1. Lucky Escape
I almost got kidnapped once. I was like 23 or so.
I was walking down my street a little after dusk. I saw a van approaching a little ahead, with no lights on. Didn't think much of it due to the time of day. The van slowed down and almost started creeping, as I was approaching this part of the sidewalk which had a tall solid wall fence to a community.
This gave me some pause in that quick moment. For me to keep walking, I'd have to go between the wall and the van.
In the little time, it took me to take a couple of steps, and as the van was getting close, I noticed that the side door was SLOWLY sliding open.
The one thought in my mind was, why isn't the light turning on inside the van? When you open the door of a vehicle, the light should come on inside it. Unless you deliberately switch that off.
And I just ran to the median, in front of the van, and across the street.
Immediately, the van took off like someone lit it on fire. From a slow crawl to full speed. As I looked after it to see the plates... I noticed it had no plates. And still no lights.
I called the police, of course. They sent cars out and didn't find the van. I never had anything like this happen again and I'm just an ordinary person, so I don't suspect it was targeted. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
winterbird
2. A Close Call on the Late-Night Drive Home
After a party many years ago, I was driving home at like 4 a.m. with my friend passed out in the passenger seat.
I was driving fast down a steep hill that was like a 1/2 mile long, at least. I was on autopilot, as I drove down that street every day. Suddenly, about half a block from a major intersection (which I had a green light for), a voice in my head said these exact words:
"You may want to slow down because if you don't, you might lose your life." It was weird because that's not how I talk.
Anyway, I slowed down, and as I was entering the intersection, a car BLEW the red light at about 50-60mph, right in front of me.
It was so close that I nearly threw up. I started shaking and punching my friend, yelling how I just saved our lives, omg! He just groaned and went back to sleep. Punk.
assaulty
3. A Terrifying Encounter on My Way to Work
About ten years ago, I had a job that started at 6 a.m. on the weekends. I didn’t drive and would take the light rail, which was a 15-minute walk from the house I rented.
One dark morning, I saw a person up ahead of me a few blocks away. I usually see homeless people on my walk to the light rail and most are harmless just trying to collect cans for the deposit or asking for change, but this guy just felt off.
I could tell from blocks away that there was something wrong about him, so I crossed the street and grabbed my phone from my backpack because I still had to go to work and this road was the only way to the light rail.
Suddenly, I hear a “bubububump!” I looked over my shoulder and it was him with an object in his hand.
That sound was the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement as he ran towards me. I took off running and screamed, “I’m calling 911,” and held my phone to my ear. He must have seen and taken it seriously because he ran in the opposite direction that I ran.
I did call 911, but they wanted me to wait there for the cop and I was like “HELL NO!” I said it was because I didn’t want to be late for work, but I was terrified of him finding me. I will never forget the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement.
crocodile_susan
4. A Chilling Encounter at the County Fair
I was at the county fair when I was younger, like eight or nine. I wandered off from my parents and I had an odd feeling that I WAS BEING WATCHED.
This man had followed me up and down the walkways of the expo hall we were standing in. As he started to get closer, I got this overwhelming feeling of fright.
I called for my dad and I could tell it startled him — he promptly turned and changed direction from me.
A really quick thing but it’s stuck with me all these years.
Qwasymoto
5. Saved by the Gut
I was driving to work one morning at about 2 a.m. I was just behind this slow 18-wheeler and was getting a feeling I needed to move.
As we came up to a red light, I switched over a lane so I wouldn't be behind him anymore.
Just about a second later, I heard something that sounded like an explosion, which was a tow truck slamming into the back of the 18-wheeler at about 70 mph.
Tore off the two rear axles on the trailer, and most certainly would have smashed my car to pieces.
Scfbigb1
6. The Green Signal
I had just left my apartment complex and was heading to a friend’s place. I pulled out of my driveway and up to the traffic light and stopped, I was in the left turn lane, light was red. It was late out and there weren't many people on the road. I watched as the light went yellow, and then red for through traffic, one guy ran the tail end of the yellow, like usual.
My turn! Light goes green, and I have an arrow blinking for me to turn left, I looked both ways and there was no one around, so I just didn't go.
I can not explain what happened other than something inside me just said DON'T GO, so I sat there staring at the green light.
A couple of seconds later, a car came screaming through the red light, through the intersection, probably doing about 100km/hr, in the lane I would have been turning into. They were going so fast that their vehicle had a bounce to it.
If I had turned my car would have been destroyed, and me along with it.
I sat there through the whole next light cycle and then turned, pulled over and called my sister. It was a ghostly feeling. I am a light jumper, I look both ways but I am impatient, and I can not explain what stopped me from going the second that light went green, but I'm glad it did.
BowlingForPennies
7. A Second Chance At Life
I was taking my mom to a follow-up appointment from back surgery the month before. The freeway was closed due to a car accident and life flight was called to transport the people injured in the accident. The highway patrol was funneling everyone off of the freeway to the right-side exit.
