15x20: Stalkers in the Canyon

Speaker 1 Degree Advanced, the world's number one antiperspirant, provides up to 72 hours of protection against the sweat and odor that comes with life.

Speaker 1 Degree is the getting a walk before work, getting dressed in the car, running from the parking lot, antipersperam, the deadlines approaching, crunch time, hustle hard, play hard, antiperspirant, the sweating, working, maximum exerting antipersperam for when the heat is on, so you can do what you need to do and work how you need to work.

Speaker 1 Sweat moves you forward. Degree is here to make sure it doesn't hold you back.
Degree here for sweat.

Speaker 4 Time for a sofa upgrade. Introducing Anibay sofas, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices.
Every Anibay sofa is modular, allowing you to rearrange your space effortlessly.

Speaker 4 Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy.

Speaker 4 Liquids simply slide right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in-feel or a supportive memory foam blend.

Speaker 4 Plus, our pet-friendly, stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washable sofas.com to upgrade your living space today.

Speaker 4 Sofas start at just $699 with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get early access to Black Friday now.
The biggest sale of the year can save you up to 60% off.

Speaker 4 Plus, free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

Speaker 2 This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised.
If you have a story to share, send it to let's not meetstories at gmail.com.

Speaker 2 This happened when I was seventeen. It was the holidays, so I was home from school with my friend, whom we'll call Talia.

Speaker 2 My household domestic worker was there as well. We'll call her Liz.

Speaker 2 It was around 11 a.m., and Talia and I were just hanging out in my room. Liz was washing dishes, and when she glanced out the window, she saw two men in our backyard in the reflection.

Speaker 2 She ran upstairs to tell me what she had seen, and I immediately hit the panic button, sounding the alarm loudly throughout the house.

Speaker 2 I remember calling my dad to tell him what was happening, but he was working pretty far away, and it would take some time for him to get home, so he said he would call the police.

Speaker 2 I wanted to run downstairs and lock the security gate at the bottom of the stairs, but even over the loud wailing of the alarm system, I could distinctly hear the sound of wood cracking as the men outside were breaking the back door open to get inside.

Speaker 2 I was worried that they would be faster than us, so I decided not to go downstairs.

Speaker 2 Instead, the three of us raced across the landing, upstairs, and decided that we would lock ourselves in my parents' room.

Speaker 2 When we reached my parents' bedroom, it was locked, and there was no key.

Speaker 2 So then we ran back across the landing again, and just as we were passing the top of the stairs, we saw those two men bounding up. They were just a meter or two away from us.

Speaker 2 They were large men, both over six feet tall, and they were clutching a screwdriver and a rope in their hands.

Speaker 2 Lis then tried to grab our cellphones from the guest room as we passed, and one of them caught up with her there. They slapped her across the face, grabbed the phones, and pushed her into the room.

Speaker 2 Talia and I kept running. With the two men just a couple of meters behind us, we reached the end of the landing.
So then we dashed into my mom's office and slammed the door shut.

Speaker 2 My heart sank as I heard the clink of the key to my parents' bedroom hitting the opposite wall.

Speaker 2 It had been on the other side of the door to my mom's office this whole time.

Speaker 2 At this point, Talia was hysterical. She was crying in the corner with both of her hands on her head as I held the door shut.
What are we going to do? She whimpered.

Speaker 2 I felt strangely calm. I just remembered thinking that I couldn't let anything happen to her.

Speaker 2 Just then there were two knocks at the door, and they were followed by Hello?

Speaker 2 I was in utter disbelief. These two intruders were calmly knocking on the office door and expecting a response, as if this were some kind of normal thing.

Speaker 2 We didn't respond to them. Our silence was followed with more knocking and a second hello.

Speaker 2 Once again we didn't respond. The two men then started turning the doorknob and pushing the door open.

Speaker 2 I tried to stop the knob from turning, but I couldn't get a good grip on it, so I pushed back the door and dug my heels into the carpet as deep as I possibly could.

Speaker 2 The phone then started to ring. I knew that it was an armed response, so I shouted over Talia and instructed, answer the phone and tell them what's happening.
Speak loudly.

Speaker 2 I wanted the intruders to know that someone was on their way. While she was on the phone with security, I was fighting these two men with all my strength to control the door.

Speaker 2 They pushed it open wide enough for a small adult to slip through, and I shoved it back with all my might and nearly got the door shut again.

Speaker 2 This part in particular felt like it went on forever, but in reality it was probably just a few minutes. Also keep in mind the entire time the alarm was blaring.

Speaker 2 Eventually the men just left and after waiting it out for a while Talia and I felt safe enough to leave the room.

Speaker 2 My dad arrived home before anyone else got there, and we told him everything that happened.

Speaker 2 Armed response arrived forty-five minutes after we spoke to them on the phone.

Speaker 2 Then the police arrived two hours after them.

Speaker 2 This is why nobody relies on cops in South Africa. It was only when we explained the whole thing to the police that the reality of the situation set in for us.

Speaker 2 The adrenaline was also starting to wear off around this time, so I went into shock. I was shaky for a bit, but I felt grateful that everyone was okay.

Speaker 2 I'm amazed at what adrenaline can do. How it's possible for a tiny teenage girl to hold back two huge fully grown men.
That is insane to me.

Speaker 2 After that day, I realized what I was capable of whenever things would hit the fan.

Speaker 2 I also learned that it's important to have a plan just in case anything goes down, especially if you're on your own and have no idea if anyone is going to get there in time to help you.

Speaker 2 This was easily the scariest thing that's ever happened to me.

Speaker 2 This happened about three years ago when I was twenty-six. I was walking home late at night from a friend's house.
It was dark, and at the time I lived in a rough part of a large city.

Speaker 2 I've had many sketchy situations that I have gotten myself out of, so I guess I felt sort of invincible. I genuinely felt like nothing scary could happen.

Speaker 2 Even though this is how I felt, I've always stayed very alert and aware of my surroundings when I walk alone, just in case.

Speaker 2 About halfway home, roughly ten minutes from my apartment, I noticed that a van had started tailing me.

Speaker 2 I was used to this in my city. It was very common for a young woman in a rough area to be propositioned for sex.

Speaker 2 It's embarrassing how desensitized I was to this, but it was so common that I was just used to it.

Speaker 2 Once I clocked the van, I did my usual and I crossed the road so that I would be walking beside the traffic heading in the other direction.

Speaker 2 As I did this, I wasn't scared, I was annoyed. The van then turned down a side street, then got back onto the road that I was on and pulled up to me.

Speaker 2 Even though this confirmed that I was being tailed, I still wasn't scared.

Speaker 2 Again, this has happened so many times that it never mattered if I was wearing something that showed more skin, or if I was wearing a winter coat zipped from my ankles to just below my my chin.

Speaker 2 This area that I was in was notorious for that type of activity. I decided to be firm and sternly said, I'm not interested.

Speaker 2 And then I noticed that there were two men in the van. They looked almost identical.
They may have been twins or at least brothers. Both of the men had dark eyes and short dark hair.

Speaker 2 Even though I dismissed them, the van didn't move. I was very annoyed, so I crossed the road again to get away from them.

Speaker 2 I figured this would get my point across, and it would be enough to get them to stop following me, but they didn't. They kept circling back every time I crossed the road.

Speaker 2 I've never had to put that much effort into getting a horny pervert to leave me alone, so this is when I started to feel unsafe.

Speaker 2 At one point, they zipped by me at the speed of traffic.

Speaker 2 I yelled at them, fuck off.

Speaker 2 I thought that was finally it, since after that I hadn't seen the van for at least three minutes. They had been persistent, so I thought I was in the clear.

