Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast - 13x26: The Best of Holiday Scares

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

Stories in this episode:  Christmas Day Creep | Jessica (1:05) A Stormy Christmas Night | Anonymous (5:00)  A Nightmare Before Christmas | NadjaColette (11:27)  New Years Creep | 45minutesofroadhead (19:49)  My 2023 New Year's Eve Let's Not Meet Story | Jazmin (25:52)  The Girl with the Moth Tattoo | Torrey Cross (30:30)  She Was My Best Friend | Tonya (41:03)  Stalked by My Old Coworker | Haley (48:40)  Due to periodic changes in ad placement, time stamps are estimates and are not always accurate. 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].    Visit BetterHelp.com/notmeet today to get 10% off your first month. 

This shocking revival is unmissable. Canadian Stage is proud to present Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Starring Canadian legends and real-life couple Paul Gross and Martha Burns, and directed by Brendan Healy. This riveting play endures as a powerful commentary on society, solidifying its status as one of the best scripts of the last century. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? January 18th to February 9th at the Bluma Appel Theater. Get your tickets today at CanadianStage.com. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at Bet MGM,

the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for. When you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature Bet MGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambiance of Las Vegas

home to you than with Bet MGM Casino. Download the Bet MGM Casino app today. Bet MGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for Ts and Cs. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact ConX Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge.

BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstoriesatgmail.com. Enjoy the show. This week we're sharing some of the best not-so-happy holiday scares from the past thirteen seasons of the show. We even threw in a few bonus gems from our Patreon extensions to give you a taste of some of the stories you may have missed.

These best of episodes are perfect for sharing with a friend who's been asking for recommendations on a new podcast. So this year, give him the gift of true horror. Enjoy the show. It was Christmas day and my family and I were staying at a vacation home in southern Utah. It was a tradition to spend every Christmas there because of the sunny weather and outdoor activities. I'm a female and at the time I was a sophomore in college. My sister was a senior in high school. We had each gotten an iPod touch for Christmas and wanted to set them up as soon as possible.

The house that we were staying in didn't have Wi-Fi, so my sister and I decided to drive to the McDonald's only a few miles away and use the Wi-Fi in the parking lot. We took my mom's car, drove to the McDonald's, and sat in the empty parking lot with our iPods with me in the driver's seat and my sister in the passenger seat. Since it was Christmas Day, nobody was driving or walking around. It was very quiet. The McDonald's was closed. As we sat there, I noticed a black BMW circling the building. It drove through the drive-through, circled around, then parked right next to us on the passenger side of our car. The dark tinted window of the BMW rolled down and there was a middle-aged man who looked

to be in his probably 40s with salt and pepper hair. He motioned for us to roll down our window. I was hesitant because I was still very cautious and, you know, stranger danger. So I rolled the window down only a few inches and asked, yeah, what's up? The man started making small talk with us. He asked us where we were from since we had out-of-state plates. I told him that we were here with family and we were expected back home soon. He then said, well you should come over and hang out with my roommate and I.

We have a hot tub so you can bring your swimsuits. My sister shot me a terrified look and I could tell that she was even more uncomfortable than I was. She was so you can bring your swimsuits. My sister shot me a terrified look and I could tell that she was even more uncomfortable than I was, she was only 17. I told the creep, no dude, it's Christmas and we have plans with family today. I look back and I wish I had just gone off screaming at him, calling him a pervert.

But in that moment, I was in survival mode. I didn't want to make him upset. I don't know what this guy wanted from us, but my gut told me it was nothing good. After I said that, the guy said, well, then Merry Christmas, then rolled his window up, backed up and peeled out of the parking lot. We immediately drove back to the house. On the way back my sister started crying and said, I feel like I need to take a shower or something. We

told our parents what happened. My mom was concerned but my dad made a joke out of it. The situation upset my sister and I for years and we talked about it occasionally. Recently I found a news article about a human sex trafficking problem in southern Utah. Police found that this ring would target young women in parking lots, grocery stores, and shopping malls. The tactics traffickers used were very similar to the interaction that we had with this creep. It still scares me. I feel sick knowing that this guy could have hurt other women. Let this be a warning and remember to always listen to your gut.

