Reasons to be single #1... you avoid monkeypox, apparently.
#2... all your money is yours. And Uncle Sam's.
#3... more room in bed.
#4... the list is endless.
Not to be down on love, love is great.
But love doesn't have to be the full journey.
Redditor Inspire3110 wanted to share all the best reasons to not partner up.
"What’s a benefit of being single?"
I'm single. I think I want to mingle. Convince me otherwise.
Just Me
Dave Chappelle Freedom GIFGiphy"You only have to worry about yourself."
clayur
"I just started a casual relationship after about a year and a half of being single. Even though that previous one lasted 4.5 years, having to care about someone even a little bit is taking some adjustment. It was nice being free lol."
irishdude1212
Nobody Cares
"It's my day off. I have a bunch of projects to do around the house, but I'm laying on the couch reading Reddit. No one cares."
satanwon
"So true. I just wanna laze in bed all day on my day off sometimes. Bring in some snacks, watch a movie, read my books, take a nap or two. I don't need someone constantly asking 'are you getting up yet?'"
Zealousideal_End2330
Merry Peace
"Christmas is chill af. None of that 'Ok so we spend the eve at your parent's place, then Christmas day is split between my mom's and my dad's/his new girlfriend's place, and then we visit your brother's family to say hi to the newborn, plus uncle Jeremy invited us to his place since we are there anyway..."
foxmachine
Me Boss
"Not answering to anyone else. I've been single for a long time after my marriage ended. The temptation to just pick up with someone new was strong for the first few years, but once I got used to just being by myself, I came to really enjoy it. I'm free to do what I want, when I want. While I'm open to it, it will take someone very special to change my situation now."
ferox965
Places & Things
Heart Coffee GIF by 100% SoftGiphy"Everything is exactly where I left it."
Countryegg1
"Yeeessss. That little bit of milk you left for your morning coffee. It will be there in the morning."
sunflakie
These are all valid choices. I'm in.
Betrayal
i see you no GIF by Shalita GrantGiphy"Don't have to worry about having your trust betrayed. Don't have anyone to lie to you. You have complete control over how peaceful things are for you (barring things out of control like traffic or construction work in the neighborhood)."
HelixDraxzonyx
Career Moves
"You have the opportunity to focus on your own needs and/or make giant strides in your career progression without having to factor in and address the needs of your companion."
Lyrick_
Control
Janet Jackson Dancing GIF by VevoGiphy"Don't have to worry about having your trust betrayed. Don't have anyone to lie to you. You have complete control over how peaceful things are for you (barring things out of control like traffic or construction work in the neighbourhood)."
HelixDraxzonyx
"I know someone who turned down a top-tier professional sports contract because his girl would break up if he would've accepted it, since she didn't want to move from Europe to America. He killed his hockey-career with that decision, and his girl is almost threatening to leave him if he gets out of shape. Can't believe he's still with her."
mr4ffe
I'm Out
"Don't have to answer to anyone about where you're going."
detective_kiara
"This. When I became single after almost 10 years, for a good few months every time I would walk out the door I would instinctively feel the urge to say where I was going. Weirdest feeling ever, kind of like the Altoids thing Jim did with Dwight."
smorsmores
"Unless you have a pet. I tell my cat where I'm going every time I leave the house, even if it's just outside to smoke a bowl. If I don't, she screams like a banshee until I open the door... then I get a low solid meow, like she's saying 'Really?'"
AnAngryJawa
Keep you warm...
"Getting a good night's sleep. I got so tired of being awakened by someone groping me or poking me in the lower back. The whining about 'why don't you sleep naked' coupled with the 'you don't need blankets - I'll keep you warm.' I can't spend 8 hours every night f**king. I need sleep."
VapoursAndSpleen
EAT IT!!
Tina Fey Nbc GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy"You can take a complete cake home and eat all of it."
Both-Ad-3763
Who knew being single could be this fun?! Plenty of people apparently.
I love being alone.
I may in fact love it too much. I can't help it. People annoy me.
There are so many things that get accomplished when one is in solitude. No one is there to distract you or shame you or join in on the fun.
It's all fun for one!
Try it sometime. Don't be afraid to just sit with yourself.
Redditor Aprilias wanted to hear about all the fun some of us have when in solitude, so they asked:
"What is something that you like to do when no one else is around?"
I do everything alone.
I eat, write, sing, dance and cry.
I cry a lot. But never because I'm alone.
LOUDER
"I like to sing, try to reach high notes without tripping on my own voice or being shy in front of others." ~ aleatorygirl9
GiphyMove Alone
"Dance." ~ nobody3_5_4
"I'm a 33 y/o introvert and I live by myself with my cat. I dance like there's no tomorrow every single day."
"It really takes a lot of pressure, makes me feel good and happy. No way I'm doing that with people around, it feels so weird. I suck at dancing really really bad though." ~ Liamcitoo
Spicey
"My wife is not a big fan of spicy food, so generally if I have lunch or dinner solo, I go for some stupidly hot food." ~ BitPoet
"Same, but for Vietnamese or ramen. My wife doesn't DISLIKE that food, but it is never her top choice when we go out so if I'm on my own for dinner I'll always grab something, even if I have perfectly good food at home."
"Take out + a cheesy action movie like 'Mortal Kombat' is always my solo dinner ritual." ~ Dragon_Small_Z
Hello Lovely
"I talk to my animals like a crazy person." ~ Very-Big-Rat
"They probably appreciate the mature topics. When everyone says, 'Aww, hello bootiful, how are you? I love my Icklekins,' the cat is probably like, 'Seriously, Bob, this again? I'm on my fourth life already.'" ~ artaxerxesnh
"I just assume my cats appreciate being told how things like weather, rockets, and hydroelectric dams work, even if they can't understand a word of it. At least they're being talked to." ~ RenaKunisaki
All great things to do with an occupancy of one.
Sing out kids.
Sing out loud and dance like a nut.
my ears are happy
"Listen to music." ~ stoker15524
"I never listen to music unless I'm alone." ~ UngusBungus_
GiphyScrub Scrub
"Clean, I don't like cleaning while everyone is moving around, stepping on the newly mopped floors or using the sink while I am still drying it after cleaning." ~ TokwaThief
"I do this too, almost to a fault. As a teen I was known to put off chores until everyone left. My parents actually thought I was paying someone to do it for me. Nothing makes me angrier than having dirty shoes step on my clean floors or seeing one utensil in the sink!" ~ SteveRogersA**
Yuck!
"Pick my nose." ~ Connect_Ad_6635
"One of my favorite feelings in the world. I honestly get bummed if it comes out on the tissue. I have a routine where I blow my nose, roll each end before I stick it in [my nostril] and twist and then I dig around with my finger for any stragglers." ~ caitejane310
"I thought I was the only one that did this!!! The only thing I don't like is the continuous sneezing afterwards." ~ Orange_Hedgie
Darekness
"Sit in darkness. I'm not depressed or edgy or anything, it's just... light is so bright, and so difficult to block out."
"I've never needed much light to see or read so when no one is around it's really nice to just turn everything off, shut the curtains and have some nice non-overload time." ~ Zeruvi
WOOF!!
"I talk to myself, like so damn much. I carry out entire multi-act stories playing every character with individual backgrounds, motivations, and quirks that are all in a world I've constructed spanning decades at this point. My dogs love this time and make a great audience." ~ amalgamas
GiphyPets are always good company. It's humans you want to hide from. Enjoy the quiet.
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
When you are alone at home, your imagination can get the best of you.
Many of them recalled having unexpected visitors. Not all of them were human.
It Was A Hoot
The Lion King Reaction GIFGiphy"I was woken from a deep sleep by the most horrifying high pitched howling noise. We lived deep in a wooded area, and I was familiar with sounds like foxes barking or even fisher cats screaming, but this was eerie and didn't sound like an animal. Then it came from the other side of the house, but there was no sound of anything walking. You know how your mind isn't really logical when you first wake? I was convinced it was some terrible otherworldly creature."
"In the morning I checked some online recordings of sounds to figure it out. Turned out to be a tiny harmless screech owl. Little guy can make some demonic sounds tho!"
Unexpected Visitors
"I was taking a nap in my apartment under blankets in my bed when I hear the door open. Thinking it's my husband, I ignore it. But about five minutes later, I hear several female voices. I'm thinking I'm dreaming so again, I ignore it. The voices get louder and suddenly my bedroom door opens."
"I freak out and bolt upright in bed. Three women were in my apartment: 2 young, 1 older. I shriek! They shriek! They run out of my apartment!"
"It turned out that the management company showed the wrong apartment available for rent that day. I got an apology and a bouquet of flowers."
The Boom
"I was maybe 11 or 12 and was home alone one winter day. The desktop computer I was using shared a wall with our (unheated) garage. The house was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All of a sudden this boom erupted from the garage that shook the wall, it honestly sounded like a bomb went off. 20 minutes later, after hiding behind the couch and getting my heart rate down I finally went to inspect."
