morning I told my parents everything my dad scolded me for not calling the police but I told him I was too scared to he called A buddy of his a police chief to ask for advice his friend said there wasn't much they could do without more evidence or the car's plate number which I hadn't been able to see his friend told us to call the police immediately should we ever see that car again I didn't leave the house for days even now I'm really scared that he's waiting somewhere and he's going to see
me enter where exit my house again I haven't seen the car since though so maybe the nightmare is over I don't have the most exciting life but it's comfortable I'm 40 single no kids some people might find that depressing but honestly I don't mind I've got a steady job a decent house and no one to answer to but myself I work as a bartender at a high-end luxury Rooftop in a neighboring Town catering to the kind of clientele who think regular bars are beneath them I don't live anywhere near that level of luxury myself my
place is in a pretty middle of theack neighborhood about 20 minutes away but working there has its perks the tips are amazing people in that area aren't shy about throwing money around and the rotating crowd keeps things interesting since the bar is upscale we don't have the typical regulars you find in a dive I like that I never quite liked how close some customers would get with me or any other bartender for that matter maybe that's just me though I like to keep to myself I should probably mention that my name's Kevin that'll be important
later it was a Friday night our busiest night the place was packed as usual with groups of friends clinking glasses couples on date nights and a few folks who probably wandered in just to feel important I always like playing a mental game with my patrons I try to to figure out which ones are pretending to be something they're not you can tell a lot about people by the way they order a drink the ones who ask for complicated cocktails are usually trying to impress someone the ones who order a whiskey neat they've had a day
I had my eye on a couple at the end of the bar who were down to their last sips of wine it's always better to offer a refill before they wave you down I was in my groove mixing drinks and chatting with customers when I noticed someone walk in who definitely looked out of place I clocked the guy immediately he was clenching his teeth and scowling like he was Furious he had jet black hair that wasn't combed and sat like a bird's nest on his forehead he was wearing a blank black hoodie under a faded
leather jacket which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years there were stains all over it but none of that was as unsettling as his face like I said he just looked so angry he made a be line for the bar but he didn't sit down he just stood there staring at me I wondered to myself how he had gotten past the door man in the lobby I cleared my throat and asked if I could get him something to drink trying to keep my tone neutral despite the weird vibe he was giving off he didn't
answer right away which was strange he just kept glaring at me like he was getting ready to swing finally he muttered that he wanted a double shot of joerger I nodded grabbed a glass and poured the shot joer isn't a drink we pour often here most of our patrons are likely to ask for something a little higher quality but hey if someone wants Jagger I'm not about to question their taste I set the glass in front of him and moved on to serve a few other patrons when I came back to charge him he tossed
crumpled cash onto the counter that also threw me off hardly anyone pays in cash at this place again though it wasn't my place to judge the guy didn't say anything as I rang him up and I was ready to move on when he spoke again I still remember his exact words I knew I'd find you here Kevin I froze my eyes snapped to his as I scrambled to process what he just said I put the glass in my hand down and demanded to know how he knew my name I didn't want to make a scene
so I kept my voice low but I hoped he got the gist of how serious I was he didn't answer my question just stared at me with the same angry intensity finally he said I know what you did before I could ask him what he meant he turned and walked towards the elevators I wanted to yell something or chase after him but but I decided against it I was on the clock I couldn't just neglect my job instead I just stood there for a moment completely thrown off I was honest to God confused out of
my mind I didn't recognize him in the slightest I couldn't think of anything I had done that would warrant such a cryptic statement I'm no saint but I don't go around making enemies it put me in a sour mood for the rest of the night when my shift finally ended I drove home but I couldn't stop thinking about about what had happened earlier I racked my brain for literally any explanation that made sense but couldn't think of any by the time I ended up going to bed I was still relatively unsettled by the whole thing
sometime in the middle of the night I woke up randomly I wasn't really sure what woke me up as I didn't have to go to the bathroom and I'm usually the type of person to sleep through the night I didn't hear or see anything but something felt off without moving I kept my eyes open waiting for them to adjust to the darkness after about a minute I saw something that gave me an adrenaline rush of fear there was a dark mass in the corner of my room next to the door it was just standing there
but I was 100% sure it was something that didn't belong in my room I felt my heart start to race but I forced myself to stay still pretending to still be asleep someone was in my room I repeated that thought to myself like six times before truly processing it I knew I had to do something I counted silently to three and in one quick motion I sprung out of bed screaming like a crazy person I was prepared for a fight but the figure didn't come toward me instead he bolted for the door as he moved
I heard something clattered to the floor I chased after him through my house but by the time I reached the front door it was wide open and whoever had been in my room was gone I wanted to run out into the yard to look for him but I was worried that I'd be walking directly into a trap instead I made what I still think is the smart decision and slammed the door shut and locked it I thought back to the clatter I had heard earlier in my room I walked back to my bedroom turned on
the light and froze in the corner of the room there was a knife just laying there on the floor it was one of mine taken from the kitchen I felt sick whoever I had just chased was planning to hurt me possibly kill me I called the police right after that and they quickly arrived and searched both my house and my yard but found nothing I gave a description of the man from the bar and the police got the video footage from my bar but they haven't been able to find him yet cuz I haven't heard