It always knows when something is up. So to the creep in the BMW, let's not meet. This happened when I was around 22 years old. I was back from London for Christmas and was staying at my parents' large 16th century farmhouse in my hometown on the south coast of England. It was a weekend and I had been on a big night out with all of my school friends the night before. I woke up and felt the usual dread of a dry-mouthed, anxious hangover brewing. I still party a fair amount now, but back then it was twice a week

minimum. I remember the day being a gloomy and very wet day, which is typical for December in the UK. My parents house is surrounded by fields but is surprisingly close to town considering it feels as if you're in the middle of nowhere. It's a very old house with a lot of history, and the locals even talk about the tunnels that run from the house and across the farm to various outbuildings. I'm unsure if this is true, as we have lived here for about eight years and I have yet to find them.

The day was short, and I remember it got dark quicker than usual. Because it was near Christmas most of my family were out at the pub seeing old friends. I remember I was feeling sorry for myself so I lit a fire, sat on the couch, and put on a movie. Before I knew it I had dozed off and I hung over slumber. A few hours had passed and I was awoken by my mother shaking me. She was wide-eyed and had this frantic look on her face. I was annoyed by the rude awakening and asked what was wrong.

She explained that there was a big storm and she had been down at the stables to check on the horses when she saw a figure walking in front of her. She assumed it was my sister who had come home early from a night out, worried about her horse and the bad weather. She called out her name, but the figure carried on walking. She called louder and still no reaction. Eventually, as she got closer, she realized it was not my sister and ran back to the house to get me

as I was the only one in. My mother is quite spiritual and explained that she thought she had seen a ghost. Me being more of a skeptic, thought that it was probably more likely a Christmas thief or a homeless person from town looking for shelter from the storm. She asked me to go down to the stables to check that everything was okay and to make sure that the horses were safe. I of course was freaked out, but I grabbed a torch and headed out. The rain was being blown so fiercely that it stung my face and I could barely see through my glasses.

They were all fogged up. When I got to my destination, I checked on our three horses and shone my light into the remaining empty stalls and barns. To my relief, I found nothing out of the ordinary except a light that had been switched on and was swinging in the wind. I went back to the house, dried off by the fire and told my mother about the shadows. They must have been playing tricks on her.

Roll around morning and the storm is dying out. My dad had taken the dog out for a walk as I was making breakfast. He came back holding a large, muddy, wet cloth in his hands. I asked him what it was and he told me that he had been down there where I was searching the night before and he found a hospital gown along with a rusty knife dumped on a pile of hay. I'm 28 now and I think about that night sometimes and how naive and vulnerable I was walking around in the pitch black storm, probably being watched

by, I don't know, some creep in a hospital gown, wielding a rusty knife. Thankfully everything worked out okay, and nothing ever happened again. But creepy? Escaped hospital patient? Let's never meet. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Decorating for the holidays is a lot of fun. We always start in November and leave it up through my birthday. It just makes home cozy and comfortable.

How do you stay cozy during the winter months? For some, wrapping up in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate or watching a movie with family is the best way to spend the month of December. Therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that never goes away, even when the seasons change. A big topic right now with my therapist has been comfort and relaxation. Throughout our conversations, I've discovered that I honestly had no idea how to really relax and allow myself to experience honest comfort until recently.

When I started utilizing some of the tools that we've been working on together, like self-talk and exposure therapy, I always used to feel guilty for allowing myself to relax and enjoy life. I always felt like I needed to be working. And I'm really thankful that my therapist has helped me get to where I am. If you're thinking about starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. And all you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed

therapist. And you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. Find comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash not meet today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash not meet. This shocking revival is unmissable. Canadian Stage is proud to present Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Starring Canadian legends and real-life couple Paul Gross and Martha Burns, Missing Afraid of Virginia Woolf, January 18th to February 9th at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Get your tickets today at CanadianStage.com.

