Twisted
Texas Hurricane GIFGiphyTornado sirens and the roaring sound of a train approaching. I didn't live near a train.
Above the Summit....
A few instances from mountain climbing/backpacking:
On the summit of Mt. Adams, a 12,500 foot (dormant) volcano in Washington state. The wind suddenly picked up very strongly as we were packing up lunch and about to descend. We looked up and saw what I can only describe as two horizontal tornadoes sucking up loose snow from around us.
We basically ran/fell down the 50-foot snow slope from the small summit to a larger plateau below as the vortices descended to where we were just a minute before. We booked it across the plateau to the main slope, and then did a glissade (controlled sitting descent using an ice axe for rudder/brake) down a 3,000 vertical foot snow field in 15 minutes (it took us four hours to climb up the same snow field).
On a 13,000+ foot ridge in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Sequoia National Park. Light puffy clouds in the morning quickly built up to thunderstorms as we crossed the pass to get to the camp for that night. We could actually feel and smell the static electricity in the air as lightning began to strike. Again, descended as fast as humanly possible.
Flames
I woke up to the smell of burnt rubber and it turned out to be that my garage was on fire. I woke up everybody in the house (9 people including a baby) and we got the hell out of there. Luckily the fire didn't make it into the house and we had it covered by insurance but it was scary as hell.
"GET UP NOW"
I went to college in downtown Chicago and took the El tracks home after an evening class, it wasn't too late, maybe like 8p? This one time there were only a few other people in the train car I was in and so everyone was spread out. At one of the stops this shady looking guy gets on and even though there were plenty of empty rows where he could sit alone he goes and sits next to a woman. Not 2 secs later that woman gets up and immediately goes to another car.
This same guy then gets up from the seat turns around towards where I'm sitting, mind you like the woman, I was sitting near the window and had my backpack on the seat next to me.
He sits down on my backpack without saying a word. Shocked I yank my bag from under him and thats when I see that he has this weird silver finger cover thing over his entire pointer finger. This ornament finger thing looked heavy and it had intricate carved dragons all over it except at the end where a nail would be there was like a long claw-like dagger. I look at this guy and he is just staring straight ahead, didn't even flinch with me pulling my back pack, plus he reeked of alcohol. I then noticed this other guy who was seated across from us and was staring right at me mouthing: "GET UP NOW".
So that's what I did, I used my back pack to kind of buffer me from him and pushed myself out of the aisle as the train was approaching the last stop, I left that car and had so much adrenaline pulsing that I kept going through other train cars to get as much distance as I could, until the train came to a stop and I ran the hell of of there and down the stairs where I alerted a CTA employee about him. It was really scary and after that my boyfriend got me a taser and pepper spray that I would literally hold in my hands so that everyone could see when I rode the trains at that hour.
Intuition
flee evil dead GIFGiphyRiding with brother in law to help him buy a couch he found on Craigslist.
Pull into a very shady looking apartment complex and notice a few people up front watching us pull in and suddenly calling someone with their cell. Bad body language all around.
Lizard brain says it's an ambush.
Tell BIL and we turn around and leave.
That night on the news there was a shootout because dudes were setting people up to be robbed at the back of the complex.
Gang Crap
I was in Camden. NJ. 1991. Hanging with some people I was familiar with and my friend T. T and I were just talking, hanging out on the block while the older kids were selling to passing cars.
For a couple weeks I had been trying to convince T to stop hanging on these couple blocks. There was too much turf crap in Camden. Always someone or other rolling through slow or staring from the end of the block. Gang stuff.
Anyway, one evening I see this car go by three times.
I knew that was it. I could feel it in my gut. I saw them turn in again and then start to go a little faster. Grabbed T and got low behind a burned out car and made myself the smallest target. 3 dealers died that night. I'm pretty sure one or two of the guys in the car died, too.
It was a damn mess. I booked it to the bus depot and stayed out of camden for a couple months. T was fine that night but died a couple months later in other gang sh!t. Forget gang crap.
New Places to Go
Went off roading with a friend in an area he'd gone to the week before. First we explored the stuff he'd already done, but decided to finish off by exploring some new areas. We get to the top of this crest and enjoy the view for a second before both looking down and seeing about 10 cars in a ravine. We were both ready to nope the hell outta that.
Through the Kitchen
Was in a bar on the rooftop deck. Some dudes started getting rowdy near the entrance to the deck. I could see the escalation happening and I told the gal I had been talking to to follow me and we went down the back stairs through the kitchen.
Two things happened that night. First, one of the guys got stabbed... In the head... Like through the top of his skull. Super glad I got out of there when I did. Second, I had sex that night. She thought it was super cool to "escape through the kitchen."
Don't Wait
Me and a girlfriend were making out in my car somewhere in downtown. Some empty parking lot at night. I happened to look out the window and see a guy walking up to us in the dark from a distance. I decided not to wait around. As soon as I started the car, he started running towards us. I took off as fast as I could.
I'd rather pancakes....
run away GIFGiphyWhen some guy came into Waffle House looking for a piece of paper that the waitress accidentally threw away. The guy said he was going home to get his gun that was under his mattress and come back to Waffle House. My friend and I got our checks immediately, paid and left. We were not hanging around!
Ruled by the Cartel....