anything the thing that freaks me out the most is that I know for a fact I had locked all my doors that night I locked them every night during their search though the police were never able to figure out how that man entered my house none of the windows were broken or unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry to this day I still have no idea how he got inside I haven't seen him since but I would be lying if I said I don't think about this encounter [Music] often I work as a
bartender at a bar and restaurant in a suburb just outside Baltimore I'll do my best to explain the layout so the story makes sense it's a busy place with a unique setup there are no waiters just bartenders like me and the cooks in the back if you want to find food or non-alcoholic drinks you have to order them at the bar and when everything's ready you grab it from the counter I'm not sure why things are done that way but I guess it had something to do with management being cheap and trying to avoid hiring
waiters either way it keeps things fast-paced which I actually like for whatever reason the place is really popular even though I personally don't think it's anything super special the atmosphere is Lively most nights with great music a buzzing crowd and a standing area near the DJ booth where people gathered to dance and chat the constant flow of customers and the high energy Vibe make the job fly by I love meeting and talking to new people so the gig is perfect for me I would probably lose my mind if I had to wait long periods of
time between serving guests but that's just me I bet some people are the opposite that particular night started off like any other it was a weekend so things were going to be super busy I was ready after a certain time the bar started filling up with people it looked like more of a younger College crowd that night which meant more dancing more spilling and a rowdier environment in general oh yeah and worse tips which kind of sucked for me this one group of kids just kept on ordering round after round of tequila shots faster than
I could line up the salt and limes it's always chaos when they take over the bar one of them was so plastered he was the same pickup line on me like three times I was running around doing my thing when I noticed an elderly couple walk in and sit down at the booth in the corner of the restaurant at first glance there was nothing strange about them I just thought it was interesting that two people that age would want to come into a Rowdy place like this I didn't have too much time to think about
it though so I went back to work fast forward maybe 30 minutes to an hour I was halfway through pouring a line of gin and tonics when I noticed the couple again my hands kept working muscle memory taking over but my brain was stuck on them for some reason that's when it hit me they were just sitting there motionlessly they hadn't ordered anything either no food and definitely not any drinks I would have remembered I looked a little closer and realized that they weren't even looking at each other they were both fixated at the wall
next to them from what I could tell it didn't look like they were talking either it was the strangest thing I was beyond curious but the bar was slant and I had too much to do to spend time wandering about it I figured they might be waiting for someone or didn't realize how the place worked maybe they were waiting for a waiter to take their order when I finally had a break I decided to check on them myself I walked over to the table and put on my most polite Smile as I approached neither of
them turned to face me they were both still staring at the wall like statues I cleared my throat and asked them if they wanted anything to eat or drink the woman didn't even Flinch she kept staring at the wall like I hadn't spoken at all the man turned his head slowly like he was moving in slow motion when his face came into view I felt a chill run through me his skin was pale and wrinkled and his eyes were almost sunken into his face completely he didn't speak just stared at me and shook his head
once firmly but silently something about the way he looked at me made my stomach twist I muttered something in response and quickly returned to the bar I had the weirdest feeling in my gut after that those people looked like they didn't even belong in the century let alone this bar I didn't look over at that booth for a long time eventually things started to die down a little and I remembered the couple I glanced over impulsively and I nearly dropped the glass I was holding both of them were staring directly at me now I made
direct eye contact with the woman but she never averted her gaze I don't think I'd ever been more uncomfortable at my job than I was in that moment I looked away and pretended to be busy trying not to freak out completely by the time I glanced back again the booth was empty I was relieved I was just glad that they were gone as mean as that sounds by the end of the night I was still thinking about the whole thing as I wiped down the bar and closed up with my cooworker Karen I decided to
ask her if she saw anything strange she's I guess what you would call a vet she's been working there for years and Prides herself on noticing everything and everyone that comes through the doors when I asked her about the couple she gave me a confused look and said she didn't know what I was talking about out I looked at her blankly and told her I was talking about the elderly couple that was sitting in the corner Booth she shook her head and told me she didn't remember seeing anyone like that she then jokingly asked me
if I was hallucinating which got a playful laugh out of me but on the inside though I was losing it I knew what I had seen I asked her if she was sure and she crossed her arms before listing at least 10 random people who had ordered food that night and what they were wearing I laughed again and complimented her memory but like I said before before I was dying on the inside by the time we locked up I started doubting myself as I walked to my car I noticed something that made me nearly drop
my keys in fear across the street there were two dark figures standing under a lone street light I knew it was them I wanted to scream but the sound wouldn't come I didn't wait another second I jumped into my car locked the doors and sped out of the lot without another look the drive home was awful I was trying not to break down the whole time I just kept repeating oh my God over and over I had so many questions had Karen somehow missed them were those people even real was I going insane I couldn't
explain it I thought I was going crazy I wish this story had a resolved ending but it doesn't I never saw those people again I never got any kind of explanation I don't think I ever will [Music]
