Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 13x07: Best Creepy Wilderness Stories Part 2

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Stories in this episode: Church in the Woods | outworlder39 (1:26) Somebody's Watching from the Woods | Rigel1895 (11:17) I Was Hunted in the Woods at Night | Zangon595 (21:38) Campsite Lurker | CW (29:18) Guy in the Woods Behind my AirBNB | pendingdisasters (36:07) A Creep in the Woods | Mari (42:44) Laughing in the Woods | vic9911 (55:20) Campin' in the Rain | Doc Trauma (1:00:49) Strange People in the Woods | Methhead_Jerry (1:14:06) Extended Patreon Content: Get in the Van: A Story From My Childhood | Bree D. Strange Smiling Man on the Train | Drew "Let's Get 'Em!" | Jessica N. Tales From A Rideshare Driver | Daniel Due to periodic changes in ad placement, time stamps are estimates and are not always accurate. Upcoming LNM Live Tour Dates: 8/10/24 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues: GET YOUR TICKETS 8/11/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge: GET YOUR TICKETS 8/18/24 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s: GET YOUR TICKETS 9/19/24 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall: GET YOUR TICKETS 10/09/24 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door: GET YOUR TICKETS 10/30/24 - Portland, OR @ Show Bar: GET YOUR TICKETS 11/09/24 - Houston, TX @ The Secret Group: GET YOUR TICKETS 11/10/24 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co: GET YOUR TICKETS Follow: - Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty - Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ - Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/ - TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@crypticcounty Check out the other Cryptic County podcasts like Odd Trails, Cryptic Encounters, and the Old Time Radiocast at CrypticCountyPodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts!    Get access to extended, ad-free episodes of Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast with bonus stories every week at a higher bitrate along with a bunch of other great exclusive material and merch at patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast. This podcast would not be possible to continue at this rate without the help of the support of the legendary LNM Patrons. Come join the family! All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. To submit your story to the show, send it to [e-mail].    Get results you can run your fingers through! For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code MEET. Check out my friend Joel's show The Let's Read Podcast on your favorite podcast platforms. It's terrifyingly cool. 

This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. Enjoy the show. Pack up your camping gear because this week we're sharing another compilation of some of the creepiest wilderness episodes from the last 12 seasons of the show. That's right, this is part 2 of what has become my favorite series. We've carefully selected these terrifying tales of the wild with special attention, to make sure you're good and frightened of the woods just in time for camping season. Who knows, maybe you'll learn a thing or two and avoid being one of the next Let's Not Meet victims. Enjoy the show.

I grew up in Ohio in the 70s, and me and my childhood friend Joe were outside all of the time we could manage it. Joe lived on a farm that bordered a pretty big forest, and my parents would drop me off in the morning, and we'd stay in the woods all weekend. We'd only come out for school. We loved pretending that we were frontiersmen. We'd build shelters, traps, practice making fire with sticks, the whole nine yards. When we got to be in high school,

we got this notion to pull a standby me. This was based on the movie of the same name that had just come out. The idea was that we would walk the railroad tracks out in the country. But instead of looking for a dead body, we'd find cool bridges to fish from and camp a little ways off the tracks. Of course, we knew this was dangerous, and we'd likely be trespassing. But we were kids. We had a lot of fun. We did find beautiful rivers.

We discovered bridges that no one went to. We fished. We hid from the trains. That night, we camped in the woods just near the tracks and made small hidden fires. Nothing bad ever happened. It was idyllic. In fact, it was so fun, we did it multiple times.

Never had a problem. After high school, me and Joe went our own ways. We both left home, but always stayed in touch and always tried to coordinate visits so that we would see each other occasionally. One summer in the mid-90s, it worked out that we were both in town for about a week. We'd do stuff with the family during the day, and at night, we'd either catch drinks at a bar or sit outside Joe's house around the fire and talk about the old days. One night, me and Joe got to talking about our standby me trips.

Well, nostalgia and beer are a hell of a mix. Soon we decided to take a day and walk the rails. Well, nostalgia and beer are a hell of a mix. Soon we decided to take a day and walk the rails. We would camp one night and then walk home. The day came and we started out early in the morning. We had my wife drop us off in our old spot where we used to start, right outside our hometown. She thought this was absolutely crazy and made sure to mention it. When she

pulled away, Joe suggested that instead of walking the usual route, we'd take the opposite direction just to be adventurous. We knew the land well. We had a map, so I gave a what-the-hell and off we set. The day went fine. It was fun and a little sad, but in a good way. We found a bridge and sat on the edge, smoked a joint, then moved on. We had no fishing gear, but we brought some canned food and other stuff. Before night started to set in, we picked a spot to camp. It was a thick forested area, trees on every side of the train tracks, so you felt like you were in

a tunnel. We had brought small hammocks to sleep in, but before we set them up, we decided to do a little scouting of the perimeter. Now this is what we used to do in the old days as well. We'd walk the area around a little bit to make sure that some dude's house wasn't just over a hill, and we were actually camping in their yard. We walked maybe a hundred or so feet into the woods up a small incline. So we figured we didn't see anyone from the top of this short hill, and we would be fine. But when we got to the top, we saw an old building down at the bottom,

to the top, we saw an old building down at the bottom, about a hundred yards into the woods. It was barely visible. We pondered what to do. We both assumed that it was a sugar shack or something because there didn't appear to be any clear road into it. From where we were, there didn't look to be anyone in it either. It was all quiet, no movement could be seen, no lights. We decided to walk a little closer, just to make sure. We came down the hill very slowly and as we neared the building, we saw it wasn't a sugar shack at all. It was an old church. It looked like it had been abandoned for years.

It was a squat, sagging building whose wooden planks were almost black from years of moss and rot. A cross still stood on top of the place, all weathered in black. None of the windows had glass and there were no doors, just open doorways. We got close enough to see the inside and there were rows of pews and a built-up section in front for a preacher to stand. We didn't go all the way in. We didn't want to. Beyond all that, there was no sign of anyone else. No footprints, no paths, no roads. It was an abandoned church. We left immediately and went back up the hill to our spot that we had picked to camp.

Having a hill between us and the church made us feel a little better, but we were still a bit uneasy. We chalked it up to the natural creepiness of seeing a church in the middle of the woods. Besides, at this point it was dusk and we decided to rig up our hammocks and go to sleep and move on in the early morning. Night set in and as we lay on our hammocks and shot the shit, we began to hear something in the direction of the church. Our conversation went a little like this.

Did you hear that? What the fuck is that? It sounds like... people singing. And it did sound like singing. We both slid right out of our hammocks and hunkered down, straining to hear more. We listened for a minute or two, and the singing continued, but it wasn't getting louder. Finally, we decided to creep back up the hill and see if we could spy where the sound was coming from. We could still move very quietly in the woods from the old days.