"A 2 liter sprite bottle had frozen and exploded off the shelf."
Man In The Window
"I was probably about 12, newly allowed to be home alone for a couple hours over the summer. A man was walking through my fenced in backyard, walked right onto my deck to the back window. My dog was going nuts barking with her hair standing up. I had no way out of the house or to the phone without this man seeing me in the window. So I'm hiding behind the couch waiting for him to break in when I see him exit my yard through the gate. I immediately call my mom almost in tears and she said 'oh I forgot to tell you the gas meter guy was coming.' Of course the gas meter is right next to the window my brother and I always used to 'break in' to our own house when we forgot our keys. My dog was the only bada** that day.."
A Forgotten Delivery
"I was about 9. My mom and I were babysitting my younger cousins at their house, and my mom ran to the store real quick. Before she left, she ordered a pizza.I don't know the exact details. I think she thought She would be back before the pizza came, but she wasn't. My mom And I lived in a rural area, so we never had a pizza be delivered, so I guess I just forgot it was coming.. So I was alone with a two and a four year old, and all of a sudden this dude starts banging on the door. I hid with them behind the couch. He kept banging and banging for quite a while. I guess he went to leave, and that's when my mom came home. We were so scared!"
– Smippity
"Furbys suck."
"I was babysitting a family I was unfamiliar with. My parents knew them and suggested me when they needed a babysitter and as I liked having money, I accepted. The kids go to bed and I kill time as one does before smartphones are a thing by...reading I think? Maybe doing homework, but that seems unlikely."
"Anyways, I start to hear speaking from another room. Not just speaking, but this low, almost demonic voice speaking to another one. I'm not a religious sort, but when you realize that no, you're not just hearing things there's definitely a voice it's more then a little creepy."
"Not knowing what was going on, I slowly crept up to the doorway of the sitting room, then peered around the corner."
"F'KING FURBYS. TALKING TO EACH OTHER. AT NIGHT. IN THE DARK."
"Furbys suck."
– calette
The Stranger
"The first night alone at my new house, a dude tried scouting around my home looking for a way in. I flipped on all the lights and ran downstairs as loudly as I could holding a plastic tomahawk in one hand, and my phone dialing 911 in the other. He never actually got inside the house, but it was terrifying especially since it was literally my first night of living on my own."
A Bad Reflection
"Growing up we had large old mirror with a thick wood frame leaning against the wall in our hallway. I was doing some homework in the kitchen but got up to get something from the living room. The hallway is the connecting room between the two. So I passed through it, picked up whatever I needed in the living room, turned around and was on my way back ....and that old mirror is broken on the floor. IT'S SHATTERED. Pieces everywhere. As if it had EXPLODED. It was completley fine when I passed it just seconds before. I didnt hear it break."
"I just kind of walked by it and headed out the kitchen door. Scared the sh*t out of me."
Moving Out Fast
"Was in the shower when I heard the door to my apartment being unlocked. Husband wasn't due back for several hours. Turns out it was the skeevy building manager snooping around people's apartments when he thought they were not home. Reported him to the company that own the building but nothing ever came of it. Moved out shortly after."
Meowwww...
Not Safe For Work No GIFGiphy"I was house sitting for some family. They neglected to mention that their cat knows how to open doors.
I learned this at 2AM when the bedroom door flung open."
Not So LOL
"I once lived in a building where the realtor got a little too comfortable not informing me of showings and just letting himself in. My girlfriend and I were in the bedroom getting busy and I heard voices in the kitchen say, hi we're here. My buddies were around using my laundry machine so I just yelled, yea so what, busy in here. I then hear the realtors voice say my name. We toss on clothes and open the bedroom door to a family of three staring back at us. Young me was just embarrassed. Now me would have been livid. No matter tho as we had some good laughs afterwards."
- alxx11
The Sellers
"When I was in college I lived in the upstairs apartment of a house. The owners we're trying to sell the house so realtors would come by with potential buyers, but I was never notified of these times. The people downstairs were supposed to let me know. I was napping once and woke up to people coming into my room. After that I would turn on my magnetic alarm so it would go off when the door was opened and off when closed. It wasn't a pleasant way to wake up, but better than people in my apartment."
- yma_bean
Lock them Out
"Was in the shower when I heard loud banging outside. Panicked, I shut off my shower and tried to figure out what to do. I wrapped myself in a robe and peeked out my bathroom door to see that my building's superintendent had taken a hammer to the latch lock (not sure what they're called. The type of lock where you flap it over from inside the apartment) and completely ripped it off the wall to get in.
When I asked him wtf he was doing he claimed he had to change the air filters???? They were supposed to text or call when they wanted to enter. Wasn't my first or last run-in with him. So scary when creeps have keys to your home."
Stay Out
"We lived in a maisonette in London (we lived upstairs and a man was downstairs), he came banging at our door one day screaming that his flat was being flooded from our bathroom and to let him in. Well I was 14 and my bro 13 (mum was out). He came in, went in to the bathroom and did something. I don't know what (he was an adult and we trusted him). Well mum called the council out and there had never been a leak.
No water marks or anything so mum told us not to let him in again. Next time mum went out he came banging at the door again and we told him what mum said. He... Went.... Apes**t. LET ME F**KING IIINN, LET ME F**KING IIIINN. All the while banging the heck out of the door. God knows why he wanted in. Scary."
Wrong Address
"I once went to look at a duplex for rent. The property management company gave me the key and the address and just told me I had to turn in the key by such and such time. I get there, unlock and open the door, and see clothes, furniture, knick knacks etc. And then I hear the click of excited dog feet coming down the stairs. I look over to see a very confused, VERY large Rottweiler mix.
He freezes and starts at me. I freeze and stare at him. My brain finally caught up to the situation and slammed the door shut just as the dog launched himself at me, barking furiously.
The landlord meant to give me the key and address for the other half of the duplex -_-."
- tmills87
Fisher Out
black cat GIF by Francisco NegrelloGiphy"First time I heard a fisher cat in my back yard at night I nearly pooped myself. Those things sound like screaming human babies and just, no. At the time I wasn't familiar with them so I noped quickly back into the house."
the old spring
Yeah, my SO and I recently bought a house, and the garage door had a pretty old spring. So old the door was very difficult to open. Asking the sellers to get that replaced was at the top of the list of stuff to do before we signed the papers. I didn't like the idea of that thing going while working on something in the garage.
- cparks1
They're Here!
"I was home alone in the summer as a kid and I hear people on our roof and trucks in the drive way. I call my mom from underneath her bed and whisper that there are men walking on the roof. My mom: "oh yea, the roofers are coming today." 😑
Boom & Sparks
"So there I was, 11 years old, home alone. I hear a creaking noise from the garage so I grabbed a broom and went to chase off whatever animal it was. Cue me standing in the garage looking around... deadly silent. Then BAM!! Sparks fly across my vision and the sound of two planets crashing into each other assaulted my ears. Have you ever seen a half naked 11 year old white boy run when scared? Usain bolt could not have beat me in that moment."
The Crash
"A tree branch crashed through my window when I was home alone playing Xbox.
I've always thought I would be prepared for like an intruder or something, but if that was a dude that just like did that SWAT rope swing thing through my window, he would have had enough time to walk over to me, grab a gun from my hand, load it, and shoot me before I figured what the heck went on.
I was like one of those goats that faint when you scream at them."
It's Me!
in the mirror dancing GIF by Sarah's ScribblesGiphy"I was at a friend's house (watching her cats) and suddenly someone stood on the balcony, right when I walked down the hallway. I stopped dead and stood frozen for minutes, heartbeat up in my throat. Turns out it was my reflection...Took me solid 10 minutes."
- Deltaas
Call 911
"I was babysitting my little sister. We were both watching television. All of a sudden I hear gun shots and bullets ricocheting from the window security bars. A moment later I hear moaning and screams coming from my front door. It was a drive by shooting. Three teenagers where shot up and managed to crawl to my door seeking help. As a 14 year old at the time. It was something I was definitely not prepared to handle."
Let who In?!
"I was home alone since my husband was away on deployment. One night as I was falling asleep both my dog and I heard someone on the porch walking around. My dog flipped out and I decided to go downstairs. I grabbed my gun out of the safe and headed downstairs. About two thirds of the way down I saw the man through the front door windows. We locked eyes and he said, "Let me in." I told him that he needed to leave. Again, "Let me in."
I told him he needed to leave and that I was calling the cops. "Let me in." I told him I that had a gun. "So do I" and he lifted up a gun and aimed it at me. I fired my gun through the window but missed him. He ran off. The cops found him a few blocks from my house a little bit later. His gun ended up not being loaded. Still. Most terrifying crap ever."
Legos...
"I had a massive tub of lego fell over while i was eating downstairs. I kid you not, it sounded like somebody went through the window. I was frozen on the spot thinking i was going to be killed or kidnapped or something. An hour and a bit passed and i thought they must have left. I slowly went around the house looking for evidence of a break in. Then i saw the lego all over the floor."
