We live every second of everyday on borrowed time. What they say is true, we start dying the second we're born. And we avoid crisis and death more times than we realize. One of the main causes of death that is always lurking near is evil. Fact. People are crazy and there are way too many people willing to exterminate the life of another. How many of us have tales of escaping death at the hands of another? Far more people than we'd like to believe.
Redditor u/Robz05 was hoping people would be willing to share some stories of hope and survival by asking... Have someone you know ever tried to kill you? And why?One of my favorite shows of the past decade was a creepy tale on FOX called "The Following." It starred Kevin Bacon and it was about a cult of serial killers. It used to come on at 9pm on Mondays. I would take my dog on a really long walk at 8 because I refused to go out after 10pm once the show was over. It reinforced for the me the fact that crazies are everywhere. Need proof? Listen...
Blades
When I was about 4/5 (f) (I had dreams about it growing up and then was told the whole story when I was older) my half brother (who has empathy issues and poor choice skills; 16 at the time I believe) was playing a game where him and his friend were bad guys and me, my sister, and our cousin had to run from them. We were also playing in an abandoned shop our grandparents owned.
Well he ended grabbing one of those sharp circle blades you cut wood with and threw it at me; slicing my head open. He then proceeded to scoop me up and climb on the roof while I was bleeding in his arms. My grandpa had to climb onto the roof and take me from him so I could go with the ambulance.
Vehicular
Someome decided to string a thick line of wire across a dark single lane of an unlit country road at the night. The plan was to take out a vehicle in the hopes of killing the people inside. Well, the people inside were my mom and me, and the attempted murderer... he was good old dad. A true narcissistic psychopath who despite his serial infidelity and his pathological liar, who decided he could not take the hit to his pride and ego of mom filing for divorce first.
Her saying she was done before him was an unthinkable situation in his mind. He decided he would rather play the role of grieving widow then rejected husband. And as for me, he knew how he could use the death of his daughter to manipulate women in sleeping with him.
Fun Times
My dad's mother tried to drown me when we visited her (for the first & only time ever again), because she didn't like that I was born a girl :). She wanted a grandson. From what my mother says: My dad's mom let me swim in her pool, 'cause hanging out with adults is boring (they were there to talk about her husband who had died recently, my dad's dad). My parents were inside with her in the living room. She said she wanted to check on me & she'll be back in a minute.
Much more than a minute passes, Ma starts getting worried. Dad goes to see what's up. Closer dad got to the backporch door, heard splashing, saw her trying to drown me in the pool & my dad knocked her to the ground. Yelled for my mom. Ma snatched me up & took me to the car as I struggled & cried, trying to breathe again.
Filed a police report & they never made contact with her again. Fun times.
Duck and Cover
car GIF
Giphy
My ex husband and I had been separated a few weeks. I arrived home late at night from work. My work shift ended at 11:00 p.m.
I didn't notice his car in the parking lot as I walked toward my apartment until he gunned the engine and drove straight toward me. I ducked into the entrance alcove and his car struck a parking barricade and the curb and some landscaping before it stopped within 2 feet of me and the building. I ducked inside and called the police (not for the first time).
Ok, see there? You can't even trust the people closest to you. You just never know what kind of warped mind is too close for comfort. This thread is making think about hitting up the shooting range. Or maybe I'll go back to church. Ask God for some shelter. I'll continue...
Under the Water
When I was around 7, an older kid at the local pool was trying to teach me how to do something (dive, I think?) but I wasn't catching on fast enough for him.
So, naturally, the best way to express his frustration was to try to drown me.
Chopped
Not intentionally, but my dad ran me over with a boat once. The propeller went all the way up my side. Surprisingly, didn't really cut me though, just left a line of crazy bruises and a couple of scratches from my knee up to my shoulder. Still hurt like a witch.
That was Then...
Mine isn't so much an attempt to kill my brother, it just could have ended that way. Anyway...
When I was around 10 and my brother around 4, we shared a room. He would drag his red tricycle into the house and up to our room and ride it in circles in said room. One night mom yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready and we needed to come wash up for dinner.
Broham parked his trike right in the doorway, I was annoyed by this and proceeded to push him and his trike down the stairs. He held on for dear life and rode that thing to the bottom like some kind of trike pro, then slammed into the door at the bottom of the stairs. He got hurt, but nothing was broken. Just some cuts and bruises.
We are best friends now.