I had the strongest feeling we needed to move to the left farthest lane, so I did.
No more than a minute after I moved over, a garbage truck came barreling down the freeway and crashed into the car that was in front of us in the other lane so fast that it lifted the front end of the truck and landed on top of the car.
We were in a tiny sports car that would have crumpled like a tin can under the weight of a garbage truck and definitely would have killed my mom and me in a second.
skelenaton
8. A Close Call and a Lesson Learned
I had a cat who loved getting into things and hiding.
Drawers, cupboards, the fridge, anything that was small and dark, she loved it. One day I was doing laundry and I tossed everything in the dryer. I shut the dryer door and pressed the button (it was one of those ones that takes a minute to start).
Something didn't feel right, I thought maybe I forgot to add dryer sheets or something. I turn off the dryer, open the door, and out pops my cat-like, "Haha you found me!" Totally oblivious to what was about to happen.
Ever since then I always double-check before turning on an appliance.
fairyboi_
9. Horror At Grandparents House
I was like eight or nine when my parents took me and my younger brother to stay the night at my paternal grandparents' house because they were in the middle of divorcing.
They lived in a farmhouse that was connected to a barn (with machinery, gasoline tanks, and hay on the ground floor and furnished rooms on the floor above that) and the room we were supposed to stay in was in that barn.
As soon as we went into the guest room, I was overwhelmed by panic and felt really dizzy.
I turned around and just said that we would not sleep in that room and we spent the night on the couch in the living room instead. Later that night, a gas leak in the barn ignited and almost the entire barn including the guest rooms on its top floor EXPLODED.
Maybe I had that weird feeling because the gas had leaked into the room already but no one else felt anything and I'm sure I would be dead if I hadn't noticed it.
CichaelMlifford
10. A Close Call At The Mall
Escaped the abduction of me and my friends thanks to my gut feeling.
I was at the mall with my friends, all of us around 12 years old. It was 8 p.m., and my mom was on her way to pick me up. We were all chilling together until each of our parents got here to get us. As we’re standing outside of a store near one of the side entrances, a man comes up to us. He’s about 30-ish, wearing huge glasses, and carrying a clipboard.
The man said, “Hey guys, do you want to watch some movie trailers and answer surveys about them? I’ll pay you each five dollars per trailer.”
Naturally, my friends are all for it. The thing is, my heart dropped as soon as I heard it. As they’re all saying yes, the man nods and then points to the side entrance.
It was pitch black outside, and that entrance leads to the back parking lot of the mall- which was always deserted. Then, he said: “We can do it over there.”
My friends start to follow the man as he walks toward the glass doors, and I’m trailing behind them. Then, as we get close enough for me to kind of see what’s outside, I notice a van parked right outside the entrance. The headlights are on, the car is running. The back doors seemed to be open.
Every part of my being screamed, “NO! DON’T GO!” I stop in my tracks, and loudly say, “Guys, my mom is here to pick us all up, I don’t think we have time for it.”
The man FREEZED and kept his eyes trained on the doors, and I could see his jaw clenching tightly. My friends looked at me with confusion, and I tried to give them the most terrified expression of warning that I could. Thankfully they got the message and said bye to the guy.
The man refused to turn to look at us and simply began to walk outside of the mall.
As we’re walking away, I turn and look behind me one last time.
The van, and the man, were gone.
Some_Explorer
11. Guardian In The Shadow
I used to date a girl who I would go see every night after I got off work. I worked until midnight. I would stay at her house until about 1 or 2 a.m. Sometimes as I left her house she would follow me in her car and stop at a nearby all-night grocery store.
I always begged her not to but she always said she'd be fine. Sometimes I would wait in the parking lot until she came back out and then we'd go our separate ways. Sometimes I wouldn't. So one time I felt ill so as we left she said "Just go straight home, I'll be fine, I always am" but for some reason, I felt like that's the night I needed to be here.
She thought I went straight home. I was in the parking lot as she pulled in but she didn't see me. As she walked in a shady-looking dude was walking out. She ignored him but he looked back at her about three or four times.
Then he gets to his truck and another guy is in there and they talk through the window for a minute looking back at the store a couple of times. The second guy gets out of the truck, gets something out of the back of it then they both head back into the store.
I saw them going past every aisle and then motioning to each other like "There she is". So I walk a bit faster to catch up. I turn into the isle just as they are approaching her. They are looking at each other.
From behind I yell "Hey!" They both turn and so does my girlfriend. I brush by them and give them a look (I had some muscle back then and was 6'4") and say "Hey guys".
They nod awkwardly as my girlfriend says to me "What are you doing here". I kiss her and make up some story about wanting to buy aspirin. The two guys leave.
I never told my girlfriend that story, I don't know why. I kinda felt like a Super Hero to myself. We dated for about 2 more years after that. I don't know what they were going to do to/with her but it was nothing good.
paulvs88
12. Pit Bull Instincts Saved Our Lives
I was staying at a friend's house out in the country. He was asleep in another room, I was dozing off with his gigantic pit bull Izzy Bell, a sweet girl.