This story happened when I was very young. It started around the time that I was five, back in the 80s, and was beginning the worst five years of my life. My mom was a single mom for the first few years of my life. It wasn't too bad since my mom and I weren't alone. We lived with my mom's parents. My mom's younger sister was also still living at home. We were all safe and happy. Then my mom met this guy who we'll call Joe. Joe seemed like a dream come true. He was nice to me and my mom. He took us places and bought us gifts. It was awesome. So when he proposed to my mom, she and I were both very happy. They got married,

and my mom thought that we would now be a happy family. But we didn't know how wrong we were. Things were great at first. We had left my grandparents and moved into a different home with Joe. We had some really good times, but things really took a turn for the worse after the first few months. Joe had a really bad temper, and it would come out when my mom or I upset him. He would yell, throw things, and break stuff, which escalated into him hitting my mom and me. He would kick and punch us. Once he started doing this, he got worse and worse. He started beating me up to get back at my mom. It was a nightmare for three years. My mom was too scared to leave home or tell anyone what was going on.

I was really young, so when I accidentally slipped information to people, they thought that I was lying because I wanted to go back to my grandparents. It was especially strange because Joe was a lot like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We did have some really good times, especially when we would go on vacations and spend holidays together. When he was nice, it was amazing. When his other side came out, it was hell. As the rollercoaster continued, my mom got pregnant.

She was happy about the news, and I was excited to be a big brother. But this also meant that we were further tied to Joe, and who knew what he would do to a baby? When my baby brother was born, things were good for a while. We were pretty happy. I had withdrawn from our situation a lot though. I stayed in my room, watching TV and reading. I figured if I was out of sight, I was out of mind.

I thought that if I avoided Joe, he wouldn't bother me. And I should have continued this plan. But I was blinded by the happiness and peace that came with my baby brother's birth. Then one day, Joe had a toothache and was in a foul mood. He had been yelling at my mom all day. My baby brother was having tooth problems as well since he had been teething and he was being fussy. Since Joe was extra grumpy, he yelled at my mom to quiet the baby down. As this was going on, my mom called me to dinner so I walked out of my room and into the dining room. I was walking slowly and quietly because I didn't want to make Joe any more upset than he already was.

Well, I guess I was going too slow because I accidentally got in his way. He got mad, yelled, and threw the remote control, hitting me in the side of the head and the eye. He had thrown the remote so hard that I was bruised and bleeding. My mom finally had enough, so we left him and went to my grandparents' house. They took pictures of my eye and called the police, but the police wouldn't do anything. Social services launched an investigation, but they didn't do anything either. We were happy being at my grandparents since we were safe,

but Joe was very slick. He called my mom and said all of the right things. And after some coaxing, he got her to agree to come back with promises to be better. And he was for a while. But then he went back to his old ways. He even tried to start beating my little brother.

But I wouldn't allow it. I took a lot of beatings for him, because I loved him, and I wanted to protect him. But it all came crashing down one December night when I was nine years old. My mom had forgotten to pay the phone bill, so the phone got turned off. She was working double late night shifts, and Joe was due to go into the same plant she worked at for his third shift in a different department. He was enraged when he found out that our phone service had been cut off. When he realized this, he dragged me out of bed and we drove to the store just up the road from

our house. He called my mom at work from the payphone at the store. He was yelling and cussing at her about the phone bill. Then he said something that sent chills down my spine. He told her that if she didn't get home in an hour, he would kill me. Obviously I was terrified. When we got back to the house, I quickly went to my room while Joe kept ranting and raving. Even though I was so scared when he called me into the living room, I did as I was asked. He started attacking me right away. He was hitting me with the belt. Then he grabbed me and threw me into a wall, and then grabbed a broom and continued to beat