It was second nature to us. The moon was barely out, but it provided just enough light so that you wouldn't walk right into a tree. But it was near pitch black. We didn't use flashlights as we slowly crept up the hill and we didn't talk. When we got to the top we saw a light in the distance. It was coming from the church and the singing was coming from inside. Joe and I put our heads close together and had a hushed conversation that boiled down to,

can you believe this shit? The light looked to be a candlelight from the way that it flickered. And though we tried, we couldn't make out what was being sung. It sounded like church music, but in another language. We sat and watched for a while, trying to see who it was in there, but we only saw occasional shadows. We had no intention of getting closer, either. We had about a football-filled length between us, and we aimed to keep it that way. The singing continued for a bit, and then it stopped. After that, a booming male voice began to chant.

I was already freaked out, but this voice thoroughly scared the shit out of me. It sounded like some Old Testament preacher you see in movies, but again, it was like he was speaking in a different language because we couldn't understand a single word. Eventually it got to where the single male voice would say something and then a bunch of voices would answer in a song. This lasted for a while, and then they all broke into this long sustained wail that just kept getting louder. It got so loud and so disturbing that I had to cover my ears. And it stopped.

At this point, I was just getting ready to say, let's get the fuck out of here. When Joe put a hand on my shoulder and hissed, they're coming out. We were far enough away that we couldn't make them out really well, but we could see that it was a line of figures walking out the open doorway, all holding hands in single file. We could see some of them had flashlights.

They began to sing again, and the light from the flashlights began to move towards us on the hill. We booked it back down to our campsite, grabbed our shit, and ran to the tracks. Once there, we ran down the tracks and the direction that we had come from. After a few minutes, we stopped and looked back, and we saw lights coming down the hill. They were actually moving erratically, like whoever was holding them was shaking them. We continued to run in spurts and walked as fast as we could. We eventually stopped seeing the lights and came to a road. By our map, we knew a small town was

about 15 minutes down it and we walked there, got to a 24 hour gas station and called my wife to come get us. My wife and other friends all just thought it was kids messing around, but I heard those voices and they sure as hell didn't sound like kids to me. Not sure who those people were, but it was definitely the creepiest thing that ever happened to me out in the woods.

Since my last post here sparked quite a discussion, I decided to post another of my unsettling stories that are tied to local forests. I grew up in these forests, and I feel quite comfortable there. Nevertheless, I stumbled into a few unsettling situations there that would firmly stick in my mind forever. This is one such occasion. I was 18 at the time. One evening, me and my two friends, Mike and Paul,

decided to go camping. Well, camping maybe isn't the right word since we didn't intend to spend the night, only to chill and have some fun around the campfire for a while. The plan was simple. Head out, build a campfire, drink a few bottles of wine, eat something, and head back home for a good night's sleep. We met at my house. When it was still sunny outside, we got ready and we headed out.

Our destination was an old abandoned quarry in the middle of the woods, which was maybe 40 minutes from my house. Even though the quarry has a tragic and, frankly, creepy history, it's a popular place for such occasions. When we got there, the sky was already colored red as the sun slowly sank behind the hills. We quickly gathered all the firewood that we could so we wouldn't have to look for it later. As the darkness fell and absorbed all of our surroundings into impenetrable blackness,

we already managed to get the fire going. We were in a great mood and we were getting ready for our first toast. That's when we realized that we made a horrible mistake. We forgot the corkscrews. We were trying to open the wine without it, but we quickly gave up because the bottles were quite expensive and we didn't want to damage them. At this point it was clear that one of us would have to sacrifice himself and jog back to retrieve the corkscrew. After a bit of haggling I volunteered. However, I had two conditions. Firstly, they would give me a hatchet in case something went wrong along the way.

Secondly, no pranks when I got back. Mike and Paul agreed without hesitation. They shoved a hatchet into one hand and a flashlight into the other and sent me on my way. As I was jogging through the forest, I heard a noise resembling a wild boar. Suddenly I remembered a warning I received from an older hunter a few days ago. He said that this time of year, boars were getting dangerous, especially at night. I was a bit nervous, but luckily, I managed to survive with no harm. I arrived safely at my house, much to the surprise of my mom, who didn't expect me so early.

I explained the whole deal, she just laughed, I grabbed the corkscrew and was back on my way. Not wanting to experience an unpleasant bore encounter, I chose another, slightly longer path, this time through an open field. After a while, I got to our spot. It was a small clearing, surrounded on one side by massive rocks maybe 70 meters tall and on the other side by thick forest. Somewhere in the middle of the clearing was our campfire. When I approached it, I realized there wasn't anybody. Although our backpacks were still on the ground and the fire was burning bright.

Great. We specifically agreed that there'd be no pranks when I got back. Those dicks think they're funny, I thought to myself. I resignedly sat down near the fire facing the woods. That's the only place where those two assholes could have hidden, I thought. I was really tired, and all I could think about was the taste of that exquisite pinot noir we brought with us. I really wasn't in the mood for their games and I was getting quite mad. That's when I heard a snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves from the edge of the forest,

maybe 30 meters from where I was sitting. The sound was rhythmical and it was undoubtedly the sound of somebody walking. I aimed my flashlight to the spot where the sound of somebody walking. I aimed my flashlight to the spot where the sounds were coming from. Between the trees I spotted a tall person wearing a dark hoodie. As I shined my flashlight on him he stopped walking, turned to me and just kept staring motionlessly. Even though he was directly facing me, I couldn't really see his face. I shouted, Paul, I know you're trying to scare me.

We agreed on something, so stop messing around and come out. As I finished, the hooded figure just turned around and walked deeper into the woods. Exactly at that time, my phone started ringing. Hastily, I took it out of my pocket. It was Mike. I took the call and started barking at him. Really funny, you assholes. I thought we agreed on something.

What are you talking about? I'm talking about you trying to fuck with me. I clearly saw you, so you can come out now." Mike froze for a minute. For what seemed like an eternity, all I could hear was his heavy breathing and Paul mumbling something in the background. When he finally snapped back to reality, he just said, Dude, we're at your house.

We heard some footsteps. At first, we just thought that you're trying to fuck with this, but then we got scared and decided to look after you I forgot the phone at your house, so we couldn't even call you just get the hell out of there And we'll come back for our stuff together Bullshit, that's just another one of your funny pranks, and I'm not buying it Hold on a second for a while all I could hear was some incoherent mumbling. Hey, what's going on? Asked the voice of my mum coming from the phone.