Texas in the 90's
"I was 11 and home alone. I got out of the shower to discover my house had been broken into. Teen from down the street and his sister were in the living room ransacking the place. My dad kept one of those glass door gun cabinets at the end of the hall by the bedroom door. I took out the first gun I could grab and yelled at them. Dude turned around with a knife but dropped and ran when he saw the rifle.
Coward shoved his sister down as he bolted back out the door. The girl stayed on the ground screaming as I called the cops. They both got arrested over a pocket full of change the guy had shoved in his hoodie.
This was in the 90s in Texas and my mom was more pissed about the broken door and them touching her change jar than anything."
- Silaquix
Hisssss...
Turn Around Reaction GIF by Dr. Donna Thomas RodgersGiphy"A big, freshly-shed rattlesnake skin on the floor in front of the tv where my kids were watching cartoons.
NO! 😳This was in small town Texas, and I had cowboys and deputies and farmers and HS quarterbacks all stomping through my house, from under the porch to the rafters. We did not sleep well for weeks— and we all wore boots in the house."
- Lalllo7
Out of the Basement
"When I was like, 7 or 8, I was taking a bath when I saw a guy walk out from the basement onto the back porch, and out the back yard. Turns out we were being robbed when we got home, the guy hid in the basement for like an hour or two until he made his escape. He had stolen a bunch of hunting knives and stuff like that."
The Stranger
"Just moved in to our brand new home, my husband goes out to pick up dinner. I'm just setting up our tv and all of a sudden a man comes down the flipping stairs. I scream at the top of my lungs and run for the front door. He screams at the same time. Thankfully the neighbors next door were outside so I squeak out that there is a strange man in my house. He comes out of my house and turns out he works for the development, and had been fixing an upstairs bathroom. My husband forgot to tell me he was there. 🤦🏽♀️"
Blankets
"Once i was up early so i went watch some tv, it was dark and i saw a pile of blankets on the floor so I stepped on them to reach the tv and a strange man jumped out! I screamed the house down, turns out it was just my sister's bf that she forgot to tell me was staying there."
Through the Peephole
"I was super high cleaning the apartment one day, probably around 1pm. So the music was up, I was in my zone.
Then someone started slamming on the door. It kept going. I stopped the music, thinking that maybe it was just a neighbor who wanted the music turned down. I didn't feel like answering the door because 1) i smoked a ton so was in no place to 2) covid
Stopped the music, went quiet. But the aggressive knocking did NOT stop.
So I looked through the peep hole, smaller girl a bit bigger than my stature. Never seen her before, and I live in a complex with 6 units. So I know what my neighbors look like. But she keeps knocking. Being stupid, I opened the door. She just stared, asked where Jon was. I told her I don't know, there's no Jon here. She just stood and stared at me, definitely on something. I tell her to try down the hall, since I think there might be one that lives down there. I slowly go to close the door and she legit shoves her foot in the crack and starts to shove.
So I start to struggle back, we are both actually wrestling with this door. I just go "what?? Can I help you?? I'm trying to close the door!"
She stops and relents a bit and does some weird eye shit and goes "oh... okay" then walks off.
Locked and bolted that mess real quick. But yeah don't open doors to strangers."
Out of the Cage
kathy bates misery GIFGiphy"Our garter snakes had gotten out of their cage. We searched everywhere but couldn't find them. Finally my husband went to bed and I stayed up watching TV for a while.
We had one of those gigantic old console TVs we had gotten when someone was throwing it out. Suddenly one of the dust-covered wires came slithering out from behind the TV. I had read Stephen King's "Dolores Claiborne" not too long before, and in that book the crazy old lady thinks the wires in her house are coming alive. I had a moment of "holy crap, it's actually happening!" before I realized it was one of the snakes.
That got my blood pumping, you better believe."
Chucky?
"They put a warning out on the radio in my hometown a few years ago to call the police and NOT stop if you saw a car seat with a child in it abandoned on the highway. There was a slew of robberies where a group of guys would be hiding in the bushes waiting to jump anyone who stopped. The car seat just had a doll and an audio recording of a baby crying. Something like 6 or 7 women got attacked for stopping to check it out.
I still get chills thinking about it."
I Hear it too!
"In the house alone one night and from my room I hear deep, gutteral voices. Go in to check and no one is there. This happens a few more times that evening. After checking and finding nothing... again I stand perplexed and then I hear the voices again, from my stereo speakers! Turns out it was a nearby Ham operator coming across, somewhat, on my stereo speakers."
Week One
"On my first week in my new apartment, my drunk upstairs neighbor tried to break into my house, thinking that I was in her apartment. I literally had to let her take a walk into my half boxed livingroom at 3 am, and then walk her home.
She's a good lady, just had a bad day. Never had any other problems with her, or her family, but Goddamn, did I poop myself that day."
The Left Behinds
"Late at night I had both my cat and my girlfriend's dog start freaking out. I got up, grabbed my gun and flashlight and went through the house. Both the animals were growling and hissing at one of the vents so I went over and shined my light into it and saw a cat. Turns out the previous tenants left their cats and there was a way for animals to get into the ventilation. Fun stuff."
The Creepy Head
Thats My Fetish Glow GIF by NETFLIXGiphy"Someone trying to break open the window, woke up because my dog was barking, looked at the window and seen someone's head staring at me... he ran away and left a couple of tools."
Frozen
"This year my Pipes had Frozen in my mobile home. My partner had gone to work so I was home alone dealing with this issue. I order to get them back running you have to go under the trailer and turn on a heater to heat it up so it can run. The only access to get under the trailer is by getting under the deck. I dug out a large hole in the snow under the deck and had just enough room to squeeze under as I started to shimmy towards the door to get under the ice build up became more dense and soon enough the deck and the ground had me stuck. I am not even claustrophobic and I was having a huge panic attack.
I reached for my phone but realized I had left it back in the house. The only thing I did have with me was a pry bar to get the door open so I managed to grab it and start to chip the ice away under me. Eventually after 10 minutes I was freed and got the hell out of there. The kicker to the story, my pipes were not even frozen a city water main had broke so none of this was necessary."
- Mywork93
Lungs
"Had whooping cough and after a coughing fit I was not able to breathe in again. Luckily I tried to force one more cough out of my empty lungs, it worked.
Best breath I took in my life. 10/10 would breath again."
One Foot In
"I am an ex-Mormon. I was in my 20's and living at home, my parents were out of town and I had the whole house dark. I hear the doorbell ring and see a guy a little younger than me that I barely knew from my old ward standing behind a complete stranger I had never met. The stranger introduced himself as a new leader in the ward and said he wanted to come in and talk about the church. I declined, said goodbye, and started to close the door.
As I was closing the door he put his foot in the way and tried to force his way into the house while trying to tell me they were friends and that they just wanted to talk. I had to get more forceful with him to finally get him to leave.
It was completely inappropriate for him to even be there and even worse that he was trying to force his way into the house."
"Hey over here you idiot!"
"I woke up one morning to a guy staring into my window right at me. I jumped up of course, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and went to confront the guy. I found out that there was going to be a house remodeled across the street and he had came to the wrong house. He apologized profusely and a coworker of his yelled out "Hey over here you idiot!" So that turned from terror into comedy.
I also have sensor lights in my hallway. I was sitting one time, felt a really cold sensation so I turned around. The sensor lights were turning on 1 by 1 as if somebody was walking towards me. It was scary but I don't really believe in ghosts and I didn't see anybody coming so I just brushed it off as a malfunction."
Don't Say Anything
GIF by moodmanGiphy"When i was 12, a drunk neighbor tried winning back the affections of his ex by beating on her window with a plastic chair, shouting "come out here you stupid witch!" at around midnight. Then threatened to harm anyone who tried to stop him."
Running head on...
"First time living alone, took my dog in the backyard early morning (still completely dark out) before work. Heard a bloodcurdling scream from next door and looked over to see the figure of someone jumping out the first floor window and proceed to start hopping the fence into my yard. Burglar was coming right at me. Luckily my dog was skittish as hell and was already on her way back to me cause of the scream. Slammed the door and locked it and proceeded to call 911.
Somehow I called 911 before the guy who was burglarized because he was in shock."
Signs
"I moved into a house at the beginning of last year and decided I wanted to get a security system. I got one that included cameras, door and window sensors, motion detectors, etc. Installing everything myself was pretty easy and straightforward. For the first week or so, if the alarm is tripped, no police are called and there's no response whatsoever, so you can get used to it. On my 3rd night in the house at about 2:30-3:00am, the alarm starts blaring and I remember jumping out of the bed in a panic.
I couldn't believe my luck that I was really getting robbed and a lot of stuff was still in moving boxes for the guy. I turn off the alarm, grab my gun and clear the whole house. There wasn't a sign of entry anywhere to be seen.
Turns out that one of the sensors I put up wasn't secured properly so it fell off the door and assumed that the door was "opened" in the night. Felt real stupid after that."