Speaker 2 But just in case, I pulled my phone out, and I was getting ready to call my sister, who I lived with.

Speaker 2 Just then the van pulled up to me very quickly, and before I could even blink, one of the men jumped out of the van, opened the back door, and approached me quickly and aggressively, as if he were about to scoop me up and throw me into the vehicle.

Speaker 2 The traffic in that area was very inconsistent, and it had died down around that time, so I imagine that was what they were waiting for.

Speaker 2 Just as the man was about to place his hands on me, I tilted my phone up and said, You are being filmed on a live video chat.

Speaker 2 I gave my friends your license plate number, and the police have been notified.

Speaker 2 I was so scared, but I didn't let that show. I stayed as calm as I could.

Speaker 2 The The man then paused, like he was considering whether I was bluffing or telling the truth, so I tilted my phone even more so that it would seem like I was trying to give my fake audience a better look at him.

Speaker 2 He then jumped into the van and they sped off. And I've never been the same since that night.
I'm afraid of walking alone now, even in the daytime.

Speaker 2 To those creeps in that van that night, let's not ever meet.

Speaker 2 I'm in the hydration era, and I'm not looking back. When I use drip drop, I feel sharper, calmer, and honestly, prettier.
It turns out hydration is a beauty hack, and that's why I use drip drop.

Speaker 2 It's science-based hydration that actually helps me feel and look my best without the sugar crash. Dripdrop is doctor-developed proven fast hydration that helps your body and mind work better.

Speaker 2 It uses a precise ratio of electrolytes and glucose for rapid absorption. It delivers three times the electrolytes and half the sugar of leading sports drinks.

Speaker 2 So you feel results fast, more focus, more energy, improved mood, even glowing skin.

Speaker 2 Dripdrop's science-backed formula is trusted by firefighters, medical professionals, and over 90% of of top college and pro teams because it's engineered to rehydrate you faster and more effectively than water alone.

Speaker 2 It actually tastes great too. There are 16 flavors and 8 zero sugar options.
And it fits seamlessly into my routine, morning, post-workout, or even just a midday slump.

Speaker 2 My high cardio gym sessions have improved big time since I started using Dripdrop. To make it easy, Dripdrop has flexible subscription options, so you're never stuck without proven fast hydration.

Speaker 2 Whether you're on the job at the gym or parenting through a heat wave, you'll always have drip on hand. Right now, drip drop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order.

Speaker 2 Go to dripdrop.com and use the promo code MEET. That's dripdrop.com promo code meet for 20% off.
Stock up now before the heat hits hard. Dripdrop.com and use promo code MEATNOW.

Speaker 2 About four years ago, I was a junior at a small college in LA County. Bordering my town was a large cavernous region known as Turnbull Canyon.

Speaker 2 It's the kind of place that has a healthy amount of creepy folklore surrounding it. There's an area emphatically known as Hell's Gates.

Speaker 2 Stories of cult activity, gang killings, abandoned mental institutions, and the like. You know, the kind of shit that you hear about any place old enough to have a reputation.

Speaker 2 In reality, most of the stories were spawned from a tragedy that occurred years prior. A woman's body was found at the base of the canyon, and from then on, the rest is history.

Speaker 2 Nevertheless, when a photographer friend asked me and another buddy to go out to the canyon to take some photos of the LA skyline, I had to oblige.

Speaker 2 The canyon was about a 30-minute drive from our campus.

Speaker 2 We had been listening to The King of Limbs during the entire drive, which proved to be the perfect ambiance to get me feeling pretty anxious about our little excursion.

Speaker 2 I should also note, I'm a pretty anxious guy in general, so traveling out to a remote area, preceded by its reputation for scary occurrences, admittedly had me thinking twice about going.

Speaker 2 At the top of the canyon, there's a small residential area, a few ritzy houses, surrounded by trees and woods.

Speaker 2 To venture into the canyon itself, you have to follow a main trail with several smaller trails that split off in other directions.

Speaker 2 They ultimately culminate after a couple of miles or so at the base of a steep hill adorned with an old water tower overlooking the city.

Speaker 2 Anyhow, we parked our car at the top of the canyon road, divvied up the camera gear, and made our way to the trailhead. It was about 1 a.m.

Speaker 2 After walking the trail for five minutes or so, Dave, the photographer, decided it was time to set up his first shot, while our other friend Jeff and I kept watch.

Speaker 2 Eventually he got the shot he needed, and we continued walking for another five or so minutes before Dave decided to set up his next shot.

Speaker 2 By this point, the trailhead had disappeared behind us completely, and we were a little less than a quarter of the way to the water tower.

Speaker 2 While setting up the tripod, we noticed the faint glow of headlights off in the distance, which was strange because the trail isn't meant for cars, nor is it big enough for them to pass through.

Speaker 2 If I recall, the trail is only about five feet wide, with shrubbery on both sides.

Speaker 2 This was clearly a bit of a red flag for us, as we were the only people out there, there, so we immediately packed up our things and ducked off into the brush, waiting for the car to pass.

Speaker 2 Eventually an old pickup truck idled to a stop about fifty yards from where we were hiding.

Speaker 2 The truck itself was old and rickety, sitting on a lifted chassis, the bed of which was missing entirely.

Speaker 2 Growing up in the country, I knew it as the type of truck typically owned by backwoods folk who lived in the boonies boonies and preferred to be left to their own devices.

Speaker 2 We watched in agonizing anticipation as the truck idled in place for several minutes before flooring it down one of the trails, with the roar of the engine echoing throughout the canyon.

Speaker 2 We were spooked as the three of us speculated about our next step.

Speaker 2 Jeff and I were reluctant to continue, while Dave assured us that it was probably nothing, perhaps just a guy off-roading, as he put it.

Speaker 2 So, with great reluctance, Jeff and I trudged on behind Dave toward the water tower to get the final shots. Nevertheless, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this truck.

Speaker 2 I mean, I knew plenty of people in high school who would go off-roading for fun in the woods, but never on finicky canyon trails barely wide enough to hike on, let alone drive.

Speaker 2 It just didn't sit right with me.

Speaker 2 After walking without interference for about an hour, we finally made it out to the water tower. We climbed to the top of the hill and took in the view of the city.

Speaker 2 Dave, once again, started setting up his equipment while Jeff and I stood on both sides of the water tower, keeping watch just in case the truck came back.

Speaker 2 But we didn't see anything, and by then it was around 3 a.m.

Speaker 2 Dave decided that he had all of the shots he needed, so we packed up our equipment and committed to heading back before it got too late, seeing as how all of us had classes in just a few hours.

Speaker 2 Just as we were preparing to descend the hill, the truck came roaring out of the canyon below us, back onto the trail. The driver was attempting to climb the hill, revving the engine loudly.

Speaker 2 We were scared shitless, so the three of us slid off the side of the hill into the brush, clinging to plants and rocks.

Speaker 2 As the truck finally made it atop the hill, slowly driving around the tire, we could see the glow of headlights each time it circled above us.

Speaker 2 After waiting for nearly ten minutes, while also trying not to make any noise, the truck eventually descended the hill, stopping in the middle of the trail no more than 100 yards away.

Speaker 2 We then watched as a scruffy man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties stepped out of the idling truck and into the glow of its headlights.

Speaker 2 He was just moseying around while looking at the ground. Then he knelt down, looked at something in the dirt, and surveyed the area intently.

Speaker 2 As he did this, it became increasingly apparent that he was tracking something.

Speaker 2 It was our footprints.

Speaker 2 This next part chills me to the bone.

Speaker 2 As my friends and I huddled together watching in complete terror, another man wearing a long, dark parka emerged from the brush right where we had been hiking, joining the other man at his side.