The Last Call
This man my mom was with kidnapped me when I was two years old. I've always joked about it because the guy was just a loser alcoholic and I assumed he did it just to upset my mother. When the cops found us, we were at his favorite bar. What kind of idiot kidnaps someone and then goes to a place where everyone knows that you go? That's why I never took it seriously.
Well, two weeks ago, I'm texting with my older brother and I made a joke about him kidnapping me. I said something like "what was he planning on doing? Raising me? Killing me?"
He was maybe ten or eleven when this happened, so he remembers a lot of that day. He told me that I'm lucky to be alive. Apparently, he planned on killing me. My mother had lied to him and told him that I was his kid. In a brief moment of clarity, he pieced together that the timing was off and I wasn't his. He went to that bar so he could get drunk enough to go through with it.
I still can't really believe it.
Liar
Looney Tunes Reaction GIF
Giphy
My mom's mom did not like me. At all. I always tried to be polite and pleasant and helpful. One day when I was about 16 she asked for my help with an outlet she had been fixing. Of course I ask if she'd turned the power off. She said yes. She lied.
PUSH
I'm so glad you asked!
I was ten years old. After school with a couple of neighbor friends. We walked a block to the corner store for snacks. Walking back home, we're standing on the corner. Next thing I know I wake up in the hospital. Find out I was hit by a 30mph mack truck. Kid next to me pushed me into it.
Told police I , "darted into traffic and turned around to taunt them." Ten years later I found out from a mutual friend the kid admitted to pushing me. That kid is currently in Indiana State Prison for two counts of armed robbery. He's still "innocent" for pushing me.
(Currently looking for legal help before offender is freed in 2026. He will hurt somebody else).
I Can Taste It
My mother-in-law did something to me the first two times I went over for dinner. The first time she put an allergen in the food, and then when I asked before eating (as I always do anywhere I eat) she lied about it. I could clearly taste it and had a really bad reaction, then she suddenly remembered that it was there. The second time, we reminded her of the allergy, she cooked food with the allergen in it, but then admitted it before I started eating.
Just Eat It
A kid a used to hang out with in my neighborhood wanted to test my peanut allergy, so she deliberately ate a PB&J before seeing me and was very adamant on sharing a soda. Another kid was in on it, and when I drank from the soda after she did they were both wide eyed and asking me if I felt ok. Luckily my allergy was not extremely sensitive so I did not have a reaction and I was completely fine. The other kid told me about a year later and that's the only reason I knew. I stopped talking to both of them.
Don't Shoot
What Did I Do Love GIF by juliaveldmanc
Giphy
Not intentional. But my idiot friend negligently discharged a .357 magnum in between my legs.
It blasted a bunch of mud and dirt up right into my business and actually hurt my testicles and for a second.
Ramming for Me
I was riding my motorcycle home from work, when all of the sudden this van starts aggressively blocking me from passing him. No matter what I did he would block me over and over. He was literally swerving from lane to lane to block me out. Finally, I passed him and then made a poor decision. I gave him the finger for blocking me.
He immediately floored it and rammed me from behind causing me to veer into another lane and slam into the side of a semi truck. I managed to save it through sheer luck. I unfortunately never got his license plate number but it was the closest I've come to being murdered.
No Air
Not me, but a cousin of mine when he was a kid tried suffocating his younger toddler sister with a pillow to make her stop crying.
He didn't know it would kill her though. They're both fine today.
Freedom!!
My ex-husband was a controlling a**hole who eventually cheated on me. When I found out, I told him I was taking our kid and leaving. He seemed cool with it, even to the point where he was willing to drive me to my friend's house to pick up empty boxes to pack my crap.
On the way there he told me I was never going anywhere again.
After he attempted to kill me, I walked a mile and called the cops from a daycare that I found. They picked me up, took me home, and found him and told him he had to be out of the house for 24 hours so I could pack my crap.
I called my mom, who sent my sister and nephew to drive eight hours to pick me up with a Uhaul.
I never pressed charges because it would have meant staying in that city in order to do so, and I was terrified and alone.
That was almost 14 years ago. Life is much better now.
Leaving Me Behind
Can't be proved but my ex husband - I had some work done on my teeth under general anaesthetic, wasn't supposed to be left alone. He laid me out in front of the gas fire and went out to do whatever... I woke up hours later to an empty house and the smell of gas everywhere. I used to chalk this up to him being thick and self centred but realistically... he had no need to leave that long when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on me, and he seemed really surprised to hear from me when I called, thinking back on it.
Frenemies?