In the middle of the night I am awoken by sounds outside, like scrabbling, Izzy leaps up too, looks at me then the back door, and growls. My friend at the time had a young daughter, 4 or 5, so I immediately thought of her.
I grab the nearest weapon which is a fire poker and go to open the door as Izzy is beside me seemingly ready for a fight.
But it didn't feel right. I instead bar the door as best as I can and creep to a window looking out.
Outside was a gigantic bear. So big it could easily rip my head off, and it has a few cubs in tow. I watch as it ambles off.
I am pretty sure that if I had charged out of that door as I originally intended me and Izzy would not be here today.
fake_fakington
13. A Terror Date Night
I was on a date and didn’t know where I lived or anything. I was always paranoid about that. But things had went well, and my car was cold. So he offered me to sit in his and while mine heated up (he had a remote start). Sure, I would love that. Besides he had the cutest dog out there too. I sat down, alarm bells went off...the door was intentionally locked.
I went to open the door because I was freaking out-didn’t open. It also had a manual switch that could have been used but it was broken. He mentioned I would have needed a screwdriver to get it unlocked.He looks in the back seat. I look in the rearview mirror and see a rope in the back seat.
He jokingly talks about kidnapping me a few times and going to put the car into reverse.
I laugh right along with him while praying silently. Something tells me to go along with this. So I tell him he doesn’t have to kidnap me to keep me. He also continues to make jokes about tying me up and keeping me locked up in his basement. That nobody would ever know and then I would never be able to leave him.
I go on a gut instinct. I tell this guy that I know I shouldn’t be saying this, and it’s only a first date-but something just feels really right with him.
He puts the car back into park. Looks at me. “Really?” I start acting and telling him how I know it’s way to soon to know if there’s a connection, and didn’t want to tell him for risk of freaking him out. I told him I was really bummed I was going out of town for the weekend because that meant there would be no chance of seeing him when I got back.
But I had to be getting home, as my friend was expecting me over tonight so we could leave super early in the morning. But I’m having so much fun I don’t want to leave. But I would like a real hug before I got in my car. You know the kind-one that requires standing and not being in a vehicle.
So he makes me promise that I’ll hear from him when I get back. Absolutely. He wanted a kiss if it wasn’t too soon, and me to be his girlfriend. Yep dude-whatever you want.
My internal alarms are going off and I’m kind of terrified right now.
Car door unlocks! We get our-hug, I kiss him and try to appear pleasant. Of course I had to tell his dog goodbye, so he rolls down the window for me to give the good boy pets. Guess what I see. I see trash bags and an axe on the floor.
I got into my car, waived goodbye, and got the hell out of there.
RedditHostage
14. Gut Feeling Kept Me Safe at Riverside
I was on a popular trail that goes along the river through several small towns. I was on a fairly barren part of the trail about 1/2 way between two towns - tall grass (higher than my head) on one side; river on the other. I see a man running solo in front of me. I am a bit faster, so in time, I pass him.
I notice that he’s suddenly keeping pace with me - he’s not falling behind as fast as he should. Instead, he’s flanking me, just diagonal to me on the riverside.
I get a feeling that with one good push, he could have me in the tall grass and there are no witnesses to see what happened. I give another 10 seconds before I start panicking... yeah, this doesn’t feel right.
I whipped out my phone and dialed 9-1-1.
I don’t push send, but cup the phone in my hand with the screen facing toward him. I otherwise kept running at the same pace, pushing myself to the next town.
I notice within 30 seconds that I don’t hear him as close anymore. I give it another 30 seconds (counting in my head), then chance a look. He’s gone! I full-on stop to turn around.
He was GONE! The trail was flat and straight in both directions as far as the eye could see. Where the hell did he go in the span of a minute? Either the grass or the river...
I can only guess that his reaction validates my feeling that he had bad intentions. This is why I don’t run with headphones when I’m running alone and why I don’t trust anyone when I’m out on the trails.
Micmac1007
15. Girlfriend Instinct Led to Horrible Discovery
Not my guts, but my wife's, who was just my girlfriend at the time.
Over the course of 2-3 weeks I was becoming more and more tired to the point where walks from my desk to the break room were exhausting.
On the weekend I was just about stuck to the couch, too tired to want to move and too stubborn to go to the hospital (had bad experiences with the bootleg doctors there), but I was so weak she was able to overpower me and force me into the car.
Got to the hospital and X-ray revealed a dime-sized blood clot in my right lung.
Married her, of course.
[deleted]
16. A Close Call with Disaster
I work as a front-line tech at a major telecom company. About 15 years ago we had a big ice storm overnight. A tree brought a pole down and a main cable.
Our construction team had put it back up, and I and a co-worker were re-splicing each end from our lift buckets. About an hour in, my co-worker said, "I don't feel really safe right now for some reason." I had just about finished my side, so I said, "Sounds good...let's finish it tomorrow," and we left.