I was in a bar in a Mexican town that was ruled by the cartel. This was maybe 20 years ago. My friends and I were having fun drinking cheap beer and taking shots. Suddenly, the group of guys sitting at the table next to us got up and started readying their pistols and they all started to face toward the entrance.
They were obviously expecting some sort of ambush or something. My friends and I didn't even have to say anything we just got the hell out and ran till we were far far away. We never got the story about what was up with that, but we returned to the bar the next day and it was closed. It never opened again.
Are you tourists?
ben wheatley horror GIF by ShudderGiphyWas in Paris November 2015 on Vacation. My girlfriend and I were in a small pub having a drink before heading back to the hotel. Most of the pub was watching the soccer game and we weren't really paying attention.
All of a sudden we noticed the whole pub went quiet, and we saw the news on the TV about the terror attacks. The bartender could speak English and said to us "Are you tourists? You need to get back to your hotel NOW".
We thankfully were close enough to run back and we basically hid there with the blinds closed and lights off watching it happen on TV, terrified because we had no idea how far the attacks were going to spread.
The scariest part is that had briefly considered getting tickets to the EoDM concert that night, had we gone who knows what could have happened.
My folks and I.....
As a kid, the torch from the Beijing Olympics was being run through an area near where we lived. We went to a viewing spot where they were holding a barbecue, so there were a lot of people gathered there.
Now it's important to remember that China was under a lot of scrutiny for human rights abuse. As such, there were a number of pro-China supporters who had brought flags and such to the viewing. The whole thing had a bit of a tense atmosphere, but so far nothing bad happened.
Then, shortly before the torch was due to arrive, a bus-load of anti-China demonstrators rocked up. They started silently walking out holding signs condemning the abuse.
And the pro-China crowd absolutely lost it. There was a barricade separating the two groups, and we were between the barricade and the pro-China crowd. I distinctly remember a group of them running towards the barricade throwing water bottles and such, oblivious to the fact that they were about to trample a kid.
My folks and I ran and left the area, watching the torch in a less crowded spot down the road.
Shots at the King....
Stopped at a burger king for lunch with a couple friends when the cops showed up because someone threatened to shoot someone. The supposed gunman left right before we walked in.
We left the burger king and just as we crossed the street, we heard gunshots coming from the place and ran for a couple blocks.
Out of Dodge....
The finish line of the Boston bombing. We were standing on the opposite side of the street in between the bombs. Thought the first bomb was just a smoke cannon or something similar. When the second one went off we realized what was happening and ran down a side alley. We tried to hide in the doorway of a hotel's back entrance and the people already hiding there wouldn't let us in.
They physically pushed us out of the doorway and told us to find somewhere else to go. Practically spat at us to screw off. We had no idea what direction was safe to go but thankfully we were okay. The initial 15 minutes after it happened were terrifying but we just keep moving to gtfo dodge as soon as we could.
After the Wings
Futurama Reaction GIFGiphyDriving a friend home after a group dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. We pull into friend's apartment and I notice a car following us. They pull in the apartment and park beside us. We sit a coupe of minutes just talking when I realize the guy in the next car who is alone still hasn't got out. I told my friend something didn't feel right. We back out and the car follows us. I knew a bunch of back road and hit those quick enough to lose the guy. One he was gone I took my friend back home and watched her go in safely.
bad vibes....
I was driving home from my shift as a bartender and needed to stop for gas. I'm filling up and I notice there's a sedan parked over at the diesel pumps. Lights off, but clearly two guys sitting in the car. When my car finished filling up I went into the store, hoping these guys would leave.
I asked the guy behind the counter how long they'd been there, and he hadn't even noticed them. I stayed until another guy pulled up to the pumps and walked in, but they were still there when I left.
I checked the news the next morning and there was a robbery at a gas station nearby around the time I was going home. I don't know if it was those same guys trying to take down another place, but they were giving me bad vibes.
I can still feel his arm around my neck.
Was in Chicago, got off a train station and a homeless guy came up to myself and my friend. He said he was really depressed, wanted to kill himself and wanted a hug. Had no idea what to do, but then he put his arms around our necks and put us all into a hug.
I couldn't get out of the hug. I tried to leave. His arm was wrapped around my neck tightly. Eventually he asked us to come with him to the shops, I asked him if he wanted us to buy him something. He said no, he had the money.
We walk with him towards the shop, so uncomfortable. He had a duffel bag and said he'd pay, but he just wanted us to go with him to the shop.
Once we were outside the shop, I told my friend let's get out of here. He started going into his bag and that's when we legged it. I had no idea what he was going to grab, he could have been harmless but the fact that we couldn't leave his hug earlier remains with me. I can still feel his arm around my neck.
An Evil Wind....
Not me,but my parents. My parents were in Thailand on their honeymoon on December 25 2004. They were by the beach. My parents say they had a feeling they should advance the tickets a day ahead. 8:00 am on the morning on 2004,they took off and saw the waves come in and destroy the resort they were in.
Is it Me?
weird leonardo dicaprio GIFGiphyI went to a friend's house with my mom to take them some old clothes. The doors were unlocked, cars were there, jackets on the couch, phones on the coffee table. But nobody was there. My insides were screaming that this was bad and we had to leave. It turned out they had gone somewhere with another person and everyone thought I was crazy. The way they left the house was just super unsettling.
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