My head suddenly spun and my heart skipped a beat as I realized that they weren't kidding. Suddenly a freezing wave of fear ran through my body. However, I managed to convince mom that everything was just fine, that she doesn't need to worry. She gave the phone back to Mike. Just leave everything and come back. We're headed out now, we'll meet you halfway there.

I'm not going anywhere alone again. You better get your asses here and do it quick. I'm waiting for you. I'm not going anywhere alone again. You better get your asses here and do it quick. I'm waiting for you." I hung up. I didn't wish to make any more noise than I already did. I quickly turned off my flashlight and started to back off from the light of fire. I moved all the way to the huge wall of rocks. I figured that if I had my back covered by the rocks, I would eliminate one of the possible ways the unwanted visitor could approach me. I was standing there in a complete darkness, trying not to make a sound while tightly clutching

my hatchet, which would be, for the next half hour, my best friend. I had to constantly convince myself not to curl into a ball in fear. Even my own body started to betray me. As my hearing got worse due to my savagely beating heart, I was trying to calm myself. But then again, in worst-case scenario, every little bit of adrenaline would help. After what seemed like an eternity, I spotted two weak light beams coming from the forest. I heard Paul shout my name. I've never been so relieved. I finally ran out of my hiding to greet my two friends. For quite some time, we were just standing there, laughing like maniacs from relief. We were even getting a bit cocky and we thought about staying.

After all, there was just one, supposedly, creep lurking between the trees and there were three of us. Funny, just minutes earlier I was shitting myself with fear and now I was suddenly full of tough macho bullshit thinking, what could possibly happen? In the end, healthy judgment got the better of us and we decided to leave. We packed our things, put out the fire and got out. We took our bottles of wine to enjoy somewhere else. Somewhere where it's nice and brightly lit.

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Years ago, when I was still a teenager, my friend Justin and I would often go longboarding at night, as my friends were quite the night owls. We loved the freedom of almost never seeing another soul on the roads or the paths that we frequented. Even when using the main roads, it would be very rare to see a car out so late in such a rural area, and you could see and hear them coming from very far away due to their headlights and the noise of the vehicle disrupting the

peaceful silence of the night. We were really into it at the time and would often ride our boards for miles and miles, sometimes not arriving home until the sun was up. One particular night, we decided to ride a few miles away from our usual back roads to take one of our favorite hidden routes. It began with a narrow paved path that was the only piece of land separating two sides of a long lake. It would often sink under due to the rain and we wanted to seize the opportunity to use it before it rained and went under water again.

It was roughly two miles long and was extremely relaxing to ride through due to the scenery. After making it to the end of the lake, we decided to continue moving and turn into a very close path that leads directly into a densely wooded wilderness preservation. As we came up to the first hill we looked down at the bottom into the complete blackness. We both noticed what appeared to be a tiny moving ball of dim light down there. It moved so strangely and it was extremely difficult to make out what it was. Rather than shine our flashlight down, we curiously watched for a few moments,

whispering to each other about what it could possibly be. All at once, that small light turned into multiple blinding lights and extremely loud revving sounds. Overwhelming our senses that had become accustomed to the dark and silence, acting purely on fear, we instantly turned around and ran as fast as we could, hearing yelling and revving gaining behind us. By sheer luck, we managed to run off the path into a very dark, very overgrown hole in the side of

a hill, overlooking where we had just come from. We decided to hide in the natural dugout of this hill, hoping the plants and the darkness would be enough to protect us from whatever was happening out there. We watched our pursuers right up to where we had originally been standing. There were four men, two on four-wheelers and two on full-sized motorcycles. They were yelling at each other about something, but we couldn't make out what they were saying due to the distance we had covered. We felt safe enough to whisper very softly to each other and speculate who these people could be. Our

first thought was that they might be park rangers of some kind, although we had never seen one here in the many times that we had been through, and honestly, we doubted that this county had the budget or even the desire to have anyone patrol the deep woods at night. Besides that, these men were on vehicles, entirely inappropriate for the paved bike trails, and they were very angry about something. They called out to us for a while, yelling things like, we know you're out there, and we can see you, come on out. We stayed silent and decided to call their bluff

instead of running. Eventually, we clearly heard one of the men yell, find them now, and they smashed a bottle. That had erased any hope we had of these men just being park rangers. We watched them split up, each of them going a different way down a series of paths on their vehicles, including the path that we came from. It took us what felt like ages to even move. series of paths on their vehicles, including the path that we came from. It took us what felt like ages to even move.

We were frozen in terror inside the dugout, watching the lights from the vehicles travel through the woods and the paths, one of them already coming full circle and passing the point he started from. I thought about calling for help, but I was too afraid to open my phone and feared that the smallest amount of light would give away our location. After waiting for the lights of the vehicles to reach their farthest distance yet, we finally summoned up the nerve to get up and try to run somewhere far enough from these people to safely make a call.

We ran as hard and fast as we could through the woods. Since their headlights gave away their location on these paths, we would hide again whenever we felt they were getting too close. Our available hiding spots were getting progressively worse as the woods became less dense, and the fear I felt waiting for them to drive past us, while basically only being covered in leaves and plants, may still be unmatched to this day. Finally we emerged from the woods onto the intersection of two main roads, far from where we started. We ducked down into the ditch to call for help.

When I opened my phone, I noticed I had recently missed calls from one of our other friends, Connor, who we were supposed to meet up with after our long board excursion. I called him and frantically asked where he was. Luck was with us again. He hadn't given up on our plans despite us ignoring

him and was only a few miles away, already heading in our direction. I gave him the names of the two streets we were near the corner of and explained that he needed to pick us up right away. He agreed and sped over to us while Justin and I waited in hiding. Thankfully Connor arrived before those men did. We bolted into the back seats of his car, yelling for him to get out of there, and he took off. Relief doesn't begin to describe what I felt being safely driven home after what I had just experienced.

After explaining everything that happened to Connor, we ended up just moving on with our night and decided not to call the police. We figured they would be gone by the time any kind of officer made it out there, and that we would only be putting ourselves at risk by admitting to breaking the law by taking those paths so late at night. I still have no idea what happened or who those people were. I've been told all kinds of theories from friends and family that have heard this story. Some think we walked right up to a huge drug deal. Justin and I later admitted to each other that when the revving started and we couldn't see, our minds both went straight to chainsaw-wielding horror movie serial killer. I suppose it could

have been much worse. Frustratingly enough, whatever those men thought we saw that made them want to catch us so badly, we never actually saw. We'll never really know. My good friend Katie and I went on a camping trip several years ago as a way to briefly escape the stress of Los Angeles life. We had no idea what was in store for us when we drove up to that small northern California town and I didn't know much about it before the trip. Our original plan to hike seven miles to a campsite failed due to a recent fire in the area totally obliterating the trail.