The next day, I decided to go back on my own and finish up both sides. When I got there, his pole was completely gone and the cable had been ripped off the other pole again.
The neighbor said another tree had come down less than 30 minutes after we left and destroyed the pole and cable. We probably both would have not survived.
channing2nd
17. A Narrow Escape
I was walking back home from my grandma's place which is across the street from my house. A car pulled up beside me and as I kept walking the car slowly followed. When I looked into the car there was a man about 30s/40s who had the evilest grin on his face.
His face has never left my mind. As he was slowly coming toward me, his eyes not leaving me, I screamed out HELP and ran two houses down until I saw someone who let me into their house. The man didn’t leave until we called the police and when they came they searched the car and found handcuffs, blindfold and a big container with two holes poked in the top.
xacidprincessx
18. Escaping From Silent Stalker
I went hiking at a reservoir in Colorado with my dog. I heard some weird noises but didn't think anything of it, I honestly thought it was the water. Heard the bushes moving and twigs snapping but still didn't think anything of it.
I had a really strange feeling that I needed to get home so I went back to my car & called my mom to tell her I was heading into town and mentioned the sounds I was hearing. She told me it was a mountain lion & played me some similar noises from YouTube. Made my stomach turn, the recordings were almost identical. I wonder if my dog made it too afraid to attack me.
sm0kahontas710
19. Stranger in the Shadows
I was walking to school by myself (which took around 40 minutes from where I lived) and I noticed a really scruffy man with a beard, camo outfit, and a cap (I couldn't really see his full face btw) walking behind me.
I got a really bad vibe from him,
I didn't know what the hell to do because I was weak and defenseless. Anyway, I decided to see if he was actually following me, my big brain said to go down the cut. As I turned he did I started to have a panic attack and tears came down my face trying not to make it obvious that I was alarmed.
I looked at him by using my peripheral vision whilst turning my head slightly to the side and it felt like my heart dropped and was beating so rapidly out of my chest.
I thought this was it, I was going to die.
However, I was getting closer to the end of the alleyway when I heard and saw in the front garden of the house right there a young woman who was putting a baby in her car. I felt so relieved and happy and I turned my head and the guy was walking away back where he had come from.
I didn't tell anyone for months as I thought I would be grounded or in trouble, I wish I did because he may have made others as uncomfortable I as have felt
liv93missy
20. A Stranger Departure
I had a gut feeling that saved someone else's life.
In the middle of the night, for no good reason, I left my boyfriend's house and drove home 40 minutes away. He was perplexed but I had "a feeling".
As I reached my front door, I heard a low crash down the block... No one else heard it or came out.
Long, crazy story short: I pulled a man out of a burning car before he burned alive. Still have the scars from the burning seatbelt plastic.
Some days I think of it as a coincidence some days I think it was some kind of intervention.
louderharderfaster
21. A Chilling Encounter While Walking Home
When I'm out and about, I'm never without my noise-canceling earphones, and as a result, I usually hear nothing other than the music and I usually feel pretty relaxed, I've never had a problem.
One night I was at a friend's and decided to head home which was only a 5-minute walk.
Normally I could fit a song in that walk but I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't ever wear earphones on that walk so I didn't and as I was nearing my house I heard a car speeding to a stop behind me with a group of men shouting "Get Him! Get Him Now!"
And a group of them got out of the car after me, as I'd heard them I managed to get around a corner and into a hiding spot, they wanted to kill me and I have no idea why but if I had my earphones in, I'd be dead.
TheJokersLeg
22. A Lucky Escape from a Bolt of Lightning
My sister and I were flying out to visit our dad. On the plane, she was telling me about a random fact she'd heard if you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up, it's probably going to be a lightning strike and you should run.
The next day I was playing fetch with the dog at the back of the acreage, and I had a weird feeling suddenly come over me.
Can't really describe it, but I figured better safe than sorry. The dog thought it was a game of chase so she bolted after me towards the house.
I looked back and a bolt of lightning came down, stopping just 2ms above the fence. Lamest foreshadowing ever.
Raeva_Ra
23. A Fateful Night
A few months ago my cat threw up once in the morning, which we didn’t think about much at that time (cats do that sometimes), but it happened again late at night. So my mom and I decided to bring him to the vet first thing in the morning.
As we couldn’t do much right then and he seemed fine enough, we went to bed. But I couldn’t sleep (for a lot of reasons) and my other cat seemed kind of off too (meowing a lot, rummaging more than usual), so I decided to check up on cat #1 again.
I found him in the bathroom, hardly breathing.
We rushed to the ER (we live in a pretty big city thankfully), and he ended up staying there for three days. He thankfully recovered completely, but I often think about how I listened for every breath on the drive to the animal hospital and how glad I am that I got up again that night to check on him.
laeiouml
24. Elevator Escape
Last year I left work and walked to the subway station. I always take the elevator as the terminal is on the -3 floor and takes a long time via slow escalators. I usually already know the people who take the elevator with me because we all take that train.