Two friends i had snuck into my bedroom one night and tried to hang me from my bedroom door. They locked the door to stop it from opening and woke me up to brag about how easy it was. I started banging on the wall while choking to wake up my other housemate. Their ego is why I'm still alive.
Only One
country music baby GIF by Toby Keith
Giphy
When I was a baby and my brother was toddler, he tried smothering me with a pillow lol. My mom found us in time. I guess he took "there could only be one" seriously.
Everybody always seems so innocent. Clearly it's all an act and a plot. When you can't even trust grandma, there is no hope left. I would say recommend reading this thread to a friend, but not in the dark. Bless those that are still able to tell the tales.
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Oasis in the desert? No thank you.
"Dubai."
"Why and whats special about it?"
"Its a modern city in a desert."- Maximum_Calendar_791.
"Dubai."
"A fake city with fake people, no human rights, where the world's tallest buildings hide corruption and slavery in their shadows."
"It's like someone decided to take every problem of mankind and concentrate it in one spot."- PayNoNoticeOfMe.
"Dubai one i think it is ugly two I would die in two minutes of me being there I can't stand anything above 40 c°."- BookWormPerson.
One of the seven wonders is one too many for me.
"The pyramids. "
"Too many horror stories of Egypt."- Aemiom.
Landlocked.
"Not really a destination, but taking a cruise."- Shortbus_Playboy.
cruise ship vacation GIF by Hallmark ChannelGiphyMountains aren't really my thing.
"Everest."
"Just why."
"You use a bunch of money to get in there them come down."
"And trash your whole way there. It's literally a corner in the Earth insufferable for humans and we still made a way to go there to trash it."- ACLullaby.
It's in my own backyard... but still not interested.
"I have lived about 15km away from the Burj Khalifa ever since it was made."
"I could not care any less besides the occasional pointing out the 'shiny tall building' to my nieces.- legolosss.
The pictures are enough for me.
"Mount Rushmore."
"Friends who've made the journey to Mount Rushmore mostly say it was no big deal and not worth the effort or expense to travel there."- Back2Bach.
States Selfie GIF by Ethan BarnowskyGiphyHustle and Bustle? No thanks.
"Anything busy.'
"Whether it's cities, structures, I don't care."
"I'd rather go to a boring empty quiet place than a place full of people."- TheSmeep.
They're watching us.
"That creepy a** place in Japan with all the realistic dolls."
"No thank you."
dolly dearest horror GIF by absurdnoiseGiphySome dream of paying a visit to these places.
Others hope they never have to set foot there, and will choose to leave it to the other millions of tourists.
To each, their own.
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And while a candidate is fit to lead remains to be seen, we rely on our instinct to choose someone with whom we can relate.
But sometimes, our options are limited and we inevitably go with someone who is the lesser of two evils.
Curious to hear from strangers online about a hypothetical, Redditor Cashmeresquid2309 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for an openly Atheist presidential candidate? Why or why not?"
Redditors were quick to point out the answer was a no-brainer.
We Already Know The Answer
"Asking Reddit if they'd vote for an atheist..."
"I feel like the answer would be obvious."
– sarahmagoo
Sci-Fi Analogy
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for a Star Wars fan who heckin loves doggos?"
– WitnessChemical
For The Atheists In The Crowd
"Atheists of atheistville, would you vote for an open atheist?"
– nixcamic
Others weighed in with a range of opinions.
About 45
"What's funny is how many of them would probably say no, even though they voted for Trump and would do so again. Say whatever else you want about him, but I seriously can't understand how anyone could genuinely believe Trump is a Christian. He's so obviously faking it and is undoubtedly the most atheistic president we've ever had or are likely to have for a long time."
"This is a guy who's never even so much as read the Bible or attended church, who told a conservative radio host his favorite Bible verse was 'an eye for an eye', who told evangelical interviewers that he's never asked God for forgiveness because he's never done anything wrong, and who routinely commits all 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) without remorse."
– empfindsamkeit
From A Different Perspective
"Not an american but interestingly according to this survey on 1006 people from 2007, being atheist was the worst thing you could be as a candidate (of the things asked) with only 45 % of people saying they'd vote for one."
– ilovecatfish
An atheist candidate isn't necessarily a big strike.
Double Negative
"I wouldn’t not vote for someone just because they were atheist."
– HabitualEnthusiast
Credibility First
"This is it. If they’re running on platforms I support with a history to back up those campaign promises, I don’t care if they belong to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. They could literally be a member of the satanic temple and I, an actual practicing Christian, would give less shi*s than a constipated sloth."