Speaker 2 It turns out he had been out there the entire time we were walking the trail, just watching us, following behind at a safe distance.

Speaker 2 The two of them talked for a long while, but we couldn't hear a word.

Speaker 2 They continued scanning the area looking for our footprints, but they eventually got in the truck and drove down one of the forks in the trail.

Speaker 2 We sat in silence for a long time after that.

Speaker 2 We waited nearly two hours just to ensure the coast was clear, at which point we hurried down the canyon, back to our car, and back to our campus just in time for class.

Speaker 2 This happened ten years ago during my senior year of high school. Senior year was so emotionally draining.

Speaker 2 I had broken up with my long-term boyfriend just a week before and had lost my best friend the previous September.

Speaker 2 This had left me in a very fragile mental state, but I wanted to get better, so I thought, with a bit of therapy, I could be feeling better before I graduated.

Speaker 2 The city I lived in at the time offered free youth counseling a few neighborhoods away from mine. I jumped on this offer.
I made an appointment after school on Thursday, the 26th of February 2015.

Speaker 2 I went to my therapy appointment with a friend who lived near the youth center. She waited outside for me while I chatted with the therapist to come up with a game plan.

Speaker 2 We decided that I would start a weekly appointment for the next two months, and then we would re-evaluate and see where things were going.

Speaker 2 I was so happy to be working towards healing myself, and when I rejoined my friend, we wandered to a nearby McDonald's and split a small fry before we parted ways.

Speaker 2 She then hopped on the bus to get back to her nearby house, and I hopped on my bus to get to the subway.

Speaker 2 The city was laid out like a grid with its public transit, and I was lucky enough to live a block away from a major subway station.

Speaker 2 It was a quick ten-minute walk home from the station, which I often made quicker by cutting through a park.

Speaker 2 I was walking up to this park, listening to Wild for the Night by ASAP Rocky, and switched to Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars as I crossed into the grass.

Speaker 2 I was wearing those stupid, noise-isolating beats earphones, and was enjoying the build-up to the chorus when it happened.

Speaker 2 A hand flew over my mouth. I instantly assumed it was my ex playing a prank on me and tried to murmur his name through the hand.
Jeff?

Speaker 2 The person responded by jerking my head back hard. And in that moment I knew that it wasn't a joke.
This was the moment my mom had always warned me about growing up.

Speaker 2 As I was having this inner realization, the person's other hand inched up my skirt. They were trying to rip through my tights.

Speaker 2 The music was still blaring in my ears with Bruno Mars crooning, and I reached up and scratched the hand over my mouth as hard as I could, hoping that he would drop it so that I could scream.

Speaker 2 But he held me harder. So I started to kick.
I was wearing four-inch heels and I drove one of them as hard as I could into the top of his foot.

Speaker 2 He lost his balance and I swiveled away, kicking him as hard as I could. I ripped my headphones out and began to scream for help as he started to run away from me.

Speaker 2 I was calling 911 as I saw a few lights click on in nearby houses. One guy came out onto his balcony, and I ran in the direction of his home and screamed, Please help! Someone just tried to grab me.

Speaker 2 He then stepped back inside.

Speaker 2 After dispatch picked up my call, they arrived just moments later. I had watched the path the guy took as he ran from me, and made note of what physical features I could.

Speaker 2 He was just a few inches taller than me, likely five ten. He was rather thin and had spiky hair.
The description didn't match anyone that I knew, so I thought it was random.

Speaker 2 The police released dogs and asked if they could come to my house to swab for DNA and get a full statement from me.

Speaker 2 My parents also arrived at this point and readily agreed, as I was in shock.

Speaker 2 It didn't feel real.

Speaker 2 The police then came by to scrape my fingernails for DNA and took my statement. Midway through, my dog started barking extremely loudly outside.

Speaker 2 I snapped at my mom to take care of the dog and then realized our dog was curled up by my mom's feet.

Speaker 2 So we walked to the kitchen, which overlooked the backyard. The police dogs had congregated below my bedroom window.

Speaker 2 This meant that the guy who attacked me came to my house immediately afterwards, so it wasn't random at all. It appeared I was an intentional target.

Speaker 2 After many talks with the police, one detective noticed something. He realized that I had been stalked through social media for years.

Speaker 2 The guy who attacked me was paid by my stalker to ambush me. He was a local college student struggling with student debt.

Speaker 2 The police then upped patrols in the neighborhood, and a few days after I was attacked, he snapped. He was in the car with his father and saw a bunch of police cars up ahead.

Speaker 2 He thought he had been found, so he gave up. He got out of the car, ran to the nearest bridge, and jumped.

Speaker 2 I wasn't told about this until August, months after the attack. I was heartbroken for the kid and his family.
The crime did not justify the punishment he self-inflicted.

Speaker 2 My stalker continued their harassment for another year following this, but this was the only time I was physically attacked because of them.

Speaker 2 To my knowledge, my stalker has never faced any consequences for their actions.

Speaker 2 I don't know them, but the detective who handled my case had a very clear idea of who they were.

Speaker 2 My stalker is much younger than I am, so they weren't able to have charges filed against them.

Speaker 2 To my stalker, let's not meet. But to my attacker, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. As the days get shorter and darker, it can start to feel like the world slows down a bit.
Sometimes that quiet can make things feel heavier, though.

Speaker 2 Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how easy it is to just lose touch with people that we care about and how much it can mean to reach out.

Speaker 2 I recently called an old friend that I hadn't talked with in years, and we ended up talking for hours. When we finally hung up, all I could think about was why didn't I do this this sooner?

Speaker 2 That's what BetterHelp is encouraging this month, to reach out and check with others and also to remember that you don't have to go through things alone.

Speaker 2 Just like it can take a little courage to send a text or make a call, reaching out for therapy can feel hard at first as well. But once you do, it can make all the difference.

Speaker 2 BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step by matching you with a licensed therapist based on your needs and preferences.

Speaker 2 With over 30,000 therapists and more than 12 years of experience, they've helped over 5 million people around the world. This month, don't wait to reach out.

Speaker 2 Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step.

Speaker 2 Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/slash not meet. That's betterhelp.com/slash not meet.

Speaker 2 This happened recently. It was around around seven thirty p.m., so it was already dark outside.

Speaker 2 My friend and I, both twenty two year old females, were about two thirds of the way through our sixteen hour drive back home from Salem, Massachusetts.

Speaker 2 I really needed to be, so we stopped at a rest area in eastern Pennsylvania. I usually avoid rest areas, but it looked nice enough.
So I didn't have any bad feelings about it.

Speaker 2 We walked in, and the only other person inside was an older man who looked to be in his mid to late sixties.

Speaker 2 He was standing by the vending machines, talking on his phone, but we just went past him and went into the bathroom. We were there for a good ten to fifteen minutes since my friend was freshening up.

Speaker 2 When we were finished, we walked back out laughing about something one of us had said.

Speaker 2 The man was still standing there, but he wasn't on the phone any more.

Speaker 2 He was just staring staring at us.

Speaker 2 He smiled in a way that we both thought was pretty creepy, but he just kept looking at us and grinning the entire time that it took us to get to the door and exit the rest area.

Speaker 2 Once we were outside, we ran back to my car, which was about six parking spaces from the door. We were still laughing, but also a little freaked out.

Speaker 2 We were about to get into the car when I remembered my boyfriend wanted us to check my my oil on the way home since it was such a long drive and my car had been having some minor issues.

Speaker 2 I considered waiting until the next time we needed to stop for gas, but decided to just get it over with, so I checked it out.