- sooshi
TV Time
"One day my mom left the house and the tv was not working so I went upstairs to play with my legos and a car ran into the backyard fence and a wooden pole flew into the window that was right next to the couch we use to watch tv And all the glass fell onto the couch and floor."
A Hard Night
"I was in my apartment which was on the top floor of a 4 story building which had a slanted roof with mexican tile shingles. I heard what sounded like a possum or raccoon jumping on the roof. All of sudden I hear a loud boom and feel the apartment shake. All of a sudden there was a man on my balcony; this balcony had an 1.5 foot overhang from the roof and no discernible way to get from the roof to the balcony. He was screaming that people were shooting at him (I had not heard any gunfire). I yell through the glass to get down behind the wall as I was calling the cops for him.
Not 10 seconds passed when I heard the glass sliding doors crash as he threw a potted plant into my living room. I happen to be in the kitchen and grabbed a knife while I yelled, "get the f**k out or I will f**king kill you." He ran toward the door and out. The cops took another 10 minutes to show up, while other cops caught the guy.
The 25 year old guy skipped his meds and ran out of his parents house believing he was being hunted.
It was hard to sleep for a few nights."
Crawlers
"Spider running out of shorts I just took off to get a shower while no one at home."
- Hexariel
the man in the mirror
"When I was younger (probably 14 years old) I was playing hide and seek with my little brother (about 4 years old). I was hiding and he was taking quite a while to find me. I was hiding in his room which was right next to mine. He suddenly comes running into his room (where I'm hiding) and goes straight to where I was. I asked him "how'd you know where I was?" He says "the man in your mirror told me where you were hiding."
Can I come in?
"I was left home alone to watch the dogs while my parents did a carriage job. I was sitting near a window watching random videos on my phone. Being home alone at night always makes me uneasy, and the fact I was watching the occasional horror game did not help. I looked over at the window and saw two glowing eyes staring in at me. I literally screamed and almost fell out of my seat.
It was my cat. She wanted to come inside."
11 Flights
Tom Hanks Reaction GIFGiphy"The apartment above mine caught fire. I thought the fire alarm was just a test until I heard something explode directly above me. I grabbed my cat and bolted down 11 flights of stairs to see flames bursting 10 feet out of the balcony above my unit."
It's spooky season, which means--lights off, jack-o-lanterns, scary movies, candy corn...wait, is that a knock on my door?
Have you ever been terrified while at home alone, and convinced yourself you're hearing an intruder, or a scary animal? Have you ever been right? Our greatest fears are that we are isolated in our homes, alone, and something happens. Will we be equipped to deal with it?
u/5cones asked:
What was your scariest experience home alone?
Here were some of those stories.
Urban Legends Do Come True
Backing Up Homer Simpson GIF by CheezburgerGiphyAbout 10 years ago my husband was gone overnight and I got an automated phone call sometime in the evening, after dark, from the county sheriffs department saying 2 inmates had escaped from the local juvenile detention facility. I live in a very rural area and this facility is only a few miles away, also in a rural area. And? The two escapees were NOT juveniles, for some reason, and they were armed.
They had somehow overcome the officer and gotten his weapon. So there are helicopters circling the area for HOURS. I was on the computer (before I had a cell phone) all night messaging my local friends and trying to find updates. All the while the helicopters were still circling within a mile of my house. Bottom line - I turned on all the lights, barricaded the doors and sat up all night. I finally went to sleep when the sun came up. Most scared I've ever been.
Ended Up Working Out In My Favor
I lived in an apartment by myself right after highschool when I was about 19 years old. I had lived there for about a whole month when something truly horrifying happened. My front door was locked, top and bottom locks. I'm sitting in my living room watching TV when all of a sudden I hear keys going into my door locks and I see the locks physically start to turn. My body froze completely and my heart sunk into my chest. I did not have maintenance or anything else planned, nobody to come by and visit, etc.
The door swings open and I see an older asian man with bags of clothes and a few boxes. He immediately started screaming at me in a language I did not understand.
He began repeatedly hitting me and he dragged me out of the apartment. He had me in a chokehold and finally my upstairs neighbor came down and pulled him off me. We called the police and long story short; By some bizarre mistake at the leasing office, they gave this man a key to my apartment and told him it was his.
He purchased it before moving here and had only seen pictures of an empty unit. He assumed I was some sort of squatter, in his unit. I was young and poor, I had a tv, a chair, and an inflatable mattress. I had almost no possessions at all, so I could see how he might've thought that I was there illegally.
He was actually meant to get unit 54 (empty) when I was in 56 (right next door). I was able to press charges on the man and also sued the apartment complex for them allowing a stranger to have a key to my door, which ended violently. He did not move in next door after the incident, and I actually stayed there an entire year rent free. Was able to save some money and bought everything I needed as an adult. I also bought a pistol for my own protection shortly after.
To Oz!
I was home alone around 12 years of age, my dad was gone often, on dates to "heal from the divorce" which he caused by cheating. I remember being outside in the driveway looking up in the sky, the air was warm but calm. Ive never seen a sky look green, then i watched the clouds start to turn in a circle. I hauled ass inside, and shortly after a tornado formed and stuck down very close to the house. I remember the familiar freight train sound. Thankfully it was short lived and an F1.
That's MY Tree
Lightning bolt hit the tree 10 feet out my window, as I was watching the storm from my bed. I was home alone, maybe 13 years old. It was the loudest sound I ever heard, and I admit, I went from loving lightning to being afraid of it (buy only when its close). The same tree got hit 2 more times in the following 10 years, also when I was home alone.
Narrowly Avoided
Used to work in one of the older buildings on my campus. Former dorm turned office building. I was working on December 23, so NOBODY was there (Lights were off, doors were all locked, etc.)
Once i turned our hall lights and set up in my office with my dog, I went to sit at my desk and set up the computer. Right after sitting down, I heard footsteps down the hall, but didn't think much of it. They started to get closer to my door so I looked over at my door to obviously see nothing. I listened as the footsteps went all the way down my hallway (And passed my office). Once they passed my office, I walked into the hall only for the door at the end of the hallway to open and slam shut as i watched.
I flipped.
Puppy Escaped
OMFG I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER GET TO SHARE THIS. This happened when I was eleven. My parents went on a date night and it was just me (and the dog). There's a knock on the door. I peer out the window and see an unfamiliar man. I panic and run to the basement. I call my mum and panic. I hear the knock again. She tells me to calm down.
As I walk back up he has a cute little dog. Btw I'm still on the phone. I panic because i think that he is trying to lure me out. This is how it went
Me : mom he has a puppy! What do I do?!
Mom : ignore him and make sure all the doors are locked
Me : wait...
Mom : what... WHAT IS IT ANSWER ME!
Me : mom the dog looks like our puppy's name
Mom : (confused sounds)
Me : Omg it IS our dog!
Turns out our dog got out the open back door and ran after my parents car. Our neighbor who I didnt recognized because we just moved found her running, saw her collar, noticed the adress was next to his house, and brought her to me.
All Was Well
While I was at my grandma's house, she left to go to the grocery store, so I was at her house alone, playing my Wii. While playing, I hear noises coming from upstairs that sound like footsteps. I get really worried, so I walk outside for a minute or two to calm down, then walk back inside. A few minutes later, I hear more noises, and this time the noises are coming closer to the living room door. All of a sudden I see a person walking, and I let out a loud noise.
Turns out the noises I heard were my grandma. She had never actually went to the store; I had misheard what she told me.
Watchful Eyes
It was my first time being alone for an undetermined time, I was maybe 16 or 17. My mom had to take my dad to a doctor in Alabama and took my sister with me. I had no idea how long they were going to be gone, so I'm sitting in the hall on the computer and our dog starts barking. Not like "Hey, squirrel, it's a squirrel!" but deep, angry barking. "Something is in my yard and it should not be here" barking.
I had the phone in my hand and went to check out the window looking towards where the dog was, plus to make absolutely sure the back door was locked. It was a box turtle. I had never heard this dog bark like this before, was pretty sure I was going to find a burglar or worse outside the door, and it was a freaking box turtle trying to get across the yard while the dog barked and snapped at it. I went outside and helped the turtle to the far end of the yard away from the dog, but he definitely earned some pats and treats for being that watchful over the house.
This Isn't Somebody I Know
bray wyatt horror GIF by WWEGiphyI lived in a basement apartment that had 3 windows and one of them was in our living room (left side of house).
Some guy, who I have no idea who it was, walked up to the living room window (had to walk around a big bush mind you) and started waving and saying hi.
Then they went all the way to the other side of the house where my basement door was and started knocking on it saying, "Let me in".
I was just trying to play guitar hero. Still to this day not sure if he was drunk trying to get to my upstairs neighbors house. Called the cops and he left before they could catch him.
An Important Thing About Myself
My SO works nights and wasn't home. I came home from a long night of gallery-hopping with no dinner, lots of wine and didn't eat enough food while I was out. Suddenly had a really strong blood-sugar attack and ended up on the floor being barely able to move. Super sweaty and cold all over. Felt like fainting only my heart hurt really bad and my whole body felt odd.