So, with absolutely no cell phone reception, we made do with an old printed ranger map. We picked a campground that was next to a lake and then set off. The map took us on this very winding, very rocky, very remote road into truly the middle of nowhere. It was an hour of basically off-roading before we reached the intended campground. It was very isolated, surrounded by a dense forest with no evidence of other campers having been in the area recently. It would have to do, so we made camp, ate dinner, and played cards until it started getting dark. That's when things got strange. When I say that it got dark, I mean pitch black.

No stars, no moonlight, just a thick black void of nothingness all around us. There was absolutely no sound. No crickets, no fog, no wind. Nothing. Very unusual for being so close to a body of water. It was 10 p.m. when we got to our tents. There was something unsettling about this place. I was on high alert in this sensory-deprived environment, listening

hard for any sound. It just didn't feel right. At 11.30, I told Katie, there's no way I'm going to be able to sleep. I just can't calm down. As soon as I said those words, a bright strobing light lit up the blackness. My heart stopped. It was like someone was flashing a strobe light right outside of our tents. After a moment of shock, Katie whispered,

It's the campfire. It must have sparked back to life? Sparked back to life being a huge understatement, this thing went from dead out to roaring as if someone had thrown an accelerant on it. It had been three hours since we put it out, and again there was no wind. We were both experienced campers. We knew how to put a fire out thoroughly. This made no sense.

Maybe we weren't the only people at that campsite after all. No thank you. Time to go. Thoroughly freaked out, I started ripping down the tents and throwing them into the car. Katie once again doused the campfire. Despite my hurry to leave, I glanced over into the black forest and I saw a little pin of light shining. I alerted Katie and we both looked over to see what became very clearly two bright shining eyes looking right back at us about 15 feet away. No doubt the eye shine of some animal. In fact, this was the only animal life that we had seen since arriving.

It clearly wasn't scared of us at all despite having the car headlights on bright and making a ton of noise and our frenzy to get out of there. We ran to the car and locked the doors. Now we just had to make it back to town in the pitch blackness, down this sketchy, rough road. God forbid we pop a tire on a rock and get stranded in the dark. Going slowly and carefully, we make it about a quarter of the way back when suddenly we see car headlights in the distance. Headlights coming towards us. Who would be driving on this dangerous road at 12.30 at night? We suddenly realized how stupid we had been on our way to the campsite.

We had stopped several times to get out and explore potential trailheads. Any lurking onlooker would have seen two young girls heading no doubt for the only campsite at the dead end of this rural road. 1230 a.m. seemed like just the time someone with some terrible intentions might think that we would be asleep and vulnerable. We held our breath as we were forced to pull over on this narrow road to let them pass. But they didn't pass. The oncoming car just stopped, blocking the road completely. They repeatedly flashed their headlights at us.

We waited. They flashed again. We waited again. Finally the car started slowly crawling forward until it was exactly parallel to our car. Then it stopped. In the car was a man staring fiercely at us from the old beater, probably a Honda Accord. It had its back passenger window busted out and was replaced with duct tape. The window busted out and was replaced with duct tape. He glared at us with these dark eyes for what felt like an eternity just staring, getting a good look at us, before he finally continued to slowly crawl away,

disappearing into the night, having said nothing. After he passed, we continued on our way and spent the rest of our trip at this cute and safe family campsite. There is still no doubt in my mind that had he come across us sleeping at the campsite, we would have been in serious danger. Looking back now, I'm grateful for the spooky flaring up of the campfire and the mysterious animal eyes in the dark, because those are the things that actually scared us enough to get in the car and get the fuck out of there just in time to avoid that more than likely murderer

headed directly for our campsite. Perhaps it was the intervention of the round valley Native American spirits rumored to haunt the area. I kinda like to think so. But either way, creepy campsite lurker, let's never meet. So me, my boyfriend, his best friend, and his girlfriend drove up to Big Bear on June 26th. Then a day later, another friend of ours drove up on June 27th. He was supposed to sleep downstairs, and the couples slept upstairs since there are only two bedrooms. The first night that we stayed there, it was a little creepy because the cabin was pretty remote, and of course, there's absolutely no lights outside. It is

in the woods with coyotes howling and bears, but nonetheless completely normal activity. On the 27th, around 12am, my boyfriend and I are laying in bed, when suddenly our friend sleeping downstairs comes banging on the door, freaking out saying that he saw shadows in the woods, and that the motion light came on and there was thumping outside. We got a little freaked out, but my boyfriend gets out of bed to check the entire cabin and even goes outside. Nothing. We go up to the other couple's room where there's a porch with a sliding glass door that looks out onto the woods. It's important to note that I am a naturally very anxious and scared person

while my boyfriend is a rock. He's calm and logical while I tend to jump to the worst scenario. My boyfriend goes over to check the last place in the cabin, so he pulls the curtain So he pulls the curtain and jumps and yells, Oh my God! At this point, I'm terrified. My boyfriend is 180 pounds. He's a CrossFit coach. And to see a big guy like that, scared, is nauseating. He locked the door and backed away slowly. He quietly says,

There's a large man standing outside, staring at us. He's just standing in the woods looking at us. He looks at me and says, Go lock the door. That's when I knew that he was serious. Everyone is freaking out. I run and lock the door behind us, and we all decide to stay in the room to keep an eye out. I run and lock the door behind us, and we all decide to stay in the room

to keep an eye out. It's the middle of the summer, and it's really hot, but we refuse to open a window. I'm so scared, but trying not to show it, as everyone else seems to have calmed down. About 30 minutes go by and nothing happens. I get annoyed with the heat, and the fact that there's five people in a tiny room and three of them are men. So my boyfriend and I go back to our room. I'm still pretty freaked out. So my boyfriend tries to cheer me up. At this point, it's about 1.30 AM.

And I told him I was too scared to sleep with the lights off. He tells me that's totally fine and he understands. So we just lay with the lights off. He tells me that's totally fine and he understands so we just lay with the lights completely on. Finally I start drifting to sleep when I hear a thud. I sit up and look at my boyfriend. He looks at me. Then the power cuts. I immediately start sobbing. I'm trembling and I can't see anything because it's pitch black. I try to get out of bed and run but my legs are tangled in the sheets and I fall. My boyfriend picks me up and we grab our phones and run to the other room where everyone else is staying. We're hysterical at this point.