Speaker 2 As I was checking the oil, the man from before, along with another slightly younger man that we hadn't seen yet, walked out of the rest area.

Speaker 2 They both started walking toward us. The younger man was heading right for us, while the older man went diagonally.

Speaker 2 It was odd that they were heading in our direction so deliberately, since there weren't any other cars past mine.

Speaker 2 The only cars that I could see were on the other side of the lot, closer to the building.

Speaker 2 As these men were closing in on us, my friend and I looked at each other and bolted for the car doors, but once we were inside, we realized I was still holding the dipstick.

Speaker 2 I cursed myself as we had to run back out and lift the hood again.

Speaker 2 Once the dipstick was back in place, we rushed back into the car and locked the doors as they were approaching.

Speaker 2 Then we watched as the younger man walked slowly past the car staring at us with a blank expression.

Speaker 2 He continued pacing down the sidewalk that stretched in front of my car for a while before pausing for a second and turning around to come back toward us.

Speaker 2 The older man, still just smiling, got within a few feet of the driver's side door, then turned and walked past us to the other side of the parking lot.

Speaker 2 I then reversed out of the parking spot that I was in, and once I straightened the car, I started pulling forward to leave the rest area.

Speaker 2 We then saw that he had moved to the middle of the road and was standing there with that same unnerving smile.

Speaker 2 But this time he was motioning for us to stop. I drove past him because,

Speaker 2 well,

Speaker 2 no way.

Speaker 2 We just continued along and watched in the mirrors as both of the men got into the cars on the other side of the parking lot closer to the building.

Speaker 2 We spent the next couple of hours shaking up and blabbing about what could have happened.

Speaker 2 I tried telling myself maybe they were going to ask if I needed help with the car troubles, but I was very clearly just checking the oil.

Speaker 2 It doesn't make any sense why the younger man would walk the complete opposite direction from his car and go so far down the sidewalk. I'm not really sure what was going on.

Speaker 2 When I was in my early twenties, I went on holiday to Grand Canaria with my boyfriend, who is now my fiancé.

Speaker 2 We were approached by a guy who was from the same country as us. We started chatting with him, and he seemed really nice.

Speaker 2 He told us he liked to travel alone, and that he didn't know anyone here, so he was happy to find some people from his home country.

Speaker 2 We hadn't seen him speaking to anyone else, so we assumed this was the truth. After the three of us had been drinking together for a while, my boyfriend went to the bathroom.

Speaker 2 Even though I had already had a bit to drink, aside from feeling a bit tipsy, I was fine, and I felt completely in control of myself.

Speaker 2 When my boyfriend was gone, this guy proceeded to buy another drink for me.

Speaker 2 I drank it, and when my boyfriend came back, this guy told us about a club that he really liked, so we decided to tag along with him.

Speaker 2 And this is when things got weird. We arrived at the club, and it was very obvious that he knew people working there quite well.

Speaker 2 I started dancing, and then felt incredibly drunk. It was to the point where I was staggering around and my eyes went fuzzy.

Speaker 2 Even though I was in this state, I could see that people who were working in this club were staring at me intensely.

Speaker 2 I assumed it was just because I was drunk, so I looked around to try and find my boyfriend.

Speaker 2 The guy had taken him to a different section of the club, and then the guy came back over to me without my boyfriend.

Speaker 2 He had a new drink. He had just purchased it for me.
I said I was okay, and said that I needed some water, but the guy was very insistent that I drink the drink he just brought me.

Speaker 2 By this point, I felt a weird vibe that I hadn't had previously.

Speaker 2 Keep in mind, as this was happening, the people working in the club were just staring.

Speaker 2 My boyfriend came over before I drank anything else and said that he wanted to go back to the hotel because he was tired. The guy kept insisting that we stay, but we left anyway.

Speaker 2 My mind completely blanked out during the walk back to the hotel, which was jarring for me, since I've never lost my memory from alcohol consumption before.

Speaker 2 But it picked back up again after we arrived back at the hotel. Once we were back, I felt more drunk than I had ever been in my entire life.

Speaker 2 I I couldn't stand up. I couldn't get my clothes off to get into my pajamas.
I could barely string a sentence together.

Speaker 2 I decided to throw up and spent a solid thirty minutes leaning over the toilet to get the alcohol out of my system.

Speaker 2 I went to sleep after that and woke up the next day with a crazy hangover.

Speaker 2 It could have been an innocent night, and maybe I'm overthinking it, and just drank too much, all on my own. But this seems different.

Speaker 2 I genuinely feel as if I had been drugged.

Speaker 2 I bet you've seen millions of ads for hair growth products and thought, sure, like that actually works. I did too.
Until I found out that Nutrofol isn't like the rest of them.

Speaker 2 Nutrofol is physician-formulated, clinically tested, and dermatologists recommend it.

Speaker 2 A friend of mine actually started using Nutrophol after dealing with some hair thinning, and they couldn't stop talking about how much of a difference it made.

Speaker 2 Their hair started looking thicker and stronger, and they said that they felt more confident than they had in a long time.

Speaker 2 In fact, before they even told me they were using Nutrophil, I could tell the difference.

Speaker 2 Nutrofol is the number one dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people.

Speaker 2 You can feel great about what you're putting in your body since Nutrophil hair growth supplements are backed by peer-reviewed studies and NSF content certified, the gold standard of third-party certification for supplements.

Speaker 2 While many supplements rely solely on ingredient studies, Nutrofol clinically tests final formations to ensure their efficacy using a variety of hair measurement tools, like hair counts and pull tests, to assess growth, quality, shedding, and texture.

Speaker 2 Adding Nutrophol to your daily routine is simple. Purchase online, no prescription required.
Automated deliveries and free shipping will keep you on track.

Speaker 2 Plus, with the NutriFoll subscription, you can save up to 20%,

Speaker 2 and you'll have access to free one-on-one naturopathic doctor consults to support you on your hair growth journey. Plus, a Headspace Meditation membership is included.

Speaker 2 See thicker, stronger, faster-growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutrofoll.

Speaker 2 For a limited time, Nutrofoll is offering our listeners $10 on your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrofoll.com and enter the promo code MEET, M-E-E-T.

Speaker 2 Find out why Neutrophold is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand at Neutrophold.com spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L dot com, promo code MEAT. That's Neutrophold.com, promo code MEET.

Speaker 2 I want to start by saying I still work for this company, and I still have anxiety every time I go to work. The company that I work for is huge.
It's one of the biggest names in the world.

Speaker 2 For privacy purposes, I'll just say that that it's called the Big Cheese.

Speaker 2 I also want to mention that I have crippling social anxiety, which I credit to being homeschooled most of my life.

Speaker 2 This will make more sense later. It all started one September around five years ago, when I was fresh out of high school and looking for work.

Speaker 2 I needed a job immediately because I was living with my significant other and we were barely getting by.

Speaker 2 My father and grandfather both worked for this company and had been for a long period of time, so when others in the family also started working there, it garnered a lot of respect within my family.

Speaker 2 So of course I was thrilled when I got my first interview. It went great, and I was hired and then set up to start training, which involved a few classes and some on-the-job training.

Speaker 2 The classes were awkward, to say the least, but they were informative nonetheless.

Speaker 2 After the rest of the new hires and I completed our first training class, we were assigned our first task, which was to join a group of fellow trainees and tour the work environment.

Speaker 2 This was when I first met Creepy Coworker. I'll refer to them as Cece moving forward.

Speaker 2 Cece was in the very back of the group. He seemed a little shy, and didn't really talk to the rest of the group unless he was trying to make an awkward joke to join in.