"Edit: yes, I realize the Satanic Temple does not actually worship satan. I used it for that purpose. The Church of Satan has some…problematic views and I probably would not vote for someone who literally holds a platform of eugenics."
– Phoenix_of_Asclepius
Some view the role of religion in politics as important.
It Depends
"Religion can be relevant: I would have strong reservations about voting for a Scientologist, even if I agreed with the policies they proposed. I would have strong reservations voting for a member of an apocalyptic cult or, possibly worse, a follower of the (highly heretical) 'prosperity gospel,' which unfortunately includes more and more so-called 'evangelicals' — I didn't vote for George W. Bush, but it's not because he was an evangelical."
"It depends on the role: I'd probably be more flexible with a legislator than an executive (mayor, governor, president), as their character is IMO more important than for a legislator and their policy stances somewhat less important relative to a legislator."
"Satanic temple — well, that's just an organized group of atheists and humanists with an intentionally inflammatory choice of name. They're generally fine people."
– alyssasaccount
A Bad Rap
"The Satanic Temple is an excellent organization that every decent person should be able to respect. A Church of Satan member, not so much."
"There's a huge difference between them!"
– StarsEatArtBooks
And Redditor boganvegan said it best.
"Better an open atheist than a fake Christian."
It all boils down to trustworthiness. Without full transparency, how could anyone put their faith in a candidate who spews nothing but lies?
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I'm always freaked out when I'm home alone. Lights on. Yeah, my electric bill is high.
Dorothy?
Wind Conan Obrien GIF by Team CocoGiphy"I dreamed the front door blew open at the exact time the house alarm went off... I hopped up and sure enough, the front door was open. No intruder."
fatowl
I See You
"Not home alone but only one in right side of the house. Went to my mom's bathroom to wash my hands and saw a pair of feet behind the half open door. Laughed and said 'very funny Ma, I see you.' then finished up and left. Bumped into my mother in the kitchen unpacking, nobody else was in the house. I'm glad whatever was behind the door didn't peek out."
SatanWithFur
“It’s Doug!”
"One night I had forgotten to lock my apartment door and woke up in the middle of the night. My bedroom door was about 2 feet from my front door, as you walked into the apartment. First a big dog ran by, then a person. Holy crap I was so scared and I screeched 'Who is it?!?!!'"
"A man said 'It’s Doug!' As I was thinking to myself, who the f**k is Doug, he said 'oh, crap.' He turned around to go back out the front door saying 'Sorry.' I asked 'Didn’t you have a dog with you?' He said 'Oh, yeah. Hey, c’mon!.' He left, his dog ran out after him and I locked my front door."
"Edit: glad you all thought this was funny, because I did too, once my heart quit trying to beat right out of my chest! The next day the girls at work thought I was crazy for not being upset, but eh, done is done. Peace!"
scarletohairy
Confused...
"My sister and I were home alone and we heard someone big running up the stairs. The stairs make lots of noise with slight pressure so when there’s someone big on them you can tell. I went out of my room to check but saw no one anywhere and my sister also came out of her room and she asked if that was me I said no and we both looked around to see if there was anyone but found no one in the whole house. We were confused and called our parents and just waited until they got back and that was that."
JtSudbury04
I See You
Staring I See You GIF by QuikTripGiphy"I very clearly saw a guy walk into my room. But when I went after him there was nobody there. I checked in the closet, under my bed, everywhere one could hide in my room."
HighlyOffensive10
This is why home video surveillance is key.
"NO"
Season 5 No GIF by The OfficeGiphy"My parents were on a road trip, just left, and I sat down at my desk. I thought 'Weekend alone by myself' and a voice yelled into my right ear 'NO' so loud it hurt."
Th4ab
Wild
"I managed to lock myself out of my house on my birthday during a tornado while trying to bring my cats to the basement for safety. I later found out that the tornado was approximately a couple miles or less from me at that exact time. The sky was green and it got weirdly calm and then I could hear what sounded like a train coming before I found an unlocked window to climb through. Wild times."
SilverGnarwhal
Saturday morning in the 80s...
"I wasn't home alone but I was awake by myself one Saturday morning in the 80s when I was around 7 or so. I believe my mom was the only one home because my dad went to the lake to go fishing that weekend, and I'm not sure where my older brothers were, maybe they went with him, idk."
"Anyways, my mom's sleeping in, and I'm in the living room by myself, watching Saturday morning cartoons and making a fort out of sheets and cushions. Something made me turn around and I saw my dad in his pajamas standing in the hallway entrance with his hands on his hips, looking the mess I was making and shaking his head."