I try to contact our host but nothing will go through. I try to call my dad but all of our phones say no service. We're all alone out there. Thank God, the friend who drove up after us had a different carrier because his phone had one bar. So he calls the local sheriff. I realize now, it's a bit of an overreaction, but at the time, we thought we were going to die. He's on the phone with the sheriff and they transfer us to the utilities company. We give the address and they tell us that we're too far into the woods and that they don't cover that area. At this point we're wondering if the entire area has no power or if the

man outside has just cut our power. We call 911 and report the suspicious activity and the power outage. They send the fire department. A few hours go by and it's 3 a.m. and suddenly the power comes back on. We fall asleep and the next day we talk to some locals of the area. We told them that the power went out and he said that that was strange and that should not have happened. He told us the only reason that happens out here is because of snow, if there's a snowstorm. He said that he couldn't explain it. So to the man in the woods who probably cut our power, let's not meet. I want to tell you about my friend Joel's podcast, the Let's Read podcast. It features a wide array of horror stories ranging from true crime and paranormal encounters

to creepy personal experiences, making it a must-listen for fans of Let's Not Meet. A lot of the stories are submitted by listeners, providing a diverse and authentic range of terrifying tales that resonate with a broad audience. So if you like Let's Not Meet, you're gonna love Joel's show, trust me. We're basically podcast brothers at this point. His storytelling prowess creates an immersive and chilling listening experience perfect for fans who love to be on the edge of their seats. Dive into a rich archive of episodes with spine-tingling stories that include everything from haunted houses and

ghost sightings to unsettling true-crime cases and creepy encounters. Join a vibrant community of horror enthusiasts who engage with the podcast, sharing their own stories and experiences making it an interactive and dynamic show. Stay tuned for special episodes and themed story collections that explore new and exciting facets of horror storytelling. Search for Let's Read on your favorite podcast platform and remember to hit follow so you never miss an episode. Now back to the show. I haven't told this story to many people, excluding my partner, friends, and my mother,

but ever since I found Let's Not Meet, I wanted to share my story on the podcast. I also wanted to write in because I haven't heard any stories from Finland on the show. For backstory, this happened last summer in 2020. I was 21 at the time and keen on trying new things as the pandemic had put a stop to my regular partying and activities. I was single at the time and spent some of those days on Tinder swiping for possible hookups or adventures.

I matched with an American girl living here who seemed like the type that I would like to hang out with. We started talking a little bit and decided to hang out. The summer was beautiful, very hot, but beautiful, so we decided to stay outside, smoke some weed because she was willing to share her stash with me, and just chill. I was excited, free weed, and a new friend sounded like a great night for adventure. But what I didn't know was that this night would leave me scared and anxious for a very long time. We decided to meet around 8 p.m. in a shopping mall pretty

close to where I lived at the time. Now I usually do not hang out with people during the night. I love my nighttime routine and calm evenings. But like I said, in 2020, I was looking for new experiences. So this wasn't out of the question for me. The girl I was meeting with, let's call her Elle, told me that she had a place in mind, her favorite smoke spot. I was all in and I let her take the lead. We walked into the forest that had a jogging track and a sports court in the vicinity. She led me off the track into a clearing in the woods and I could agree with her that it was a

nice spot. The clearing was fairly large and had some small cliffs and rock formations that you could sit on. There was graffiti and the coals of a bonfire, so clearly this was a spot other people would spend time. The clearing wasn't covered in trees, but it was lined with them and the track was the only way out of the clearing. The entrance of the clearing was covered by the trees and lined with thick bushes and it wasn't like an official entrance. It was just a small trek people had created over the years. We walked around this clearing before settling down on top of

one of those rock formations. From our place we could pretty much see the entire clearing except for what was behind us. Not paying mind to not see what was behind us, we started packing a pipe and turned on some music. We started smoking the pipe and chatting about things like school, what Elle was doing here, and the summer. She then proceeded to tell me about something creepy she had experienced in that wooded area. She and her friend had been hanging out there, much like we were at that moment, when they had seen a man, pleasuring himself and watching them. I was immediately grossed out and anxious because if that had happened before, there was a chance that it could happen again.

I awkwardly tried to laugh my anxiety off and hit the pipe just a little more. At this point, we both had probably taken a few hits each, but I was a lightweight and already started feeling it. We talked some more, and my eyes scanned the clearing when I thought I saw someone. I got Elle's attention and asked her if she was seeing what I was seeing. What she told me made my blood run cold. She confirmed that she also saw what I was seeing. Next to the entrance and exit to the clearing, hiding in the bushes was an old man.

He was crouching down, doing God knows what, staring right at us. There was no one else in the clearing, and we were practically smack dab in the middle of it. So there was no way he was there for anyone else. Obviously, we freaked out. I started frantically gathering my stuff as Elle was starting to hyperventilate and explained to me that that man was the same one that she had just told me about. My heart fell to my ass as I realized what kind of situation we were in. We quickly gathered our belongings and frantically

tried to figure out what to do. We didn't have the courage to walk towards him, towards the only entrance to the clearing because who knows what he was hiding behind the bush. The only logical solution to us, two half-stoned girls, was to delve into the woods originally behind us. L fell in step after me, and I took the lead, holding onto my phone and a switchblade that I bought years ago and kept with me to open packages during the move.

That dull switchblade was our only weapon if the man tried something with us, and I was clutching it like no tomorrow. I initially bought it for self-defense purposes, but never imagined I would actually have to use it. I started questioning what I would even do with it. Could I stab a person, even in self-defense? As we continued our walk out of the clearing and into the woods, I remember Elle's words

shocked me. He's following us. He's not leaving. She told me this in a choked up voice. I had had some hope that if we just left the clearing, he would leave us alone, but no. We were walking deeper into the unknown woods, and he was following us. I was trying to figure out from Google Maps if there was another exit, but I couldn't find one.

At least not one marked on maps anyway. Determined to show him that I was not afraid, I put on my bravest face and voice and just kept walking, hoping that he would leave us alone. Behind me, I hear L's panicked voice saying things like, he's getting closer. Oh my God, it's really him. To say my heart was pounding out of my chest is an understatement. I felt my legs shaking.

I felt like throwing up. At that moment, my mind was flooded with all of the terrible cases that I had heard of, and that only made my fear even worse. During our walk, we were speaking in hushed voices, trying to avoid showing him that we were scared. We agreed on calling 112, the emergency number, if the situation didn't resolve somehow soon. We continued our walk, and L told me that the man was getting even closer. I never looked back after taking the lead because I didn't want to cry.

I knew that I would start bawling if I really saw him. I dialed 112 because our situation was looking worse and worse. The woods around us, they were thick, hard to walk through, and there was no trek anywhere. No reason for anyone except us and the creep to be there. From behind me, L whispered, he's about five meters away. This made my last drop of confidence vanish. When we started our walk, he was around 25 to 35 meters away from us.