Speaker 2 At first I just felt bad for him. He seemed harmless, but he was definitely awkward and out of the loop.

Speaker 2 Knowing as much as I did going into the company, I made an effort to inform him and keep him updated with what the trainers were asking of us.

Speaker 2 Despite my efforts, he seemed perpetually lost and confused.

Speaker 2 I thought I was doing a good thing by helping him out, though, and my significant other thought the same at the time.

Speaker 2 The rest of the training class went by without any hiccups, and soon after all of us new hires were given specifics on the location where we would be starting.

Speaker 2 Ironically enough, the person whom I had somewhat gotten to know, Cece,

Speaker 2 was assigned to the same area as I was.

Speaker 2 Realizing that we would start together in a section where we didn't know anyone, we decided to exchange phone numbers.

Speaker 2 This was so that we could coordinate to meet up the following week on our official starting date, so we wouldn't get lost.

Speaker 2 It was his idea to exchange numbers, and I genuinely thought nothing of it when he asked for my number.

Speaker 2 I simply assumed it was because he was nervous and didn't know anyone besides me.

Speaker 2 I really lived to regret that.

Speaker 2 On our first day of on-the-job training, we met up at a flagpole out in front so that we could wait for our trainer Christie.

Speaker 2 Right when Cece got off the employee shuttle, he immediately texted to ask where I was.

Speaker 2 I was in the smoking section just a little ways away. I was trying to quell my starting day fears and jitters with a cigarette.

Speaker 2 I replied to his text and told him where I was, and he asked if he could join.

Speaker 2 I didn't like how nervous I felt, so I wasn't comfortable allowing anyone to join me, but I saw him coming over anyway, so I scooted over to make room for him on the beach.

Speaker 2 Creating space for him didn't matter, since he decided to sit as close as he possibly could to me.

Speaker 2 I hate being touched, and having people in my personal bubble.

Speaker 2 As a victim of previous trauma, touching is something that I only permit people who are very close to me to do.

Speaker 2 Cece then proceeded to ask me if he could bum a cigarette. I've never been good at saying no, so I gave him one.

Speaker 2 After he lit it, he promptly returned my lighter, which I didn't even notice he had taken from the top of my bag.

Speaker 2 He was definitely acting all too familiar with me, but I just ignored the unwarranted invasion of my space.

Speaker 2 We then talked, since we had about thirty minutes to kill.

Speaker 2 We just talked about normal stuff, how we felt about the company so far, and where we thought we might end up.

Speaker 2 I noticed that he was wearing tattoo covering sleeves, so I asked him about his tattoos. He then pulled back his sleeves and started talking about the significance of nearly every one.

Speaker 2 All of them either had something to do with a love interest or something nerdy.

Speaker 2 I listened out of mild curiosity but quickly got uncomfortable when he pulled out his phone to show me pictures of the ones that he drew himself.

Speaker 2 I was uncomfortable because he kept showing me pictures of himself as well.

Speaker 2 Most of the photos he was sharing were of him shirtless. I didn't find this appropriate.
He mentioned that he used to be a marine and explained that he gained a bit of weight after his last tour.

Speaker 2 I empathized with him and assured him that it wasn't anything that he needed to be ashamed of.

Speaker 2 After that, he started smiling at me in a way that conveyed admiration. I had seen this exact look from my fiancée, and right when I clocked that, I knew I messed up.

Speaker 2 I quickly turned the conversation to more appropriate stuff like interests and taste in music.

Speaker 2 He seemed too interested in finding out what music I liked and decided on the spot that he should make a playlist for me.

Speaker 2 I said that wouldn't be necessary, but he insisted.

Speaker 2 Later that day, during training, he kept purposely doing kind things for me, like taking heavy boxes from my hands, and taking the odd jobs he deemed too grueling for a lady.

Speaker 2 I was a little annoyed, but mostly glad, since most of the jobs that he was insisting on doing sent him to different areas, which gave me some space.

Speaker 2 He would always find a way to reappear beside me me or scare me for fun, as he said.

Speaker 2 I hated being scared, and I told him as much, but he just laughed it off every time.

Speaker 2 I grew increasingly uncomfortable as the day wore on, and a nervousness had settled in the pit of my stomach.

Speaker 2 At the end of our shift, he walked me out, and we walked back through the maze that our workplace actually is, all the way to the employee uniform center where our lockers were.

Speaker 2 That was where we had to go change out of our work uniforms and into our regular clothes.

Speaker 2 These were stored in lockers.

Speaker 2 I was having trouble remembering the combination in my locker, and I couldn't find the little slip of paper that I had the combination on.

Speaker 2 As I struggled with this, Cece came up to me and smirked, seemingly waiting for me to finish up.

Speaker 2 I thought he had left, so I wasn't expecting him to roll up on me like that.

Speaker 2 After I attempted to put the combination in a few more times, he reached over and put it in for me.

Speaker 2 This was a serious red flag.

Speaker 2 He had already memorized my combination.

Speaker 2 This made me feel as though my privacy was already completely gone.

Speaker 2 Again, I'm awkward, so I was unsure of what to do in this situation, so I just thanked him, but told him that he needed to let me figure it out on my own next time.

Speaker 2 I was hoping that he'd just forget my combination after that.

Speaker 2 After I changed into my regular clothes in the girl's locker room, I came out, and he was still waiting for me.

Speaker 2 I asked him why he had waited when he should have just gone home, and he replied, Because I'm a gentleman, and a lady should always be walked to her car so she can be kept safe.

Speaker 2 I told him my significant other was out there waiting to pick me up. He asked me where, and I told him down the street, like an idiot.

Speaker 2 I still don't know why I felt the need to share information with this creep as much as I did, but I had never been in a situation like this, so I think I was just caught off guard.

Speaker 2 He told me this was a little too far for me to walk alone, and he said that it wasn't safe, so he offered to drive me over to my significant other's car.

Speaker 2 Due to how tired I was and how much I achieved from the day,

Speaker 2 I didn't have the strength to argue. I mean, yeah, he was creepy, but he was also nice.

Speaker 2 So I was still chalking his creepiness up to him being awkward.

Speaker 2 So without anything else weird happening, he took me to my significant other, whom I had been texting the entire time just to let him know where I was and what was going on.

Speaker 2 I had a feeling deep inside my gut saying that I should also tell him everything that I knew about Cece thus far. So I did.

Speaker 2 When we pulled up, I immediately got out of Cece's car, and my boyfriend was sitting there, leaning against his car with his arms crossed.

Speaker 2 He wasn't happy about Cece giving me a ride, but nonetheless, my boyfriend thanked him for getting me over to him safely.

Speaker 2 Cece nodded while subtly smirking at my boyfriend the whole time.

Speaker 2 This was when my boyfriend first got a bad feeling about the guy.

Speaker 2 When we got home, my boyfriend warned me about Cece and told me that he wasn't getting a good vibe from him. Not even three minutes after that, I got a text from Cece.

Speaker 2 He was starting to send songs and memes to me. He was saying things like, I feel like you really get me.

Speaker 2 This was concerning to me.

Speaker 2 What the hell did I get myself into? I thought.

Speaker 2 Why do I have to be so goddamn nice to people?

Speaker 2 The following day at work, I had a massive panic attack. I have a chronic illness, and none of my managers listened to me when I told them that the pain doesn't last and it comes and goes.

Speaker 2 So instead they proceeded to have me rushed to the emergency room.

Speaker 2 A stretcher carried me through my workplace while I was crying and trying to cover my face.

Speaker 2 I was even brought through the area where our customers were, and they were quick to take out their phones and film the whole ordeal.

Speaker 2 It was one of the worst experiences of my life, but what happened next is even worse.