I couldn't even move get to the phone to call 911. About 20 minutes later, I finally was able to get to the fridge by crawling and got some OJ into me and a couple of bites of an old pie that was there. That got me strong enough to make a meal and get things back in order. Found out later that my whole system was out of wack and I have to have food about every 2 - 3 hours or it happens again. Hypoglycemia.
When Hinges Creak In Doorless Chambers
It was a short time ago.
As context: I'm 21, was 20 at the time, but I still live with my mother. So I was playing some ArmA III with a friend through Discord, completely alone, and I swear I hared the window in my corridor open (I live on a third floor). It felt so real, that I actually reached for my airsoft gun in case it was a burglar so I could scare him off, but everything was in its place. Was weird and that's the scariest I can remember.
Nape Of Your Neck
This was about a year or 2 ago but I felt a small breeze on my back while gaming and no one was home. I turn around and nothing. My door is closed, I don't have any windows in my room, my fan is off and the aircon wasn't functional at the time. Then I heard a thump coming from my mums room then extremely light footsteps slowly traveling but stepping fast. It reaches my door so I grab my weights (but made them light so it's heavy enough to be lethal but light enough to swing around) I open the door and it was my cat so I put 2 and 2 together and assumed that he jumped off my mums bed and wanted scratches. But it still doesn't explain the breeze...
A Ghost Or Just A Child's Mind?
When I was a kid I would always sleep with a closet light on because I was afraid of the dark. I remember that I used to see black shadows fly a cross my room when I was supposed to be sleeping which were too fast to see clearly, however one night when I was around 11 I remember waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the shadow of a man standing directly in front of my bed.
Now the part that still confused me and freaks me out is the fact that it was standing DIRECTLY infront of the closet door. It was blocking the light. I hid underneath my covers for the longest 5 minutes of my life but when I gained enough courage to look back up it was gone, sort of manifested. My grandfather died a few years prior but I don't like to jump to conclusions.
Yeahhhh We Had To Move
My sibs and I (ages 8-12) were upstairs when we heard loud knocking and a loud bang. We went downstairs and saw our front door was wide open despite having multiple locks from the inside engaged. Weird that our parents always left thru the garage so the additional locks inside wont be open. But when we saw the door all the locks were open.
And these were the locks that you have to lift and slide over to open. Idk if we just forgot or if something is in that house but safe to say we no longer live there. This house was new when we got it but I always felt something was there.
A Phantom Sob
Once when i was home alone doing homework i was listening to music. When i took a brake to relax a bit i heard a low level noise from downstairs. When i decided to get up and check, in the hallway i could hear the sound of crying but it was that crying of a woman trying not to be heard. I was so afraid that i had to take a moment before asking "Who's There?" And by then it had stopped. Till today my mom says she has no idea what it could have been.
Get Off My Lawn!!!!
Owner of a house very near mine was planning to demolish it and build townhouses on the land. He allowed some young people to hold a party there, which went viral. There were hundreds of people there.
The police had to get involved, ended up with full riot squad turning out and herding hundreds of people away from the property up the street. I lived alone and got scared when I heard people trying to get on to my property (I have a high, gated, fence at the front of my property).
Loads of news crews the next day!
Soccer Strikes
I've been scared of storms since I was a kid. Like a full on had to go to therapy phobia. It was mostly better when I got older, I just get really on edge. Then I was 18 and driving home from soccer practice that was cut short by a storm and a tree across the intersection from me got hit by lighting and it was terrifying.
Killer Shrews
Alone at night watching a B & W horror movie called Killer Shrews -- huge dog like creatures with 4 inch teeth menacing people trapped in a compound on a tropical island. For some reason a pile of books fell heavily to the floor in a nearby closet. If I could have jumped out of my skin.
Deep Breaths
breathe schitts creek GIF by CBCGiphyI was pretty young, and it was about 1 AM. My cat came in, and immediately hissed at something across the room. Then, my cat ran away. I then felt something like a human walking across the floor, and stopped at the end of my bed. The I just heard breathing, for about an hour. I then decided to get enough courage to look up, and I did. Nobody was there, but I still heard breathing. Checked under my bed, nothing.
Checked my closet, nothing. Checked my bathroom, nothing. I then went to bed, not knowing what to do. I probably just hallucinated, but it felt pretty real. I don't suffer from anything, and that was the only time I hallucinated, unless my dog just came in, and breathed like a human.
Cookies....
When I was about thirteen, I had the house to myself. I pulled out some Oreo cookies just before I went into the bathroom and, when I came back five minutes later, they were gone. I never found the cookies.
Staying Calm
I've never taken a prescription before, but finally got some antidepressants in Feb.
I didn't know I was supposed to eat food with my medicine for the first couple weeks, and the first day I took it, I nearly passed out.
My dad was at work, and I'm not supposed to call him unless it's his lunch break. But I called him anyways. He told me to eat some crackers and lie down. I felt better. Dads make everything better.
Just Staring
Wasn't home alone, exactly, but everyone else was asleep so I hope it still counts.
I was pretty young, I'm assuming I was around seven or eight, and I just got back from the bathroom. I had one of those canopy-beds, and as I got in bed and looked in the direction of my door, I swear to God, I see this kid staring at me.
Straight up staring. For like five seconds, we stare directly at each-other and then it looks like she ducked down and hid behind the end of my bed.
So, at first I thought - for some reason - that my sister had snuck into my room to scare me. So I whisper her name and look behind the bed where the kid had hid.
Nobody was there.
To this day, I have no idea what I saw. I'm usually very skeptical about ghosts and stuff, but something about the whole experience rubbed me the wrong way.
The Shake Up
I was 14. my mom and twin were out of state, and early that morning (4 am) my dad left to go to Italy for work. my Gram was supposed to come pick me up that evening--I'd convinced my family I was grown enough that I could be on my own for a few hours, didn't need to spend the night before at grams.
4:30, my cat wakes me up, which was strange, she was usually happy to just cuddle on my feet. and my brain says " hey, animals know when a quake is coming..." and I roll off the bed and cover my head.
I lived in California.
so the house shakes, and shakes and the ceiling just comes down, slamming into my bed and the bookshelf near my headboard. glass breaking, I can just hear things crashing. my cat stayed cuddled up with me in this little sheltered pocket. I was terrified.
Called my gram as soon as the sun was up.
Walking About
Lived with my aunt for a year and she would leave for business all the time. I swear her house is haunted and only did things when I was alone. A couple of times I'd go to sleep with my door open and wake up to it closed. Seen a girl in white walk into rooms. Front door would unlock itself and door would open. Bags of chips would be thrown from a box on top of the fridge. Would scare the crap out of me.
My Sister's Car
I was about 11 and staying home alone while my mom and my older sister was out running errands. I was sitting in my living room watching tv when I heard two men arguing. It sounded like it was coming from my basement. My cat even woke up and started acting disturbed by the yelling. I freaked out. This was before cell phones. In my mind the best thing to do was go hide in my sister's car that was in the driveway until my family returned home.
After about of an hour laying in the backseat of my sister's car my family came home. I told them what happened and they called the cops. There was no sign of break in and no men in the house. They just thought I must have imagined it. To this day I will never forget the screaming and the look on my old cats face. I know I didn't imagine it.
Run
My best friend, her husband and I decided to get an apartment. It was a nice place, we all got on really well. It worked out great.
After about a month we'd notice food missing, that no one would own up to, but whatever we all brushed it off. My roommate's cats had a tendency to destroy the blinds on the windows, so it had a nice section missing out of the window that looked out from our living room to our front steps.
I was home alone, around midnight on a Wednesday. I was up late working on stuff for school in the living room. I'd been hearing weird noises all night, but brushed it off as the thin walls.
After awhile, I heard a noise out on the steps and looked over to see a mans face peering through the gaps in our front window.
As calmly as I could, I got up and locked myself in the bathroom. I called the police and then my roommates telling them they needed to come home.
After some investigating, we found evidence that there was someone living in our attic, which had outside roof access (with a broken lock).
We moved out of that apartment within a week.
The Patient
Something that happened about five years ago. My MIL who is a pediatric nurse had stopped by for a visit one evening and told us about a patient she had been treating that passed away that evening. Sometime after she left, I was doing something in the living room when something at the top of my stairs caught my eye. When I looked up, I saw what appeared to be a small shadow figure dart across the entryway to the second floor. Kind of like it got spooked and was darting out of the way to hide.
I wrote it off as my eyes playing tricks on me, but it did seem a little weird and my mind immediately went to the child my MIL told us about.
Dorothy Gale
wizard of oz omg GIFGiphyTornado came through the neighborhood. Took off part of the roof. We didn't have a basement. Could only sit in a doorway in the middle of the house and watch.
Within the Fire
I was almost 15. I lit a candle... my mom doesn't like vanilla scent. So I would light it when she wasn't home. I'd done it many times before.