He was getting close. And we were lost in the middle of the woods, alone with the creep, with intentions to do who knows what. As I finally pressed call on my phone and called that emergency line, we stumbled into a small clearing in the midst of some trees. As a man's voice on the phone answered, I turned around and to my surprise I was faced with another man. This bald middle-aged man, he was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, smoking a cigarette, just in the middle of the woods. I hung up 112, too startled by the presence

of this random man. I asked L if I should talk to him and ask him for help. We agreed that this was our only option, for any help. I walked up to the cigarette smoking man and told him that there was a man following us and if he could be with us just for this moment, and maybe go tell him something. I hate being dependent on men especially, but in this moment I swear this man was our guardian angel. Begrudgingly he got up and walked towards where we came from. At this moment, the creep was crouching behind some bushes, again hiding. The man jogged towards this creep, and he took off running back towards the clearing and away from us. The bald man walked

back to us, and I thanked him for helping us and tried to steady my breath. Elle started crying and I hugged her and tried to comfort her. The man sat back down on the tree trunk and proceeded to tell me that that man is no trouble. He doesn't mean any harm. I was shocked and just nodded as I thanked him again and steered Elle and I away from this man. We walked slowly back towards the clearing, me still gripping my switchblade, and when we made it out of the clearing without spotting the creep, we could finally breathe. We walked towards the sports court that was close to the track and finally saw some dog walkers and other people.

Elle was crying hysterically, and I can only imagine that I looked like I had seen a ghost. We walked all the way back to the mall that we passed on our way to the woods in the first place and contemplated calling the cops or informing them. In the end we decided not to call the cops because we had been smoking pot which is not allowed here. In hindsight we should have called them, especially after what I found out next. I posted about this incident on my Instagram story and a friend of mine swiped up and told me that those specific woods were known for sexual encounters with weird creeps. I felt sick as I read the message. Who knows what that man could have thought of us being there, since neither of us knew

of this status in the woods. As the adrenaline went down, I felt angry because of the man who had helped us. Of course, the creep isn't going to harm you, and therefore, it isn't dangerous, but to us, he could have done some serious damage. This encounter haunts me to this day. I purchased some pepper spray. I always keep it on me now, if I go anywhere new alone. I have bad anxiety about going anywhere alone at night. I have for a whole year after this incident. But I'm starting to feel better

with my blade and my pepper spray. It's going to take more than just a creep to mess up my life. So to the creep, following me and my friend deep into the forest, planning Lord knows what, let's not ever meet again. I went camping with three of my buddies, John, Bennett, and Kyle. We do this every year. It's kind of a trip to reconnect with each other. We were all fresh out of college and decided to go on our yearly camping trip in August. We're from Oregon and ended up camping in the woods there like we usually do, the same

spot. The first day was great. We set up our spot, explored the area, and by the time the sun was setting, we set up a campfire and made dinner. After a few too many beers and some s'mores, we decided to go to sleep. It was a perfect end to a perfect day. Our second day was basically the same thing. Hiking, food, one too many beers, but this night ended up being not so perfect. As we finished the rest of the beers we were wrestling around with each other, like guys do, then John stopped messing around and froze. Everyone was confused but John claimed he

heard something nearby. I told him it was most likely a squirrel claimed he heard something nearby. I told him it was most likely a squirrel, and he said no, it was most definitely not. He was scaring me at this point, so I decided to resume the tackling session, and I took him down. We forgot about the whole thing until about ten minutes later. We were tired from wrestling and joking around, so we decided to put out the fire and head into the tent. We had a six-person tent, for anybody wondering,

so we were all in one tent. Just as our only light source, besides our flashlights, went out, I heard a slight cackle. I assumed it was one of the boys because we were all clearly a bit buzzed, so everything is funny. I wanted to see what was so funny,

so I turned the flashlight directly into Bennett's face. I thought he was the one laughing. Bennett's face was as white as a ghost. He looked at me and he said, Did you guys hear that? I said the laughing and Kyle said that wasn't you. We were all shaken and decided to go back into the tent. As we got in, I pulled out an axe that I used to cut the wood. It was the only source of protection we had.

I was on the very end of the tent with Kyle and John in the middle and Bennett on the other end. We were all silent, but I knew we were all wide awake after hearing the laughing. We weren't exactly at an actual campsite where there are other people around. We just walked into the woods, found an open spot, and set up camp there. We were about a mile from our car with barely any cell signal. So I guess you could say we weren't exactly in the safest position if there was a crazy maniac running around. I got tired, so I dozed off.

I have no idea how long I was sleeping before I heard laughing again. It's hard to describe other than it sounded menacing. I was frozen. I didn't move. I didn't even try to look over to see if my buddies were awake. The axe was under my pillow. As I mustered up the strength to move to get it, I saw what looked like someone's finger pressed up against the tent, just circling around the tent. Someone was defiantly outside, walking around our tent. Someone was defiantly outside walking around our tent laughing. When they got to the front part of the tent where the entrance was they stopped. About five seconds went by before the person ferociously shook the tent and said boogity boogity. That's when I knew my buddies were awake as well because Kyle screamed like a little girl.

And after he screamed, whoever was behind the tent laughed again and walked off. We laid there the rest of the night wide awake and definitely sober. We didn't want to move out of pure fear that whoever was out there was still there. When the sun came up, we packed up everything and walked back to our car. We still go camping every year, but make sure to go to a legit camping site. I now bring a gun with me and not just an axe.

Whoever was outside our campsite could have been a deranged homeless person, meth head, psychopath, serial killer, or just an asshole playing a prank on us, but I sure as hell won't camp in a rural place anymore. Ah, stay safe out there. It is a dangerous world we live in. This happened in February of 2012 here in Texas. This was a pretty turbulent time in my life as my marriage was falling apart and I was

in paramedic school doing clinical rotations and working-time as a tech in a local trauma center. At this point in time, I had been out of the military for a couple of years, and had also worked on the streets as an EMT, so I was used to being in odd, dangerous, and sometimes funny situations. I could handle myself fairly well. I was at work in the ER for the day shift when I received a text from my now, thankfully,

ex-wife. She and some of her friends would be staying in the city for the night and would be back at some point the next day. I was ecstatic at the news since, as I said, we had not been getting along, spent some private time in our little apartment with a little booze and bad TV sounded heavenly. Also, I had neither school the next day because it was Saturday, nor was I signed up for a rotation. I could tie one on a bit, stay up late,

and sleep in with the dog. About halfway through my shift, my charge nurse found me and told me that she was cutting staff since the ER was almost vacant and asked if I wanted to punch out early. Bonus. As I was getting my stuff together to haul ass out of the building before she could change her mind, I started thinking about going camping for the night instead. This was Texas, so even in February it wasn't super cold

and hunting season was over. That meant I could literally camp anywhere in the national forest instead of driving up to a campground. I texted my wife before I left work and I told her the plan and promised to run by the apartment to feed the dog and let her out. I was only going to be in the woods for about 12 hours total, but it would be absolutely worth it. The forest has always had this calming effect on me, and getting out even for just a few hours still puts me in a good place mentally. So I made the 45 minute drive home in about 40 minutes. I was excited.