me. The beating continued on and off for several hours. I was in pain, covered in blood and bruises. I'm convinced it only stopped because it was time for him to go to work. He got dressed up to go and told me that if I went to school in the morning, he would beat me when I got home. I guess he knew with all of my wounds that the school would know something was up and do something about it. I was scared, but I also knew that I needed help. The next morning, I couldn't change out of my pajamas because I was in too much pain,

but I decided to make a break for it. I slowly limped my way to the bus, even though I was barefoot and still in my Incredible Hulk pajamas. The bus driver pulled up, opened the door, took one look at me, got me on the bus, and immediately drove to school. Everything moved so fast after that. Before I knew it, I was talking to social services again, as well as the police. They ended up taking me to my grandparents, who eventually got custody of me. I was happy to be with my grandparents and I was happy to be safe. But I did miss

my mom and my brother. Strangely enough, the police still never did a thing about Joe. I guess it was just a different time back then. It was a few more years before my mom got the courage to leave him, but I'm grateful she finally did. She ended up reconnecting with the high school sweetheart and getting married. I later found out that Joe had been orphaned at the age of five because his parents and older sister died when his dad's small plane crashed. He was then raised by a very physically and mentally abusive aunt and uncle.

It did shed some light on his behavior, but it doesn't give him any excuses for what he did. I finally found him on social media. I reached out to him to let him know that I forgave him. I told him I let go of the anger and hurt that I had been holding onto. He let me know that he had got a lot of mental help and seemed to be doing well. Joe also reconnected with his mom's family and some other extended family who he lost touch with after his parents died. I'm glad that he did, since it has been helping with his healing. This all happened Tuesday night.

My significant other, Kyle, and I went to an absolutely fantastic concert for New Year's Eve. We met up with a few friends, but they all left right after midnight. The bands were great, so we wanted to stay for the rest of the show. Kyle got a call from a good friend Nathan around 1 a.m. Nathan said that he was at the same bar and wanted to know if we were still there. We were stoked because Nathan never gets out of the house. He's a super cool guy and we love hanging out with him. He had his girlfriend with him, who I also liked a lot, and his friend Derek.

I don't like Derek at all. Derek just gives off creepy vibes. He talks slow and monotone, and he stares for too long and leans in too close. He is Nathan's pity friend. They were best friends for a long time, and Derek's family did a lot for Nathan during a rough time. Nathan will bring him along every now and then, because he feels obligated at this point. But he has no trust in him whatsoever. Derek is a drug

addict. Anyways, we all hang out and have some laughs. Derek sits there, being freaky as usual, just staring at everyone. When he would speak, it would be something off the wall and completely unrelated to anything we were talking about. Once, he looked at Dawn and I and said, I think it'd be really weird if you two made out, okay? Yeah, that, yeah, it would be weird. We just ignored him and kept having fun. The bar closed down and Kyle asked them if they wanted to come to our house and have some more drinks and play foosball in Tekken. Now I was a little annoyed because he didn't okay this with me first and I was ready for

bed. I wasn't that upset though. I know Kyle likes to have company. I told Kyle that I wouldn't mind if it was just Nathan and Dawn, but I don't want Derek in our house. I don't trust him. Kyle brushes it off and says, what's the worst that could happen? It'll be fine.

He's just weird. Well, when we were all leaving, we had to wait for Derek in the parking lot for the longest time. Turns out he was waiting outside the door of the bar trying to get any girl to come with him, bribing them with free pills. I got mad and said, what makes you think it's okay to invite random people to my house? And he just laughed. We get to my house and he sits on the couch by me. He keeps poking me and when I ask what he wants he just stares for about 10 seconds before saying, what's up?