I might have been one minute earlier or late, no one was there. I called the elevator and saw from the corner of my eye this man positioning himself by my side as if waiting for it too. I glanced at him and I saw a homeless man, that I didn't know from around here, and he was huge, like Hagrid huge.
He glanced at me with a little grin. I had my MacBook on me and no way I would defend myself against him. Something just told me to get the hell outta there and take the stairs. I did, and when I got to the terminal, where you can see everyone one the station (it serves only one line) he was nowhere to be seen. This man wanted to hurt me.
I've never seen him around again.
mira_marbles
25. Chilling Intuition
Shortly after my husband and I were married, we planned a night out at a local bar we had never been to.
We both got ready and prepared to go, but first I had to feed my neighbor's cats in the apartment below ours. While there, I had an overwhelming feeling that we should not go out. It was so intense and scary I actually started to cry.
I went back upstairs to tell my husband and as soon as I walked in I looked at him and noticed he had a strange look on his face. I told him I didn't think we should go out and he immediately agreed saying he had the same feeling. We spent the night on the couch watching TV.
The next morning we found out there a man had taken several lives at the bar we used to go to.
She_W0lfe
26. Gut Instinct on Two Wheels
I was riding a 2 wheeler, early in the morning going to attend a class, now usually all the signals are off early in the morning and traffic is usually very less on this road. Since I was getting late to class and was in a hurry, I was speeding the bike and was about to cross an intersection that seemed empty.
While I was speeding, there was another bike ahead of me which was nearing the intersection. As I was closing up on the intersection this bike ahead of me started braking.
Usually, I don't slow down at this intersection at this time since there is barely any traffic and I thought that I should pass the bike ahead and move on since there was no visible vehicle approaching from any direction. But at the end moment, I decided to brake behind this bike and to my horror, I saw an electric bus making the turn from right and joining this road at a high speed.
That very moment sent shivers down my spine.
If I hadn't listened to my gut feeling and applied the brakes, then I would have met with a freak accident and could also have died.
gb169
27. Guardian Angels at a Rest Stop
About 25 years ago my husband and I were on a business trip. We had our toddler son with us. We stopped at one of those mega gas station/truck stop/ restaurants in Oklahoma. Another older couple was seated in a booth nearby.
While we were waiting for our food 2 guys came in with a teenage girl. One of the guys was dressed in cowboy style and he was telling the girl to order whatever she wanted, which was a bit noticeable. The other guy was quiet.
I noticed that they had her sit inside the booth, next to the wall. We humans want to think well of others, so, I was thinking "father and daughter and friend of family or uncle".
I headed to the bathroom to wash up and the older woman came in too. She and I said hi, and then she said that she thought that was a bad situation, that she and her husband were worried for her. She said she was going to try to find out.
On the way back to the table she stopped to talk to them, acting like a garrulous and overly friendly older woman.
While they were talking her husband got up and went to the cashier. He was asking her to call the cops but we did not know that until later.
At this point, I was sitting down with my husband and kid, and I whispered to him what the lady had said. It did not take long before the police came, walked over to the 2 guys and the teen, and demanded IDs.
The girl burst into tears, and just like that, the cops had their weapons pointed at the guys and ordered them to lay down on the floor. Turns out that she had been kidnapped some months before, and they were forcing her to service truckers and worse.
She was one of several girls they had control over. Makes me sick to think of it. I always hope she went on to have a good life but that trauma can screw up a person pretty badly. I think that the older couple was amazing.
[deleted]
28. The Video That Flipped the Script
When I was in graduate school going to night class, there was a couple SCREAMING at each other in a secluded part of the parking lot
I pulled out my phone to record them, and as soon as I hit record, the woman took her fist and just started trying to punch the man in the face, but he dodged the punches, so she started smashing her face on the side of a car and punching herself in the face until she's dripping blood out of her nose and ears. Her face was mangled.
I am just sitting in my car in awe. She calls the campus cops and they get there in seconds and she tells them this story about him trying to kill her. They were putting him in cuffs as I walked up and told them I had a video of the whole thing. Her eyes got as big as dinner plates.
He would have ABSOLUTELY been arrested and buried under a jail if I didn't have the video. Instead, the woman was put in cuffs and charged with felony false reporting, last I heard.
I was shaking it was so surreal. My gut feeling to record it probably saved that dude's life.
Scudstock
29. A Chilling Reminder to Trust Your Gut Feeling
About 3 weeks prior to last Christmas, my mom and I were on a job site where they were heating the houses with giant propane tanks. We fix bathtubs. There was no electricity, so they were running wires to us in these dark houses.
We fixed the first one, and everything was fine. Went a few doors down and started fixing the other one. I'm nosy, so while there was nothing for me to do but wait while my mom sanded, I went off to explore the house.