Speaker 2 I received twenty texts from Cece asking me how I was.

Speaker 2 At that point I was done, so I just didn't respond. After he sent me a few more random memes, he started texting me saying that he was drunk and thinking about not going home to his wife.

Speaker 2 This was the first time he had ever even mentioned having a wife, so I was dumbfounded. Why was he so concerned about me when he had someone in his life whom he loved enough to marry?

Speaker 2 I didn't respond. I just went to bed.

Speaker 2 In the morning I woke up and saw my boyfriend looking at my phone. He was visibly angry.
My heart sank as I wondered what on earth Cece had sent to me.

Speaker 2 My boyfriend then showed me the only text I had gotten since the night before. It was from Cece's wife.
She texted me from his phone.

Speaker 2 She wrote a message explaining that Cece had a problem with getting attached to women. She warned me that I should stay away from him and then told me her name, which was my name.

Speaker 2 I shared a name with this poor woman. She then went on and explained that my name, or I suppose, our name, was a thing for him.

Speaker 2 She said that all of his exes also shared the same name.

Speaker 2 At this point my boyfriend was telling me I shouldn't go back to work since it wasn't worth it. But that's not me.

Speaker 2 I wasn't going to let this creep ruin this job opportunity for me.

Speaker 2 This job meant the world to me, and I never wanted to let it go, so I told Cece that if he continued with this behavior I would go to HR.

Speaker 2 But honestly, I didn't really want to go to HR.

Speaker 2 I was a new girl, and my first month on the job was already eventful enough.

Speaker 2 I didn't want to add a harassment case to the list.

Speaker 2 The next time I worked after that, I was so nervous the entire way there, I was biting my nails. But once I was there, Cece was no longer hovering.

Speaker 2 I thought this might have been because he was embarrassed, so I quickly convinced myself that he was no longer going to be a problem.

Speaker 2 I think that was a big mistake, though. That same day, during my lunch break, Cece went on his lunch break early so that he could come and find me.

Speaker 2 As he approached me, his normal, enthusiastic demeanor was gone. It was replaced with what felt like anger.

Speaker 2 I was kind of scared. He came up to me and let me know that his wife was full of shit.

Speaker 2 He said that she was just angry because he was divorcing her.

Speaker 2 I didn't want anything to do with him, so I kept quiet as he ranted, hoping that he'd take the hint.

Speaker 2 But he didn't. He told me that he had a gift for me and said that he would give it to me after our shift.

Speaker 2 He then quickly walked away before I could respond. After my shift, I left the work area and went to the lockers.

Speaker 2 I waited an extra hour and a half before doing so, just to ensure that Cece had left and gone home before me.

Speaker 2 As I walked up to my locker, I noticed my lock wasn't all the way locked, so I was freaked out. I opened the locker to grab my bag and go, but then I noticed it.

Speaker 2 There was a rolled-up piece of paper tucked into my locker. I unrolled it and saw it was a drawing of a naked woman who resembled my character and World of Warcraft.

Speaker 2 Now I had briefly mentioned my World of Warcraft addiction to my group on the first day of training, but I didn't even realize Cece had heard any of that, much less retained the information.

Speaker 2 Then he suddenly walked up to me, even though he should have been gone by then.

Speaker 2 He asked me if I liked it, and since he still seemed angry, I just said yes. I then suggested that he shouldn't do things like that anymore.

Speaker 2 I knew that my boyfriend wouldn't like this kind of gift at all.

Speaker 2 Cece rolled his eyes and giggled like I was joking with him. But I obviously wasn't.

Speaker 2 After that, not only did he follow me the whole way out of the workgrounds, but he also got on the same employee shuttle as me.

Speaker 2 He sat right next to me, leaning on me. I felt like a deer in headlights, mentally begging someone to suggest that he shouldn't be doing that.

Speaker 2 But nobody was even paying attention to us. So I spent the shuttle ride trying to get this man to remove his arm from my shoulders.

Speaker 2 I was nauseated. My head was spinning.
After we got off, I practically jumped off of the bus and ran straight to my boyfriend who was parked at the entrance of the employee parking zone.

Speaker 2 I got in the car and told him we needed to go right away.

Speaker 2 He took off and I started crying. I told my boyfriend everything and he was rightfully pissed.

Speaker 2 He wanted to turn around and go punch Cece, but through tears I talked him out of it and promised that I would talk to my managers about him.

Speaker 2 The next day, I kept looking for the right time to pull a manager aside, but I never got a chance. Meanwhile, Cece's demeanor pulled another 180.

Speaker 2 While he was angry the day before, he was then extremely, weirdly, playful with me.

Speaker 2 And then he crossed the final line.

Speaker 2 He grabbed my butt in front of everyone, right where customers could easily see him. My coworkers laughed it off.
They thought this was some kind of game.

Speaker 2 This really pissed me off and officially pushed me to my limit, so I went after him. I punched him in the ass and then shouted in his face.
How do you like that, huh?

Speaker 2 He was unfazed by my anger, and he laughed it off and winked at me.

Speaker 2 I went down to the basement to go to the employee bathroom after that and quickly threw up the entire contents of my stomach. I cried in the stall and I prayed that this would stop.

Speaker 2 I then quickly made up an excuse and cited my chronic illness as the reason why I needed to go home.

Speaker 2 I later sent Cece a message which made him realize he had crossed a big boundary. It took a few weeks, but eventually he completely swapped out of his shifts so that he wouldn't work with me anymore.

Speaker 2 This made me feel like I had won the battle. But then things changed the night before Christmas Eve.

Speaker 2 I had a terrible feeling as my boyfriend was driving me to work that night. I genuinely felt so gross.
When I got to work, Cece was there.

Speaker 2 He was flirting with other girls and suddenly had this big ego I had never seen him display before.

Speaker 2 Remember, when I met him, he was shy and awkward. I've also described his personality's other phases, so it was like he had flipped every time I saw him.

Speaker 2 I never knew which side of Cece I was going to get.

Speaker 2 That night, he stomped around as all of the co-workers, including me, were closing down the joint. We were scrubbing away like normal, but he didn't seem all there.

Speaker 2 This made me nervous. He wound up clocking out early, so I relaxed.

Speaker 2 I also thought that he might have gotten in trouble, since one of our managers seemed upset that he had clocked out without permission.

Speaker 2 Once my zone was all closed up, I walked through the massive property that was my workplace to get to the street.

Speaker 2 I had started taking new routes to meet up with my boyfriend to ensure that I wouldn't be followed.

Speaker 2 This time I was going straight out of the grounds and onto the street where the bus stops were, since my boyfriend was waiting there at the curb.

Speaker 2 I was about halfway through the twelve minute walk, and I had reached a darkened area. Then out of nowhere, as I'm sure you've already guessed, Cece showed up.

Speaker 2 He started yelling my name as he followed me, but I pretended not to notice and walked faster. He yelled my name again but seemed angrier, so I started sprinting.

Speaker 2 I sprinted all the way across the shuttle zone and ended up crashing into someone's chest. Thank God it was actually my boyfriend whom I crashed into.

Speaker 2 He said he had a really bad feeling and wanted to be as close to my work exit as possible.

Speaker 2 I looked back, and Cece got onto the shuttle, but was staring at us from the window, eerily smiling like some kind of Cheshire cat. I had never been so terrified in my life.

Speaker 2 After that, the next night was Christmas Eve, and I was supposed to work.

Speaker 2 But I just knew if I went to work, something bad was going to happen to me. I called out since I wanted to avoid Cece.

Speaker 2 I felt bad so I was crying the whole time because I had already called out a few times just to avoid him.