I went through the usual motions of getting my shih tzu food and water and taking her for a walk. I was only going to be in the woods for a shade over 12 hours. I decided to pack light. The forecast was clear. I opted to bring only a tarp for shelter in an old military poncho.

After stuffing that in my pack with some food for dinner, a few beers to cool in the creek, and some other odds and ends, I was ready. As I was leaving, I looked for the last piece of gear that I was going to bring. My pistol. Growing up, we never went into the woods without some sort of firearm for protection. In Texas, we have mountain lions, snakes, and bobcats. But we have a serious feral hog problem. Working in the ER and on the ambulance, I've seen what a moderate-sized hog can do to a person if it charges them. Also, you wouldn't believe how many national parks or forests

attract unsavory critters of the two-legged variety. Very near the area that I planned to hike, some grow operations had been found as well as some folks run out of their campsite in the middle of the night. I looked in the spot that I usually kept my gun but it was gone. Texting the now ex, she admitted that she had pawned it so that she could have some booze and food money. Can you tell why we're happily divorced? In light of the recent development, I stuck a sheath knife into my pack and took off after saying goodbye to the furball. I drove an hour and a half from the south side of Houston to the National Forest.

The part of the forest I would be camping in was a cool piece of land, hemmed in by a massive lake to the east, a farm road to the south, and a forest service running southwest to northeast, ending at another FSR and developed campground at the northern tip of the lake. Meandering through this patch of wilderness is a 4-mile long section of 96-mile hiking trails that run through the entire National Forest. This section runs roughly south to north. It has a trailhead at the southern end right off the farm road.

Along this trail, there are many switchbacks, seasonal streams to cross, bridges and downed trees. The terrain is rolling with a few small hills. I parked my car at these section's trailhead, grabbed my stuff and took off. The air was brisk and the birds and the other animals were doing their thing. I had been hiking for about two hours, just taking my time and enjoying the afternoon. I hadn't seen a single person, but I did manage to see a white-tailed deer and the occasional squirrel. As I walked, the sky became more overcast and the temperature began to drop.

Lost in thought, I walked right off of the trail and into the developed campground. I refilled my water and used the restroom then headed back down the trail about a mile and headed west off the trail for about a quarter of a mile until I found this spot along the seasonal creek that was running full and had an abundance of downed wood. The sun was beginning to set, so I set out compiling a sizable pile of firewood and setting up the tarp shelter.

Now, I hadn't brought an inflatable mattress or hammock as honestly we were broke at the time. Besides, I had slept on the ground enough and there were plenty of pine needles on the ground for a decently comfy bed. I got a fire started, then put on my headlamp and dropped my beers into the creek to chill. Dinner was simple. Venison sausage, cooked over a fire, and freezing cold beer. As the night deepened, I lit my pipe and settled in for a book by the campfire.

After some time, and a couple of beers, I decided to hit the sack. I wrapped up in one of my wool blankets and knocked out. I awoke an hour later wet and shivering. Rain was pouring down and the temperature was close to freezing. My tarp shelter, improperly put up and positioned, was leaking terribly. Blankets and clothes soaked. I decided my predicament sucked, and with no spare clothes, I was going home. I rolled out of my not-so-shelter and stuffed my soaked everything into my bag. At this point, I had a decision to make.

Walk the three miles or so back along the trail in the dark, or cruise up the trail to the campsite and the road. Not wanting to bust an ankle while I was also wet and in freezing temperatures in the middle of the woods with no cell service, I elected what I thought was the less dangerous path. I opted for the blacktop back to my car. I made my way back to the hiking trail and took off north. Within 20 minutes or so, I was plodding through the developed campground and onto the blacktop of the FSR. By the time I hit the road going south, the rain had stopped and the wind stilled. I had put my headlamp on facing

forward and was using my small hand held pointed behind me in an attempt not to become roadkill. I had been walking south through the chill, listening to the steady drip of the droplets falling from the canopy when I saw headlights ahead. I kept walking and the car slowed as it passed, but then stopped. I saw the reverse lights light up the road ahead of me, and the car pulled back alongside. It was a red crossover, newer model, with a clean-cut guy driving. He rolled the window down as I stopped and sat there staring at me.

He smiled. We stayed like that long enough for it to be awkward until I finally broke the silence myself. Howdy, I said. Silence. I then asked, Can I help you, man? Still grinning, he asks, Are you happy? It was a genuine question with emphasis on the word happy. It was a genuine question with emphasis on the word happy.

Forplexed, I said, Yeah, I mean, I guess how are you? His eyes didn't leave mine. Sure is cold and wet out there. He said, Yes, sir, I was going camping tonight. but my shelter leaked. I got a bit wet. Figured I'd head home. His smile got broader. Well, I'd be happy to give you a ride. Where are you parked? This guy was really creeping me out.

Stranger in the middle of the woods? In the middle of the night? No thanks. That's how horror movies start and I end up being a skin suit for Buffalo Bill. No thank you sir. I'm parked right up the road. I'll be at my vehicle in a few minutes." His grin faltered for a second. Are you sure? It's pretty wet and cold. Just hop in. Again, no thanks, I'm fine. I'll be at my car in a few minutes.

Well, where did you park? I didn't see your car back there. It's there, you probably just missed it. His mood changed completely. I think you should let me drive you. At this point, I was done with this creep. I was cold, wet, and tired. I wanted coffee and another cigarette and some heat.

I really appreciate it, sir, but I'm good. Get in the car, he said. No, I replied. Get in the car, he said more forcefully. Not happening dude, but have a good night. He finally screamed, get in the car. My right hand strayed to my hip. You guessed it.

My sidearm was sitting in a pawn shop 100 miles away. Dude, you need to fuck off, I said. He then screamed again, get in the car now. Dude, you need to leave now. I'm not getting in your car. I shifted my weight to my right leg, stepping back, reaching for my pocket knife, but hoping that he would think I was reaching for a pistol. He noticed my shift in stance and visibly calmed. His grin came back.

I'll see you around. You can bet on it, he said. I said nothing as he drove off. As soon as he was around the bend from the road, I shut off both my lights. It was seriously dark, but I could tell when the road was underfoot. I began hiking down the road in earnest now, taking a look back and checking my rear every five or six steps. After a few minutes, I saw the telltale shine of headlights bouncing off the foliage to the north. I immediately cut to my left and jumped off of the road and into some trees near the shoulder.