I still don't know how this happened... I went into the next room for a minute at most... and I came back to the curtain on fire. And I froze. I can't say how long I just stood there. I snapped out of it and called 911.
I frantically look for boots because it snowed that morning. And I grabbed the 1st coat I saw. I remember standing outside watching the fire trucks pull up. Next thing I remember is that I was in a kitchen I'd never seen before. It took me awhile to realize I was across the street. I have no idea how I got there.
We lost everything in the fire. I went into therapy because I kinda started to shut down... and sleep was hard. Legit nightmares and waking up extremely panicked.
I'm 30 now. I have dreams about it once in awhile. Especially walking back into the apartment where it happened. It was fixed and remolded. And I pass it a few times a month... I've wanted to just knock on the door and asked if I could walk around and see it ... because my last time inside was seeing everything thing burned... and the smell... something that stays with you.
While the fire it's self was scary & traumatic... it's the fact most of that day and a day or 2 afterwards... I can't remember most of it.
2012
witchcraft lafayette reynolds GIFGiphyRemember back when people thought the world was going to end or some crap back in 2012? Well me and my siblings were home alone when the power went out. My parents came home to a group of children huddled around the table playing clue, by candlelight, during a power outage, on the day the world was supposed to end.
Not the Wind
Not sure if this qualifies as I wasn't all that scared. Was visiting my in-laws and dozing in the basement bedroom while everyone else was in church. Not really a church-goer, they're cool with that. Started reading a book when I noticed someone was tinkering on the old piano upstairs in the living room. Odd, I hadn't heard anyone come home and it was a small house, hard for anyone to have gotten in without me hearing.
But obviously they did, so I went upstairs as the person on the piano tried a weak cord or two, but then stopped when I got close. There was nobody home. Door was locked, and the piano was closed. Huh.
Told my wife when she got home and she smiled at me sympathetically. Must have been a neighbor or something. Nope it was definitely coming from upstairs, no question, and it wasn't a mouse or something as it wasn't just random notes. Odd.
Next morning my wife and I are lying in the same bed while my very-catholic in-laws are again at morning mass. We're reading and then ... the piano again. Definitely from inside the house and not random notes again. We look at each other with raised eyebrows and listen for a bit. "I think we can rule out the wind", I say. We go upstairs to check, again door locked and piano closed. Still wasn't all that alarmed but it was pretty strange.
Meth Days
My husband was working nights and I was home alone with my children in a small town. Someone started banging on my door at 2 a.m. Everyone knew everyone, and my father-in-law lived next door, so I just opened it in a sleepy state.
A man I've never met tried to walk into my house. I got the door closed just enough to block him. He had blood running down his face. For a moment, our eyes were within inches of each other. It was terrifying.
After a struggle, I got the door closed. And he started yelling at me. He said he wanted to use my phone because someone hit him. I yelled through the door that I'd call 911 but he had to stay outside. When I dialed, he bolted off the porch.
The next morning, I took my daughter to the bus stop and while waiting in the car, this same guy jumps out of the bushes and onto my car-cussing me out and trying to get in. Pure panic!
Turns out... he was on meth. The cops came and got him.
The Walk Home
I used to walk home alone at night from work. Part of the path was this old wooden bridge that I had to cross over. At just the right angle and light level I could clearly see a ghost standing on the bridge looking at me. Looked kind of like the grim reaper without the scythe. It would quickly disappear once the angle changed. It was interesting because if you look at the scene in isolation there's not really anything there that resembles what I was seeing. But the brain is good at pattern matching. Give it certain inputs though and things go haywire.
Untaglements
I remember I was alone in my house. I lived in rural Texas, and we had a shooting not long ago at that time. So I was pretty scared being alone, especially at night. I had a tangled pair of friendship necklaces that I meant to give to my friend. They were tangled PRETTY BAD. So, to calm myself down, I started untangling them.
A minute or two later my phone in another room rang. I went there and it was an unknown number. I didn't pick it up and went back to the room with the tangled necklaces.
But they weren't tangled anymore. They were perfectly straight and completely separate. Never figured out how that happened. Didn't sleep that night, either.
Off the Meds
I wasn't totally alone so not sure if this counts. I was with my older sister alone at home.
My mom called us and told us our grandmother had gone off her meds. They were told she took the car and was heading to us. Granted we lived three states away.
My mom told us to lock all the windows and doors and her and my dad where heading home as fast possible.
My sister and I did just that. We sat up in my sister room. We heard a noise of the door and went down stairs expecting our parents.
My grandmother got inside the house. She had a deck of cards and asked to play go fish with us. My sister locked me in my parents bed room and played go fish with grandma.
My parents made it home and grandpa made the next flight out to drive her home.
Yay mental illness!
Bad Vibe
One time late at night I was vibing until I saw my reflection in my glass door and thought someone was watching me.
HER
In the house that I'm in: in November this young woman knocked at our door. I recognized her from 3 years prior because she does this like clockwork every three years. She had her sleeves pulled up and all her arms were bleeding. She had cut all the way up her arms. She was demanding that her ex-boyfriend let her see her kid (he won custody). She was very drunk and drugged and bleeding everywhere.
The neighbors all came around and explained she was on meth and because she isn't sober she can't see her kid. I had to keep pressure on her wounds until an ambulance and police arrived. Her parents had driven down at this point and I could just see the disappointment in her mum's eyes. Her dad apologized profusely for her. I was just hoping she would get help tbh. I hope in time she will get better.
Be Back Soon
This thing still scares me. I was 10 at the time, and my mom and step-dad said "We'll be back in an hour." They took 9 hours. They never told us what went on. Also not responsible to leave a 10 year old home alone with their 12 year old sister.
Mickey?
dance dancing GIF by Mickey MouseGiphyIn my old home I was hearing movement in the walls. Like it sounded like small do it steps and it got so bad I had nightmares over the sound. Low & Behold it was a mouse in the walls... scarred me for life.
Creaks and Footsteps
This happened back in 2007 when I was 15. As I was doing homework on my computer, I felt someone blowing their breath on the back of my neck. It started off slow, then it was like a loud woosh, as if someone was trying to scare me. When I looked back, nobody was there. Since I was in my bedroom, nobody was behind me because I would've heard creaking footsteps. The window was on the other side of the room, so it can't be the wind from outside.
Forget It
im out GIFGiphyI heard something in my mothers room and was about to go in and check, until I realized i was home alone, so I thought 'forget that crap' and went downstairs and called my mom she came home and checked there was nothing in there, i sh!t you not redditors i had a knife under my covers, armed and ready.
The Neighbor
When my neighbor broke Into our house repeatedly, everytime our parents were gone, he would stand in the bush with a sharpened star picket and throw rocks at the house, he shot a crossbow bolt above my dad's head and my dad bashed the crap out of him, but the scariest time was he snuck in whilst no one was home but me and my younger brothers. He was walking into our bedroom about to get close to where we was sleeping and the alarm on the fridge started going off because one of my brother's left the fridge open, he then ran out of the house.
Late one Night
Sitting in my kitchen late one night watching a movie. I was sitting in a chair that has its back to a window. I was watching a movie when I randomly heard this tapping on the window behind me. Almost like someone was tapping their nails on the window. I freaked out and turned around not knowing what to expect.
here i saw our next door neighbor grinning at me. She was looking for my parents. So instead of knocking on the front door or ringing the doorbell she decided to go into our back yard and then to the window in the back where she found me sitting watching a movie, and then decided to give me a mini heart attack.
Grandma? Is that you?
Was home alone for a few days when i was 15, parents visited relatives while I didn't want to go. And my grandparents, who lived in the apartment beneath and besides us (they where separated by a door but it was basically one big house separated into an apartment, and the house of my grandma and grandpa) left for the same reason. It was about 2 days of being home alone and I was upstairs watching tv, when I suddenly heard something downstairs. It sounded exactly like the door, which separated our apartment from the house, was opened up and I was scared as hell. I ran Into my room and got a knife (As if a knife would help in that scenario) and looked through the rooms.
There was nobody. After being paranoid looking through every room in the house I heard the front door closing. Ran downstairs and saw nothing. As I found out a few years later, It was my Great-grandma looking for my Grandma because she just felt like seeing her. She lived nearby and her Alzheimers didn't help her remembering that they drove away for a few days.
Birds Flying
Not alone but everyone was asleep. When I was a kid of around 8 or 9 I had a small Hot Wheels metal trash can by my bed, a small single bed. Woke up one night from metal scratching noises, like claws scratching across metal, sounded exactly like it was coming from my trash can. I was petrified and couldn't move, sound just kept getting more and more intense, not louder, just more frequent. After lying there for what seemed like forever, I was finally able to scream out for my dad. He came into the room and turned the lights on, he looked in trash can and nothing there and made me look.
He says that I'm imagining things and to relax and go back to sleep, just as he's leaving the room and turning out the lights, he hears the noise! Ends up that the screen cover over the little chimney for our electric furnace had come loose on the roof and a bird had gotten into the furnace, which was right behind the wall next to my bed. Lucky for the bird that it was summer and not winter. Only time I have been petrified to the point I couldn't move.