"He then turned around and walked into my room, which was just off the hallway entrance. Dude. I didn't even look, I just booked it to my parents room and woke my mom up. I don't remember what happened after that, this was around 35 years ago. And yes, my dad was fine, nothing had happened to him."
smriversong
Get the Bat...
"I was at home by myself on a call with some friends when all of a sudden my dog begins to bark like crazy, which was odd since it was the middle of the night and he's usually sleep. I go downstairs to check on him and find him barking at our hall closet, terrified I grabbed my bat that I keep in my room just in case and open the door. There was nothing out of usual at first at then I look down and notice a familiar looking object at the bottom of the closet."
"It was my mom's necklace she had lost when I was 9, (i'm 15 now just to put in perspective how long it's been). I showed it to my mom at breakfast and she was just as shocked as I was. I still have no clue how it got there or how my dog knew it was in there, definitely one of the oddest occurrences of my life."
SomeRandomIdiot14
Meow
Happy Cat GIF by ChubbiverseGiphy"Many years ago, I was 14 or so, my first night alone in the house when my parents were out. Lying on the living room floor reading, my cat sleeping next to me."
"Suddenly, cat wakes up, stares intently into the dark corner of the room behind me, hair on end, growls and then bolts out of the room and upstairs. I look behind me and see nothing, but follow cat upstairs and hide under the covers. Freaked me out."
LairdofWingHaven
Thank God for alarms. I hate being home alone.
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The body freaks me out. But it's all I've got. So teach me some things.
Minutes...
death GIFGiphy"The fastest killing virus takes around 4 days to kill you. That would be Ebola. Your immune system can kill you in 15 minutes."
will477
'locked-in'
"If your brainstem (the part of the brain that mediates most motor control for all of the body) is damaged, you can get 'locked-in' syndrome. That means you're fully conscious and aware of your surroundings but unable to move or speak. The only muscles that remain unaffected in most people are the muscles that move they eyes and the eyelids."
"You're essentially trapped within your own body with your only way of communication being blinking or moving your eyes It can be caused by toxins, blockage of the basilar artery which is the main artery of the brainstem, or other brainstem damage."
4oodler
Explosions
"Some people suffer from Exploding Head Syndrome, which causes them to hear a loud bang when they wake up."
ToraMix19
"When I was younger I believe I experienced this a few times. Sounds I heard were: about a million people talking and laughing all at once, a train that irl would've been about a foot away from me based on the volume of the sound, and a door slamming loudly."
aliaisacreature
Pain
"Not sure if this is by design, but I totaled my car once, almost completely uninjured somehow. Then I looked down to my right hand which I remember jabbing into my dashboard at 55mph. Luckily (unluckily?) only my pinky took the blow. But instead of a floppy-udder full of bone-sand, my pinky was 0.5 inches long."
"Broke no bones, but instead perfectly stacked my phalanges, or finger bones, INTO my hand. This is fixed by a muscular Russian murse grabbing your pinky with both hands and pulling very hard. God I wish they gave me more lidocaine."
TelevisionOlympics
Functions
animation art GIFGiphy"If you have a surgery where they need to move your organs around they might not function for a day as the body assumes that they are dead."
tonythebutcher13
Move things around? You mean that's not fake when it happens on "Grey's Anatomy?"
Basketball Wives Ugh GIF by VH1"The only reason you are not aware of it is because the ambient noise kind of drowns it out because your ears focus on it. If you go to one of those super-silent rooms that absorb all sorts of sounds, it is a really weird way to reacquaint yourself with your body."
Black_Handkerchief
The Mouth
"Idk about the most disturbing but how bad human teeth are. We’d think it’s our sugary and processed diets these days that cause it, but even Otzi the iceman discovered in Italy was found to have terrible teeth, mouth diseases and cavities. It’s odd that even with the most basic of diets our teeth are so bad."
Dorianisconfused
In the bowels...
"I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves."
squatter_
"Apparently the doctor just throws your intestines back in there higgeldy-piggeldy because there isn't a correct way to pack them neatly."
LostDesigner9
A Quick Burst
"There are a vast number of ways that your body can malfunction and kill you with little or no warning. An aneurysm can go undetected until it bursts and kills you. Getting hit in the chest just the right way can stop your heart. You can encounter an allergen that never previously provoked an immune response that freaks out your body so badly that you die. You literally just never know if your body will just... die."
Unsolicited_Spiders
The body is such a conundrum. Sexy and gross all at once.
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