Not thirty seconds later, that red SUV passed by my position, driving about ten miles per hour. His windows were tinted, but you could tell he was looking for something, probably me. As soon as he was out of sight, I was back on the road, hoofing it south again. We played this game four more times until I reached the farm road.

I would see headlights or the reflection of them off of trees and brush that I would jump into the trees and watch as he'd drive by slowly. A half hour after reaching the farm road, I was back in my car and shagging ass out of there. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had gotten into that guy's car. Check that, I'm pretty sure I know what would have happened if I had gotten into that guy's car. Check that, I'm pretty sure I know what would have happened. To the guy in the woods who tried to get me into his car to take me to God knows where to do God knows what to me, let's not meet again. I've had a number of odd and frightening experiences in the woods since I'm a huge

outdoor guy, and pretty much outside all of the time I can manage it. One of these experiences, I tried posting here, but it got rejected. I thought this one sounded too far-fetched, but after reading some of the other stories, I decided that I'll just post it. This happened when I was much younger. I want to say freshman in high school, so probably around 2008. There used to be this road near where I lived in California called Croke Road. It was barely a road. No one traveled on it, and it was surrounded by small patches of forest and some abandoned barns and houses. I would typically go there with my friends to skateboard and hang out. This one night, I was hanging out

with two of my friends, Lucas and Dorian, and someone wanted to go to Croke Road to hang out since it was creepy at night. It might sound lame, but we loved exploring like a bunch of fifth graders, and we weren't really into smoking or anything else, so what else was there to do? I asked my 20-year-old brother, James, if he could drive us down into one of the nature reserves by the road. This specific reserve was larger than the others and had a network of gravel paths leading through it. Basically, we were looking for unexplored territory to hike in.

Soon one particular path we were traveling down had become so narrow, James's Ford Explorer couldn't pass through it. So we got out and walked for a while, chatting and just having fun. We walked through the woods for about half an hour until it had gotten relatively dark out and the sun was gone, at which point we turned around to head back to the car. It's now that I should mention that despite being near a lot of sub-developments, this patch of forest was huge. I'd say about a thousand acres. It was rarely visited since it was easy to get lost in, especially at night.

It was a challenge getting the car turned around, but James managed it, and we were off down the road. Dorian proposed that we turn down a different path that we had passed earlier since we had about forty minutes until our parents wanted us back, so we agreed. Down this path was a tiny pond Dorian wanted to check out to take pictures since he had gotten the opportunity to visit at night. It was slow going since this road was even crappier than the main one we were traveling on that turned off of Croke Road.

Minutes later, we got into a slight argument. Dorian was convinced James had taken a wrong turn, since we should have arrived at the pond by now, while James claimed that he had been driving straight the whole time. It was dark after all. Eventually we came to a fork in the road that none of us were familiar with. None of us knew which way to go, so we ended up guessing and went left, hoping that both directions would ultimately lead back to the main path. None of us were scared or anything. In fact, we were actually excited and intrigued,

driving through seemingly the middle of nowhere at night. It was at this point that we rounded a small bend in the road and the headlights fell upon a surreal sight. There were four figures emerging from the forest and crossing the road. They were wearing what looked to be long black cloaks with hoods up holding flashlights. One guy at the back of the group was dragging a large duffel bag. I'd say a human-sized duffel bag. We all froze and stopped mid-conversation, and as soon as our high beams landed on the four figures, they froze as well.

James pulled to the left and went around them. Driving past them felt like an eternity because we couldn't have been going over five miles per hour due to the shitty condition of the road. Sitting in the passenger seat, I could see them inches beyond the window, and they were indeed wearing black robes and holding flashlights. I didn't get a good look at the bag, but judging by the way that the guy was holding it, something very heavy was inside. None of us said a word until the road straightened out, and we were past these guys, at which point James just muttered, what the hell was that? We continued down the road in silence until I heard Lucas say,

"'Holy shit,' and repeated himself in a louder panicked voice. "'Holy shit,' he said. "'They're fucking coming back.' I twisted around in my chair to see Lucas pointing out the back window. I could barely see anything, but about a hundred yards away, we saw the beams of

four flashlights shaking erratically. The guys were, without a doubt, running after us. We all screamed at James to floor it, and he sped down the road. The car was bouncing and shaking uncontrollably as we flew over berms and potholes. I kept my eyes on the flashlight beams until we rounded another bend in the road and they were out of sight. Thankfully, the path managed to take us back to the main path. James gunned it down the path

until we popped off by Croke Road and we got the hell out of there. The weirdest thing was, there couldn't have been any vehicle anywhere near those guys for 50 miles in either direction. We would have seen one if there had been. We had explored most of the area before, and there wasn't anywhere to pull off of the road

and park. We didn't say anything more until we got back to my place. We talked about it for a bit, and then my friends went home and James and I went to bed. I didn't know if we should call the cops or not, but James, who I'd guess would be the adult in the situation, seemed reluctant. So I dropped it. I never told my parents until just before writing this. They kind of scolded me for not telling them, and that we should have contacted the authorities just to report suspicious people on the preserve. I still wish to know how the hell they got there, where they were going, and what was in the bag. Thanks for listening.

If you're a patron listening to this ad-free, make sure to stick around after the music for your extended version of this week's episode. If you'd like to get access, head over to patreon.com let's not meet podcast to sign up and support the show today. You'll get access to ad free versions of all of our episodes at a higher bit rate with exclusive stories you won't hear anywhere else. This week you have heard Church in the Woods by Outworlder39. Somebody's watching Me From The Woods by Regel1895 I Was Hunted In The Woods At Night by zangon595 Campsite Lurker by CW Guy In The Woods Behind My Airbnb by Pending Disasters A Creep In The Woods by Marie

Laughing In The Woods by Vic9911 Camping In The Rain by DocTrauma and finally Strange People In The Woods by MethheadCherry camping in the rain by doc trauma and finally strange people in the woods by meth head cherry all the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors if you have a story to share send it to let's not meet stories at gmail.com to hear it on the show let's not meet a true horror podcast is not associated with reddit or any other message boards online be sure to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like cryptic encounters oddters, Odd Trails, my True Paranormal podcast, and the

Old Time Radio Cast all at CrypticCountyPodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you attended either our San Diego or Los Angeles show this last weekend, I hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to see all my Northern Californian friends at Harlow's on August 18th here in Sacramento. You can get your tickets for those shows at letsnotmeetpodcast.com slash tour, or just follow the links in the show notes. We still have tickets available for Salt Lake City, Utah on September 19th, Seattle, Washington on October 9th, Portland, Oregon on October 30th, Houston, Texas on November 9th, and finally

Dallas, Texas on November 10th. I'll see you all there. Everybody, stay safe. This happened to me during the mid-90s when I was around.