The smoke detectors were chirping which is 100% normal. I don't even really hear them anymore. Sometimes, we get a heads-up about them testing the systems and then we don't get the shit scared outta us when they go off.
So I'm wandering through the upstairs, in the dark with my flashlight when I hear beep beep beep Carbon Monoxide Detected...3 seconds later beep beep beep Carbon Monoxide Detected.
I know from a firefighter when I worked for Home Depot that CO detectors should be on the floor bc it's denser and he basically said "If your alarm goes off up by the ceiling, it's too late". At first, I was like "Oh, that's a new alarm..." Something felt different about it tho. I felt fine health-wise, but extremely uneasy gut-wise.
So I went back to my mom where the alarm persisted and said "There's a monoxide detector going off. Should I open a window?" As soon as I said it, I started feeling very dizzy, like I had been holding my breath for too long.
My mom basically said something like "It's probably just malfunctioning," looked up at me from the floor and nearly toppled over. I proceeded to race through the house opening every window while the alarm was still actively stating it detected carbon monoxide.
Going down the steps was fun lol but I remember the house was at like 68° but by the time we were leaving it had dropped down to like 52° and after about 3 mins of keeping the windows open, the alarm went quiet.
Turns out they were having problems with the ventilation in that particular unit, and the propane was seeping into the house.
They failed to let us know (maybe they thought they had fixed it) I remember my mom giving me shit for dropping the temp in the house and I basically retorted that I'm sure they'd rather spend the money reheating the house than pay for funerals and accidental death lawsuits and ruining Christmas for two families. She agreed after that.
suestrong315
30. Late-Night Terror
I was at my girlfriend's house, it was almost 10 PM. I felt some urge to go to my mom’s house, to check on her. I lived with my mom and young brother at that time. I told my girlfriend and she said it was probably nothing.
Anyway I went to my mom’s house, she was sleeping. I woke her up and told her the feeling I just had, that I was worried for her. She laughed and said that everything was fine, my brother was also sleeping. I tried to let that feeling go, but it wouldn't go away. So I went to our living room, to call my girlfriend, let her know that it was ok.
As I picked up the phone, I looked out the window and saw a man trying to break into our house.
I go to my mom, tell her what is happening, and we push the alarm button. The man jumps outside and runs down the street. The police came and searched for him, but without success.
Never saw that man again.
SidRocha
31. Escaping a Job Scam
I posted my resume on a job site and a couple days later got a sketchy email saying that they received my resumé from a job recruiter and was wondering if I was interested in a job. Heck yeah, I was! So I replied expressing my interest.
The lady on the other end emailed me a few hours later with a more official-looking email and a real company email address, along with the email being worded with how normal people conduct emails when recruiting.
The whole thing seemed super legit. I was told that I was preliminarily approved for a list of jobs that were found in the Word Doc that she attached. Pretty standard jobs for what my resumé was.
I also had to complete seven (7) questions as an "interview" due to the coronavirus. That made complete sense, seeing as though the prior day I had a video interview because of this damn virus. I completed the questions and emailed her back with the position I wanted to apply for.
The next day she sent me a job offer contract. Okay, that's sketchy. I applied for a full-time data entry clerk with decent pay and was offered a job the next day based on seven (7) standard questions?? That's fishy.
So I googled the main company address found within her email signature and it turned out to be a tattoo parlor. Then I tried to call the company HQ phone number that she also listed in her email signature multiple times to verify that the person who just offered me a job even existed. Nope, somehow the phones were busy each time I tried calling throughout the day.
I expressed my concerns about the whole situation and haven't heard from her since. My eagerness to get a job nearly got my identity stolen. ALWAYS GO WITH YOUR GUT!
RileyG00
32. Defusing a Potential Threat
I was coming back from a long walk and just before I turned left into the courtyard I passed a guy coming the other direction.
Something about how he looked at me seemed like an intent to attack me like he “selected” me. I guess I must have seen sort of a “recognition” in his body language, the way a kid who’s been trying different ice cream samples might look when he tastes the one he’s decided to get.
So I just turned that corner into my courtyard, scooped up a grapefruit-sized rock from the garden planter, and stood facing the entrance to the courtyard.
Sure enough, about ten seconds later the guy came slinking around that corner. He saw me standing with the rock and he stopped, surprised.
He said, “What are you doing?” and I said, “I’m just standing here”.
He saw the seriousness in my eyes and he waited a couple of seconds, snorted through his nose, just a sharp exhale, and walked on in his original direction.
Intensely_human
33. Gas Station Stalker
I stopped at a gas station close to the dorms to use the ladies' room and pick up some milk for my roommate and me. From the second I walked inside, I noticed a man in line staring at me. My spidey sense immediately started tingling, but I figured since he was in line to check out, he'd probably be gone by the time I got out of the ladies' room.
So I come back out into the main part of the store, and he's stepped out of line. He starts following me around the place, and when he sees that I'm just grabbing milk, he hops in line ahead of me, still staring at me all this time.