Speaker 2 Through sobs, I asked the employee on the phone if I was going to be fired for calling out on Christmas Eve and she said she honestly couldn't say.

Speaker 2 I didn't want to stop working at this place and I wasn't going to let this creep make me lose my job. as I had worked so hard to get it.

Speaker 2 I even changed my appearance to adhere adhere to the strict standards. So I reached out to the only person I could think of, my trainer Christy.

Speaker 2 She was a lead, and she was the kindest girl I'd ever met.

Speaker 2 She had a heart of gold, and even in simply knowing her you'd gain a trusted confidante for life.

Speaker 2 I told Christy everything. I sent her screenshots of the texts that Cece had sent to me.
It felt so good to finally tell someone with an ounce of leadership why I was so scared to go to work.

Speaker 2 She immediately responded and asked if she should tell the managers, and even though I was incredibly nervous, I told her that was fine.

Speaker 2 The next time I worked, I was pulled into the office by my then manager, Christopher. He was shocked at everything I had gone through with Cece and quickly helped me to write a report for HR.

Speaker 2 He led me through the steps and even revised the schedule on the spot, so my shifts would never overlap with Cece's.

Speaker 2 Two months went by, and I was well acquainted with my responsibilities at work, so I was getting pretty comfortable, but of course, there's no stopping a stalker.

Speaker 2 One day Cece traded a shift, so he was working the night shift with me. He had this scowl on his face every time he looked at me, even though I was actively avoiding him at all costs.

Speaker 2 Then, about halfway through my shift, I was coming up from the basement returning from the employee restroom. As I was walking up the steps leading back to my work area, I felt someone behind me.

Speaker 2 Before I could form a clear thought, I was pushed against the wall and a hand smacked the wall right beside my head. It was Cece.

Speaker 2 He leaned in and said, you should smile more.

Speaker 2 Then he chuckled and walked away.

Speaker 2 I felt hysterical at that point, so I ran to the closest staff lead, crying and trying to explain what happened.

Speaker 2 Word of this got back to my manager, Christopher, and he was pissed since HR was taking a long time to investigate my case.

Speaker 2 He went to them right away and asked them to speed it up.

Speaker 2 After a four-month interview process with HR, the case was finally resolved. Cece was let go, and I was finally doing really well in my job.

Speaker 2 Since he was gone, I had nothing to worry about, nothing to distract me from paying attention to my duties.

Speaker 2 Cece has left me alone ever since, but sometimes I get random friend requests on social media from guys with no pictures, and they always have similar names that are very close to his.

Speaker 2 To Cece, please leave me alone, or you won't like the results. I won't ever let myself be intimidated by you again, and I'll win every battle that you throw at me.
Let's not meet.

Speaker 2 As a busy podcaster, it's been great to do my weekly food shopping with Hungry Root.

Speaker 2 Hungry Root plans all my meals for the week, shops for me, and delivers everything I need that fits my health goals, dietary preferences, and budget.

Speaker 2 I love that Hungry Root makes it easy to eat well without spending hours planning or shopping.

Speaker 2 You just take a quick quiz, and their smart cart technology recommends recipes and ingredients tailored to your tastes and needs.

Speaker 2 They've got over 50,000 chef-crafted recipes to choose from each week, and a lot of them are ready in just 15 minutes or less. It's honestly saved me a ton of time.
The quality really stands out, too.

Speaker 2 Hungry Roots screens out over 200 additives, including high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

Speaker 2 They source only high-quality meat and seafood with no hormones or antibiotics, offer organic produce and non-GMO options, and carry trusted brands like Oatly, Vital Farms, Ithaca Hummus, and a Harmless Harvest.

Speaker 2 These are all my favorites. Now the holidays are coming up and there's even less time and energy for meal planning.

Speaker 2 Hungryroot saves me trips to the grocery store and helps me cut down on food waste, which also means saving money for gifts this season. Take advantage of this exclusive offer.

Speaker 2 For a limited time, get 40% off your first box, plus get a free item in every box for life. Go to hungryroot.com slash meet and use code meet.
That's hungryroot.com slash meet.

Speaker 2 Code meet to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.

Speaker 5 Master distiller Jimmy Russell knew Wild Turkey Bourbon got it right the first time. So for over 70 years, he hasn't changed a damn thing.

Speaker 5 Our pre-prohibition style bourbons are aged longer and never watered down. So you know it's right too.

Speaker 3 For whatever you do with it, Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon makes an old fashion a bold fashion. For bold nights out or at home, Wild Turkey Bourbon, longer, never watered down to create one bold flavor.

Speaker 3 Copyright 2025, O'Carry America, New York, New York, never compromised, drink responsibly.

Speaker 4 Time for a sofa upgrade. Introducing Anibay sofas, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices.
Every Anibay sofa is modular, allowing you to rearrange your space effortlessly.

Speaker 4 Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy.

Speaker 4 Liquids Liquids simply slide right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend.

Speaker 4 Plus, our pet-friendly, stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today.

Speaker 4 Sofas start at just $699 with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get early access to Black Friday now.
The biggest sale of the year can save you up to 60% off.

Speaker 4 Plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washable sofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

Speaker 2 Annually, there's a nationwide church camp where Vietnamese people from all over celebrate Marianne Days.

Speaker 2 I've gone with the whole family every year for as long as I can remember, and I always look forward to this trip.

Speaker 2 At this camp, there are huge outdoor churches, amazing food tents, and a bunch of activities set up for youth so that they can get to know each other.

Speaker 2 This weekend is pretty much all about hanging out with friends that don't get to see each other all that often. However, we never really camped there.

Speaker 2 My parents are more comfortable in hotels, so every year we book a stay at the same hotel with our family and friends. The hotel is a 10-minute drive away from the camp.

Speaker 2 During this particular year, the trip was a bit different. My parents had been caught up with work, so they forgot to book our hotel in advance.

Speaker 2 By the time they remembered the only available hotel was this motel that bordered the sketchy side of town. My sisters and I threw a fit about this place since the hotel was way nicer.

Speaker 2 We kept asking our parents, what if we get kidnapped? Now, for a bit of context, we grew up in a pretty suburban town, so this took us completely out of our element.

Speaker 2 But my parents brushed us off and thought that we were being dramatic.

Speaker 2 They told us that we wouldn't be at the hotel much anyway, since we'd be at the campgrounds from 11 a.m. until midnight.

Speaker 2 On this particular night, we didn't get back to the motel until 2 in the morning.

Speaker 2 My parents were still drinking with family, so my sisters decided to take one of the cars since we were exhausted and ready to go to bed.

Speaker 2 I had asked my parents if our family friend could stay the night, since her parents were drinking with the family as well.

Speaker 2 Since that meant that we would be out of their hair, they happily agreed that we could go back to the motel together.

Speaker 2 Once we were back, my friend and I complained about how we were starving, but my sisters refused to drive us anywhere since they were too tired. They suggested that we walk somewhere instead.

Speaker 2 Moments like this made me wish that I were old enough to drive when all of this happened, and honestly, I kind of wished for my sisters, too.

Speaker 2 I begged them, and whined about the possibility of being kidnapped. I even said I was going to tell Mom and Dad, but nothing I said worked.

Speaker 2 So I ended up taking my sister's old shitty switchblade for self defense, and then my friend and I set off.

Speaker 2 The fast food place was three blocks away, and we were pretty exhausted, so the walk was completely silent.

Speaker 2 I'm naturally anxious, so I was hyper-aware of our surroundings, including each and every car that passed by.

Speaker 2 Coming from an anxious household, I was always warned about girls being taken, so I was doing my due diligence to make sure I didn't end up on a missing person's flyer.