Everyone hates Eddington
I was staying at my parents house, they had gone out, it was after midnight and stormy as hell outside. I was feeling a little uncomfortable in a house that was slightly unfamiliar with the storm and the lateness.
I thought I heard a voice but tried to deny it. A bit later I heard as clear as anything a voice saying "bye bye!" And this musical tune.
It was Eddington. The alphabet caterpillar that my dad bought 18 grandchildren ago and that we all hate because he just will not die. Eddington was speaking from the toy cupboard.
Eddington is only supposed to talk when someone pushes one of his many legs. I do not believe in ghosts but fully expected to open the toy cupboard to find some ghost child playing with Eddington. Eddington was switched on. I switched him the hell off and huddled on the couch 'til my parents came home.
Everyone hates Eddington but I treat that dude with respect. I don't trust that grinning purple creep.
The Look in his Eyes
I was 19 still living at my moms house, she was out for the night with friends, around midnight someone knocked at my back door and my dog started barking like crazy. I then heard my neighbor I've known for years, he was calling for my mom so I opened the door & told him she was gone & if everything was alright. He had a bat in his hand which I did not see before opening the door. He then began to tell me he had locked someone in his closet and they wouldn't stop screaming & it was driving him crazy & that he needed me to come look.
His eyes were glazed over a bit I remember, & I was totally freaked out. Long story short, I got him to leave & I called my mom. Few weeks later when everything settled down we were told by his mom that he has schizophrenia that was apparently getting worse over the years. I've since moved away & It's been almost 6 years since I've seen him or his family.
Montauk
My dad said, "I had a beach house in a very isolated spot of Montauk, and I had just seen the Blair Witch Project with a group of friends. They dropped me off at the dark, relatively isolated, unlighted house. I walked up onto the porch to find a cairn of stones, just like the one from the movie."
The Weight of Zues
I had gotten myself tense with scary videos when the sun was going down. My parents then texted me if I wanted to go eat something with them, so I said ok. I was already pretty freaked out because I kept imagining noises around the house. I was walking down the hall from my room towards the front door when my backpack fell from my bed and hit the floor. It was a heavy backpack, with 5 full binders and other assorted school crap, easily weighed 30+ pounds.
It slammed like the fist of Zeus onto my floor, making me give an audible yelp and bolt through the front door, not even to fully pull on the screen door handle before shoving it with all my weight. I ran full speed into my parent's van and had to take a couple seconds to recollect myself.
Take it from me, and don't leave items on the edge of surfaces.
The Jumper
Had been to see an alien horror movie. Stopped at grocery store on the way home to my apt. Parked in a dark area and carried in some bags. Came back out for more bags. When I pulled the door handle a cat jumped out of my car thru the open sunroof. Aaaaahhhh.
I'm Moving
haunted black and white GIFGiphyMy house is actually haunted. Once, all the cupboards were being slammed. Like all 6. No joke, I pooped myself.
The world can be a lonely, scary place. We have to be wary and on guard nearly every second. Things do go bump in the night or behind a door, and we have to learn to be sufficient in ducking. Many things await us in the dead of night, or the broad of day. Be vigilante people, there is a reason to be on edge.
Redditor u/DoitAnyway54321 was curious to see who was willing to share some intense stories about leaving home by asking.... Travelers of lonely roads, explorers of the great outdoors, workers of creepy jobs and late-night shifts... What's your scary story?I keep driving west.
Not exactly a lonely road, but I was speeding west on I-70 through Colorado near Glenwood Canyon when I decided to slow down and enjoy the view. I notice a State Patrol car in front of me a minute later when he turns on his sirens, and I think he's got me busted for speeding. Instead, he's pulling to the shoulder up ahead to help a broken down motorist.
I slow down and remember looking at the motorist who is sitting in the drivers seat with their head down, thinking "man that guy is lucky to get help out here, no cell coverage, etc". I keep driving west.
A few minutes later I start to notice police cars flying past me headed back east, sirens blaring, going extremely fast through a curvy canyon. One after another for like 15 minutes, ambulances, fire trucks, seems like all emergency response in the country is headed back the direction I came from.
The next day I'm at a hotel in Utah and discover what happened. Turns out the broken down motorist had skipped bail, and after being confronted by the state trooper who was there to offer assistance, exited his car and began shooting the officer in his back multiple times. On a normal day, the officer would've died as they typically drive alone, but on that day he was headed to training and had a partner in the car who empties his clip and killed the motorist. Officer almost bled out on the road but survived. bliceroquququq
"Road to Hana"
GiphyWhen I was 18, my family and I took a vacation to Hawaii. My mother wanted to do the touristy thing and do the "Road to Hana." Normally you can take a tour bus up it, but that wasn't good enough for her. So we rented a car. The rental companies typically forbid driving that road because of the liability issues. That didn't stop my mother.
We had a normal drive up there, plenty to see. We spent all day exploring. So by the time everyone was exhausted, it was night. Now, we were a good ways away from the road down, think back dirt roads of Maui. So what do we do? Go down some of the closed off local roads. This one road, in particular, was a very narrow winding road over the edge of the island. You couldn't even stop on the road to get out and pee. If you looked over the edge, it was a straight drop into the ocean.
Anyhow, so we were driving in the dead of the night, slowly, and we approach this weird bend that backs up to a heavily forested area, a small waterfall, and a cliff overhand just above us. My mother wanted to take some pictures of the moon, stars, ocean because it was breathtaking with no city lights. So we pull off to the side of this road, with just enough space to let another car pass you. I, of course, get out too. It was dead silent.
Then all of a sudden I hear what sounds like a crying baby. Which was... weird. We were in the middle of no where and hadn't seen anyone for HOURS. So, I'm just standing there, confused, and it stops. I motion for my mother to come over and ask if she heard anything. She didn't. So we stand there for a little longer and it starts up again.
Neither of us could pinpoint where it was coming from. Both of us were panicked because that's what baby crying does to most humans. We spent a good hour calling out and trying to figure out what to do. Eventually it stopped.
We returned back to the hotel and never heard anything about it.
The end. :) thot-trot
Mary.
Graveyard shift worker at the time. Won't go into details, but I stopped a guy from holding me at gunpoint and taking my vehicle while I was pumping gas. Station was closed, it was 2 am. Streets were pitch black. Guy comes walking up out of nowhere. Asks where I'm headed what time it was etc, just getting me to talk. Nothing alarming. Except he's fidgety and has had his 1 hand in his front leather jacket pocket the whole time.
I say forget it, was almost done pumping, decided if this was it I'll make the best of it, guy needs whatever it is more than I do, so I say "need a ride somewhere? Was omw home from work but I've got a few dollars we can stop for food because I'm hungry and don't mind having company. What's your name? Mine is Mary" I know that if you start getting personal with an attacker it gets harder for them to hurt you.
I was thinking "take me hostage, hold me at gunpoint point, yell in my face, I can take this. But please don't take my life and don't leave me 2 hours stranded away from home in the middle of the night".
I got done pumping when I finished, giving him a short amount of time to think on his answer, and in his panic at me offering him the things he was going to take from me, he goes "nah I'm just gonna walk, thanks again." Leaves.
I carry a taser now. Entire-Speaker
HOLY DAMN CRAP!!!
Used to work late shift as classroom IT support for a college. We didn't get a lot of high priority calls from night classes so, among other duties, we'd get a lot of repairs and maintenance done that couldn't be done when the classrooms were in use during the day.
I don't mind the dark so I wasn't in the habit of turning lights in classrooms on if I was just going to do something real quick on the computer.
Well I had a ticket to install something on the instructor PC in a classroom I had never been to before. It's about 10PM when I get around to this ticket and I head into the room.
I get about halfway across the room and suddenly freeze. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up and I feel 100% that I'm being watched ... no I'm surrounded!
Then as my eyes start to adjust I see them. This entire classroom is encircled by hospital beds sticking out from the walls. And in every bed there's a person sitting up, looking right at me!
HOLY DAMN CRAP!!
"OH, I'M SORRY!", I blurt out ...
Before finally realizing that they're all just plastic dummies and I was in a Nursing classroom. Makeamemeoutofthevid
Near the Lake.....
GiphyAbout two years ago i was hiking at a local national forest by my hometown. My family had a get together, and been hiking there a few times so we were kind of familiar with the area. I have geocached once there so i was gonna try it again because it was a popular area for caching. I split off from my family and it was just me and my friend who i brought. we were both by this giant lake and off to the right we seen a faint unmarked path.
We decided to see if it led to anything cool, but about a couple hundred meters ahead we smelt a horrible smell. We looked around being curious what was causing that god awful smell, then my friend pointed up to a limb of a tree to a hanging deer carcass, a split right threw the stomach. The deer also looked a few days old. so it hadn't been there long. there was also a cloth doll nailed into the tree. it had been worn and made things worse.