After he paid, he stood directly outside the door and kept staring at me.
I got to the cashier, who thankfully was observant and said, "Do you want to stay here and chat for a while?" I told him yes, thank you very much. So we had a small conversation until the guy went and got in his truck and drove off.
I told the cashier thank you and asked that he please watch me walk to my car just in case the guy was still out there that I didn't see. I made it to my car and back to my dorm safely, but I've never been so scared.
I absolutely knew in my gut that guy meant me some kind of harm. And to this day, I believe my noticing him (and the cashier's kindness) saved me from something awful.
EducatedOwlAthena
34. An Uncanny Premonition
I was around 17 when this happened. My school allowed kids to leave the campus for lunch, so four of my friends and I decided to go get food. As I was driving back to the school, I came upon an intersection. There were two cars in front of me.
The light turned green and I went to press on the gas when I felt the most overwhelming sense of impending doom. The best I could describe it is cold prickling going down my body as my muscles seized. My foot stayed on the break. I just stared wide-eyed ahead watching as the two cars in front of me moved forward.
My friends had stopped their conversations and were talking to me but I could only focus on the two cars as they had made their turn. At the same moment my car would have been crossing, a large black truck came speeding through the intersection.
If I had gone, that truck would have t-boned my tiny car and injured or killed the five of us. I remember just sitting there in silence with everyone in the car, staring ahead in shock.
There was a weird vibe as I drove back to the school. My entire body was shaking even after I sat in my class.
bigalactic
35. Mother's Intuition
My mum knew something was wrong with me when I was younger, Drs didn't want to see me for another 2 weeks. Mum went into a blind rage over the phone telling them that she was taking me to get checked whether they liked it or not....
We got to the GP, and he put a stethoscope on my back and smelled my breath. Then says "We need to get him to hospital NOW."
Turns out I had type 1 Diabetes and if I'd waited another day I would have died.
FracturedPixel
36. An Unforeseen Day in the Mountains
When my mom was pregnant with my older sister. She and her family decided to go hiking in the mountains. On the day of the hike, she suddenly felt something bad so she stayed behind while the rest of her family went for the hike.
Her family got lost and if it wasn't for my mom staying behind, they wouldn't have gotten help. Keep in mind that there were no cellphones back then, so if you got lost, it was a lot harder to contact rescue to come find you.
ToldNoOne
37. A Spur-of-the-Moment Decision
My now wife and I did the long-distance thing in college, and I planned on doing my normal routine to visit her, leave Chicagoland in the morning, and get to her early afternoon on Friday. Well I was closing my store on Thursday night, and I got a feeling that I should leave that night. So I did.
A little after lunch on Friday, tornado sirens go off. I don’t think anything of it until I head back home Sunday, and drive through a town about half an hour north of her. It got lit up by the tornado. I quickly realized that if I had left at my normal time, I would have been smack dab in the middle of a tornado.
jvac23
38. Unsettling Vibes: A Gut Feeling Proven Right
My ex-husband had a friend who I just didn't like although I could never explain why. He was very handsome, always smiling, very respectful speech (always called me ma'am or Miss even though he's a few years older than us).
My ex always made me feel bad for expressing my feelings about this guy. I was never rude to him when he'd stop by, but I did have trouble hiding my creeped-out vibe.
Fast forward to 3 years later, the guy got convicted of indecent liberties and a couple of more serious charges.
ClutchinMyPearls
39. The Hidden Dangers of Scout Leadership
I always hated the dad scout leader in my area growing up. Just seemed like a real creep. Hated seeing him at community events, soccer games, back-to-school nights, etc.
10 year old me staged a hissy fit to end all meltdowns with me slamming doors, crying and breaking shit to avoid being moved from cub scouts (where the moms ran things) to avoid boy scouts.
Turns out the scout leader was taking advantage of 3 or 4 of the boys in the troop and threatening them to keep their mouths shut.
Justice found him and he’s in prison.
[deleted]
40. Faking Success
I went for a job interview a couple of years back. From the outside, the business seems pretty solid: Good architecture, lawn well kept, great PR, etc. It seems like the perfect place where I would like to be. I went in, sat on a chair, and waited 15 mins for the interview.
Before the interview even started I noticed something strange with the manager, of course, he was well dressed (trying to put on a facade!).
But something seemed off with the way he reacted to my answers. He seemed a bit too nice, nothing is wrong with that but it just seems awkward and cringe-worthy.
I never got the job but the company went under a year later. They got caught for cooking the books. Almost everyone who was there got blackballed in the industry.
success10
41. A Twisted Workplace Exchange
A coworker of mine would pay me outrageous amounts of money to cover his shifts at work. I being 16 and hungry for money said yes and made a ton of money off this guy. This guy was older than me about a year or two went to my high school, and was a bad kid.
Consistently a bad worker and made excuses as to why he could not come in, none of them even remotely seemed true. One day he pays me my money for covering his shift and all is good. The next day he demands it back. I was like no this is mine, and continued to work.