Speaker 2 When we arrived, we quickly realized the restaurant was locked. and decided to try and walk through the drive-through.

Speaker 2 As we stepped up to order, the employee was furious. They yelled and said that we weren't allowed to walk through the drive-through.

Speaker 2 My first instinct, as a hungry, twelve-year-old girl, was to tell the employee off.

Speaker 2 I was exhausted and starving. I didn't see why they couldn't just serve us.

Speaker 2 After I got my last word in, we decided to stand out front while my friend looked up to see which other places nearby were still open.

Speaker 2 We couldn't have been standing there for more than a minute when this old grey, beaten-up car with rusted edges whipped around the corner and into the parking lot.

Speaker 2 I was wary of this, so I completely shifted my focus to the car as my friend rambled on.

Speaker 2 A woman stepped out of the car and she left it running.

Speaker 2 My eyes met hers briefly, and then I quickly turned away. She seemed to be in her forties.
She had long brown hair and skin that was prematurely wrinkled, either from sun damage or tanning beds.

Speaker 2 She continued to look our way as she shouted,

Speaker 2 Did you get your food?

Speaker 2 I looked back at her, and slightly hesitated before explaining that they wouldn't let us walk through the drive-through, so we would be going elsewhere.

Speaker 2 My friend and I resumed talking amongst ourselves, still deciding where to go. But then she came a bit closer and said,

Speaker 2 Well, I work here.

Speaker 2 My friend and I paused our conversation and looked at each other. I was confused as to why this lady was still talking to us.
I doubted her claim. She wasn't even wearing a uniform.

Speaker 2 She was in ripped skinny jeans and a low black v-neck, which didn't seem work appropriate to me.

Speaker 2 As she took another step closer, she said, If they don't let you walk through, I can drive you.

Speaker 2 My stomach turned to knots, and I tried to be as polite as possible. I replied, No, it's okay, we're going somewhere else.

Speaker 2 I just kept thinking about how my mom told us this city was notorious for crime, and I could feel my blood curdle as fear began to set in.

Speaker 2 She offered to drive us two more times and got closer each time.

Speaker 2 She got so close that I could smell the lingering scent of cigarettes on her breath. I had been as polite as I could, so I knew it was time for plan B, not saying a damn thing.

Speaker 2 Ignoring her only made her more aggravated.

Speaker 2 She said, I literally work here. Don't worry, I can drive you to get some food and then I can drop you off at your motel.

Speaker 2 How did she know that we were staying at a motel?

Speaker 2 We hadn't mentioned that at all.

Speaker 2 At this point, all of my alarm bells were going off, and my heart began to race. There were plenty of neighborhoods by us, so how on earth did she know where we came from?

Speaker 2 My friend immediately stood between me and her.

Speaker 2 She's three years older than I am, so I think she felt like she had to protect us. We were both nervous.
Neither of us could utter a word. Our faces were blank in disbelief as we tiptoed backwards.

Speaker 2 She just kept standing there, just mere feet away from us, shouting, Just Just get in. I'll get you food.
Get in.

Speaker 2 Our fight or flight kicked in after that. I immediately thought of the switchblade, so I pulled it out, and our subtle tiptoeing broke into a full sprint.

Speaker 2 There's a diner down the road. We'll be safe there, my friend said.

Speaker 2 The lady then ran to her car. She got in, and I heard her tires screech as she tore out of the parking lot after us.

Speaker 2 The sound of her engine tailing us flooded my ears, and there was no one out on the streets, nobody to save us.

Speaker 2 I was so focused on running that I didn't even know where we were going, but I wasn't going to look back. Then my friend yanked on my arm and pulled me into the diner.

Speaker 2 I was caught off guard by this since my tunnel vision made me completely forget about the plan. She just screamed at me.

Speaker 2 I quickly looked out the window, hoping to catch this woman's license plate or more details about her car in the dull, flickering streetlights.

Speaker 2 While peering out of the windows, we saw that she had stopped for a moment, but we looked away since we were fearful of making eye contact.

Speaker 2 Shortly after that, we heard her engine sputter as she sped away. My heart was beating out of my chest, and my face was beat red.

Speaker 2 I tried to shake the adrenaline while catching my breath, but the lady and this whole situation completely consumed my thoughts. What if she were waiting waiting for us?

Speaker 2 What if she followed us back to the motel?

Speaker 2 We decided to stay at that diner for at least an hour until we built up the courage to walk back to the hotel.

Speaker 2 My friend and I never spoke of that night until very recently. It's been nine years, and my stomach still drops at the thought of what we experienced that night.

Speaker 2 To the woman who desperately tried to get us into her car for God knows what reason, let's not meet again.

Speaker 2 Stick around after the music if you're a patron for your extended version of this week's episode.

Speaker 2 If you want to get access, go to patreon.com forward slash Let's Not Meet Podcast to sign up and support the show today.

Speaker 2 You'll get access to ad-free versions of all of the episodes at a higher bitrate, plus bonus content every single week with stories you won't hear anywhere else in your extensions.

Speaker 2 Again, that's patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast.

Speaker 2 And be sure to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like Odd Trails and the Old Time Radio Cast at crypticcountypodcasts.com and follow me on Twitch at twitch.tv slash crypticcounty.

Speaker 2 This week you have heard One Small Girl, Two Large Men by Elephants in the Void.

Speaker 2 I'm Confident I Would Have Become a Missing Persons Case by Anonymous. Stalkers in the Canyon by Darth Czar Darkstar.
My Last Therapy Appointment by Oblivious Rose.

Speaker 2 Creepy Men at at Rest Area by Egg Patty, Creepy Holiday Encounter by FellowHuman298, The Co-Worker with the Name Obsession by The Artist Who Could, and finally, Just Get In by Julia Tran.

Speaker 2 All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors.

Speaker 2 Let's Not Meet, a true horror podcast, is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. If you have a story to share, send it to Let'sNotMeetStories at gmail.com.

Speaker 2 We'll see you all next week. Everybody, stay safe.

Speaker 2 Let me me start by saying at this point in my life, I was in a relationship with an absolute sight.

Speaker 6 There are two types of fishing.

Speaker 6 The kind I'm doing out here that brings me calm.

Speaker 6 And the kind of fishing hackers do online.

Speaker 6 They're always casting their lines, impersonating users, phony logins, anything to get someone to bite.

Speaker 2 But here's the thing.

Speaker 6 With Cisco Duo, fishing season is over.

Speaker 6 Because Duo goes beyond multi-factor authentication, providing full fishing resistance, session theft protection, and AI-powered monitoring, all at half the cost of most solutions.

Speaker 6 So while hackers keep casting, I just enjoy the calm. No ripples, no splashes, just a hook.
that never gets a bite.

Speaker 6 Learn more at duo.com. Cisco Duo.
Fishing season is over.

Speaker 5 Master distiller Jimmy Russell knew Wild Turkey Bourbon got it right the first time. Mellowed an American oak with the darkest char.

Speaker 5 Our pre-prohibition style bourbons are aged longer and never watered down. So you know it's right too, for whatever you do with it.

Speaker 3 Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon makes an old fashion or bold fashion for bold nights out or at home. Wild Turkey bourbon, aged longer, never watered down to create one bold flavor.

Speaker 3 Copyright 2025 of Party America, New York, New York, never compromised, drink responsibly.

Speaker 4 At CVS, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it.

Speaker 2 It matters that we're there for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded.

Speaker 4 It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and yeah, healthy snack.

Speaker 4 At CVS, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So visit us at cbs.com or just come by our store.

Speaker 2 We can't wait to meet you.

Speaker 4 Store hours vary by location.