I had a horrible gut feeling and looked over at my friend and said "bro lets get the hell out of here." we got out of there faster than we came. it was almost like a ritual. we agreed to not tell anyone there with us about what we found. i haven't been to the place since but i really hope no one else had stumbled upon what we found in the woods that day. iSSaF3rr3T
These Actors Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The Role | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Actors Who Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The RoleFew people bought into the idea of Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter White before Breaking Bad...Things That Are Normal Where You Live But Crazy Anywhere Else | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
People divulge the things that are normal where they live but crazy anywhere else.#Reddit #BestOfRedditFor more of the latest trending news, Reddit stories, ...Dismayed....
Years ago my work took me to cadaver labs.
There's nothing like the smell of drill friction and hot bone.
My first time in one, a sizeable chunk of tissue flew out of the body and splatted against the floor.
Raised to pick things up if they fell on the ground, I instinctively grabbed the thick red gunk before realizing I had no clue what to do with it. The looks of dismay were spectacular. mindfeces
Into the Woods....
GiphyHiking in Rocky Mountain National Park in the dark, about 4 am. No lights, just enjoying the terror of being alone in the mountains in the dark.
I smell something. Musky. An animal smell. A BIG animal smell, then I hear movement in the trees off the trail.
I put my hand on my anti bear Bowie knife, ready to stand my ground and stab whatever is large and moving near me.
Then the hiker coughs.
I walked past some hiker pooping in the woods.
No people or animals were harmed during this hike. MostGrownUp
Last summer....
Last summer there were 2 kids from BC Canada that were killing people across the country. They were shooting people on roadside turnouts and (after the fact it came out they were looking for a boat). I slept on a turnout the night before and passed (and reported) them the following day. I had my boat and 4 or 500L of gas with me. I got in the habit of sleeping with a loaded 12 for bears but I often wonder if they would have got me or if I would have been able to pop a couple rounds off and scare them away, pretty happy that it never came to that. Here4theNothingness
Creepiest crap ever.
The coffee ran out.
Seriously though, there is this hotel that I'm working, and we all know about the little girl who runs the hallways at night. Sometimes you'll hear doors open and close, or noises when the hotel should be empty.
One time, I noticed these little marks on the wall under a low shelf that we put coffee on, for the guests. Curious, I go to clean the spots up, which looked like little smudges. I kid you not, I came back an hour later, and they were back, in different spots, and looked like a little kid had run up the wall. We didn't have anyone in house that night, save for one worker on vacation by himself. Creepiest crap ever. A_little_rose
Too Sleep....
I work night shift in a hospital. One might I fell asleep at work and dreamt that a doctor came in and we had a whole conversation about a patient and then he walked out. It felt so real. When I told a co-worker about the dream and desx9bed the doctor I found out that doctor died the year before. I know the story is not that creepy, but I never fell asleep at work again. datgurltrue
The Stranger....
GiphyI came back into my camp from cooking/cleaning/taking a dump, and found an individual digging around in my tent and gear. I quietly watched the person from a bit away while they rummaged around, eventually leaving while taking nothing.
Packed up all my stuff and hiked through the in the dark. There's zero good things that could come from someone else looking through your gear in the middle of the woods as nighttime approaches. Don't know what they wanted, don't want to find out. 732
Short Stops.
So he was driving home and the car in front of him takes all the same turns as him and he's driving behind them for ages. Maybe 20-30mins. Then the car in front turns into his street and then they stop outside of his house (he lives in the last house on a dead end street) this car is completely blocking his drive so he stops behind them n the driver of the car in front gets out of his car and starts screaming at my dad threatening to call the police and telling my dad to stop following him.
My dad calmly points out that they are blocking his drive and asks them to move their car. Turns out they thought my dad was following them because he'd been behind them for so long so they took loads of random turns to try lose him, all of which led to my dad's house. TartanSkull
CD Strike.
I worked at a movie theatre and most often worked the closing shift.
One night me and another manager were sitting in the small office. She was working on the nightly deposit and I was finishing up inventory numbers, We had a CD player that we would listen to at night with a stack of CDs sitting next to it. I stood up and changed the CD and sat back down. About a minute after the entire stack of cds LAUNCHED itself across the room.
One of the CDs hit my co-worker in the back of the head. She looked around and saw me sitting there dumbfounded with the cds scattered all around me and the office. We quickly finished up and left.
A couple of days later one of the other dayshift managers calls me and asks me what we were doing the prior night. She seemed really annoyed which was out of character for her because we were friends. I asked her what she meant and she asked me why we had dumped all of the security tapes onto the floor and left them there.
I told her we hadn't touched the security tapes at all.
The tapes were stored on top of the CCTV monitor on a small VHS tape shelf. The shelf hadn't been moved and only the tapes were on the floor. She also said that all of the sleeves from the tapes had been removed and thrown all over the place too. dawrina
There was nothing there.
I was the navigation officer for a research ship in the south pacific. We had recently come to Papua New Guinea for some work along the coast. We had arrived in a small bay at around 10pm in the dark and dropped the anchor. I went over to mark our position on the chart and noticed an annotation that said "native village reported in the area." There were no fires or lights on the coast so I didn't think anything much more of it.
I turned on all the deck and underwater lights and went back in to the bridge to stand my night watch as everyone else went to bed. With all the lights on I couldn't see further than about 25 yards because of a light mist in the pitch black night. I sat in the bridge with the door open because I like the sound of the night and the feeling of the air in the tropics. I kept hearing light splashing in the water and went out to see because often we get hundreds of fish in our underwater lights. There was nothing there.
I went back inside but kept hearing faint splashing and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Since I couldn't see in to the distance I went in to the chart room and flicked on our infrared camera system and there they all were. About 50 native outrigger canoes just sitting outside our pool of light. About 3 people to a canoe and all just sitting and watching us. Occasionally paddling one way or the other to keep their station. I have never felt so suddenly and violently alone and small as I did on that ship in the dark.
I got a deck hand up and we both just walked around the decks to show that people were awake and moving. They sat there and watched us all night. Completely invisible except for on the infrared cameras. In the morning they came in and traded with us and were very friendly and just hadn't had a ship in their bay for decades. Squarerigjack
hit from behind.....
I don't really know if it qualifies as scary but I remember getting hit from behind by something while I was stopped in the middle of an intersection in the middle of the night last year.
To this day, I don't really know what it was. I even saw the traffic cam footage and saw nothing. All I saw was me being stopped completely in the middle of the road waiting for a car in front of me to pass by so I can cross when my car shook like something had hit it from behind and a minute or so later, it showed me parking to the side to check what had happened.
The "accident" didn't leave any dents nor scratches but it had enough impact to ruin my bumper.
I've actively tried to avoid that road since. Mist3rTryHard
The Screams...
GiphyOn one night shift dispatch gave us a call about "screaming in (whichever) elevator." So we go to it, and can indeed hear screaming. We get a person posted at every floor of this elevator. You can hear the screaming when the elevator is moving, but when the doors open there's nothing. We decide to have maintenance take a look. Maintenance finds nothing wrong. TN_Yeti
The Puddles....
I was sleeping in a hammock on my mountain ranch, and woke up around 4am. After lying there awake watching stars for about 5 minutes, I heard the sound of something big urinating nearby. In the night silence, the sound was so clear as to distinctly change as the dirt went from dry to muddy to a small puddle. I didn't hear any movement afterward. There are deer, coyotes, bobcats, and rarely bears in this area. MentORPHEUS
The Electricity....
This isn't really that scary but around 2014 I witnessed what I can only assume could be ball lightning. The weather was clear though and it didn't seem to emit electricity so I can't really be sure. But anyway I was taking a walk around sunset and noticed this orange glowing orb roughly the size of a softball slowly drifting about 20 feet in the air. I stopped and watched it for a few minutes until it disappeared behind the trees. I'm still mad I didn't have a smart phone at the time because I totally would have recorded it. Francis-Hates-You
Don't Speak of the Night...
I was thirteen and would spend summers practically living at my best friend's house. Often we would sneak out at night and just roam around her area which was an exurb, kind of in the country, but still plenty of houses. We never felt afraid. Then one night we ambled down a road that cut through a field.
It ended at a cul-de-sac with a large iron gate blocking a dirt driveway behind it. Everything was fine one minute, but the next we both just looked at each other absolutely terrified and ran as fast as we could back down the road. We had both just felt at the same time an overwhelming sense of fear and dread.
If it had just been me, then I would chalk it up to just a kid freaking herself out, but both of us felt it at the exact same time. I still wonder if we avoided something terrible that night. LaeliaCatt
Louisiana roads.....
GiphyLouisiana is freaky as heck. Parts of it feel like you're in another world. That long stretch of I-10 that's on stilts across the endless swamp with "roads" of water through the trees made it very clear to me why Lovecraft had some of his Cthulhu cults practicing in those forests. Even from a major interstate it felt like was on another planet, I would not want to stray from the well-travelled roads into that wilderness. shadow1515
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