The thing was he didn’t work that night but he came in while I worked and was giving me this look, and my gut told me something was wrong.
He goes to my boss and asks “ Hey can he (pointed at me) go outside for a second, I left my wallet in his car” I said then and there to my boss that I didn’t even have a car yet.
He was trying to lure me outside to rob me or beat me up or worse. He got fired shortly after and a month later he was on the news for ending another person’s life. I have no doubt he would have ended my life that night if I went outside.
FiguredWait
42. A Narrow Escape from a Stranger
I was cycling and saw a man look very long and weirdly at me while I was waiting before a traffic light to cross a street. It was night and he seemed coked up to me (I'm a bartender and I recognize that face).
I had the feeling he was going to follow me and I needed to get away from him.
I started cycling as fast as I could. So did he. I could hear him. Then I slowed down. So did he again. He really was following me. I decided that if I wanted to get away I needed to make a scene with other people around to see us. We were still in a part of town where I would see other people every now and then.
My house was in an area more out of town where it would be dark and I would probably be alone if he was still following me.
I cycled as fast as I could until I saw some people on the sidewalk walking back from a bar. I could hear him catch up to me. Right next to the other people I breaked full-stop, causing him to crash into me and fall hard.
While all these people were watching us, I started screaming at him "WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?" He got up and awkwardly muttered he just wanted me to give him a light. I told him to piss off and he left.
I waited with those people until I couldn't see him anymore, then I took a different route home. I am 100% sure he was up to something and I'm glad I got away from him.
Kimb0_91
43. Quick Thinking and a Close Call
I was in the car with my dad and my younger brother who was probably around 3 at the time - making me 9. Dad parked up and quickly popped into the shops maybe 20 meters from where we were parked - keep in mind this was in the middle of the town hall, very busy, people everywhere.
In the distance, for some reason, I noticed this man. I don’t remember many details other than he was skinny, wearing all black, and dark-skinned. He was acting very suspiciously, looking around anxiously, until he stopped beside the car.
I looked out the window where he stood, where it looked like he was trying to open the car door. I can remember being able to see his face just about, and knowing he could see mine. I could hear him pulling on the handle harder and harder, and the jingle of something that sounded like keys.
Again, this was in broad daylight, lots of people walking past, and I have no idea what his intentions were.
This is when I went into panic/protection mode, where my gut almost forced me into doing this; I pretended my dad was coming, and was pointing in a random direction with my brother, loudly saying “Look, there he is!” (He wasn’t, I was just hoping this guy saw and bolted).
He must have heard or at least saw, because he kept looking over in the direction I was pointing, until he suddenly stopped and ran off across the road - right when my dad got out of the store.
Now, this is the scariest bit -
I remember going onto Google after this incident, not too sure how long after but definitely under a month, and I saw an entire news article on the local news site looking for this same man. It said he was on the run after being suspected of stabbing two people in unprovoked attacks while stealing a car in the process.
I dread to think what could have happened if the car doors were unlocked.
R-S-S
44. The Unseen Danger
I was walking down the street in the summer in downtown Toronto and a man in a very fancy car pulled up. He started saying I was this person he knew. I laughed it off and said no that's not me, I get it all the time, I must just have one of those faces.
He kept insisting, giving me details that I was this waitress who worked at a restaurant he goes to. I insisted no and started to keep walking. He then asked where I was going. I easily lied saying I was meeting my friend at the AGO, which was actually what I had done the day before; right now I was just walking.
He offered to drive me there, mentioning how nice his car was.
This was when the gut feeling happened.
He was trying to get me in the car.
So I continued to play the act and said nope all good, my friends walking towards me and I didn't want to miss her.
I quickly walked past and slowly diagonally moved further from the road. I even remember later that night thinking maybe I had overreacted, not that I should have gotten in his car, but his intentions had not been what I had assumed.
10 years later, I read an article in the newspaper saying that a group of women was rescued from a bunch of men who were selling them. The women were discovered to have initially got in fancy cars of young attractive men, who had pretended to know who they were.
They even were taken from the same street it happened to me on. I nearly fainted realizing I could have been one of those women.
lovelyriver2929
45. A Terrifying Encounter in the Alley
There was a man walking behind me in an alleyway while I was walking home and it made me freak out.
I usually freak out when I'm alone with a stranger in an alley so this wasn't much different, but I had some other gut feeling, and when I looked at him he just gave off that vibe, which I don't like saying about people because I don't like to stereotype, but he gave off a really strong vibe.
So I sped up my walking and when I got out of the alley I called my mum and just talked to her cos it made me feel kinda safer and was practically running to get to home.
A few hours later I saw on the news that same man. He was a prisoner who had escaped and he was originally arrested for ending the lives of 4 women.
It really creeped me out to know that I was alone with him and he could've done anything had I not had this gut feeling, so thanks gut.
TheReal_CoCo