I started ignoring him. He continues to poke me and try to tickle my feet. I wouldn't even look over. Then he starts getting phone calls from people asking for pills. I went to the bathroom, and he tried to follow me in there. I just pushed him out and locked the door, and he continued to follow me in there. I just pushed him out and locked the door and he continued to knock. After this he starts trying to get Nathan and Dawn to take him home which was 45 minutes away and it's 4 a.m. They tell him no way and that they had agreed that he was staying with them. They actually wanted to go to

their house and sleep in their own bed 10 minutes away. He didn't want to go to their house and sleep in their own bed 10 minutes away. He didn't want to go to their house. He wanted to either go home or stay at our house. He started whining and telling me that I had to convince them to stay and I told him no. He started saying that Don had drank too much to drive. The girl had one beer the entire night. When they were going to leave, Derek comes back in and says he needs to use the bathroom. Kyle is overly trusting of people and doesn't pay attention

to weird behavior. Now I am the opposite, so I was keeping an eye on Derek. I caught him going through my prescription bottles. They were nothing but antibiotics, but it pissed me off that he was trying to steal from us anyway. I told him he needed to leave immediately He then stood in our kitchen refusing to leave staring at us I said that they were waiting on him and he needed to go with them He kept staring and said don't you remember the time that I gave you guys a ride Well make it even you either convince them to stay or I stay here and y'all take me home." No, no way.

He gave us a ride home once when we had a flat, and we lived two blocks apart at the time. We are not going 45 minutes out of our way to take a weirdo home that's refusing to leave for reasons unknown. He keeps saying that Don was drunk. Kyle finally speaks up and says, if you get in a roadblock, I'll come get you. Derek responds, well, are you going to post the bail too? Because we're your responsibility now.

I am beyond frustrated at this point and told Kyle, you invited them. Now you get rid of them. I went and sat on the couch. Derek continued to stand there and stare at Kyle. Now, Kyle, normally passive, is getting angry and telling him that it's time for him to go and we aren't taking him home or convincing anyone to stay. Derek says that he's not leaving, so he has to do one or the other. Kyle finally went outside and got Nathan to come, literally,

drag Derek to the car. Nathan apologized profusely, and says that he isn't going to bring Derek around anymore. I also ask Kyle not to invite people over without okaying it with me first, one, because we both live there and it's rude, two, because he doesn't pay attention to weird people, and three, because he invites people over at inappropriate times. Of course, this goes both ways. I'll make sure he's cool with me bringing people over as well. However, Derek lets not meet. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at Bet MGM, the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino

games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for. When you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature Bet MGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambiance of Las Vegas home to you than with Bet MGM Casino. Download the Bet MGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for T's and C's, 19 plus to wager,

Ontario only, please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGimming Ontario. Hey Toronto, this holiday season let's focus on making memories, not waste. But when you do have to dispose of an item, the City of Toronto has your holiday sorting sorted. Remember that rinsed aluminum trays go in the blue bin, food waste goes in the green bin and

ribbons that can't be reused go in the garbage. Curious about where that holiday waste item goes? Visit toronto.ca slash waste wizard or download the TO waste app to find out more. Hey Toronto, as the holiday season approaches, let's make it a time of giving not just gifts. This year the City of Toronto is asking all of us to do our part to reduce holiday waste. Instead of traditional gifts, consider low waste high-impact options like donating to a charity on behalf of a loved one. Try new ways to swap disposable items for reusable ones such as using newspaper or fabric for gift wrap. Cur one. Try new ways to swap disposable items for reusable ones,

such as using newspaper or fabric for gift wrap. Curious to learn more ways to reduce holiday waste? Visit toronto.ca slash reduce dash reuse. Let's make this season not only festive, but environmentally friendly too. This past New Year's Eve, a group of friends and I were getting ready to go see a local band play. We decided to go all out and get dressed up and everything.

The group consisted of me, my friend Amy, her boyfriend, his twin, my fiancé Ryan, Amy's sister Alyssa, and her husband. I've changed everybody's names for privacy reasons. The local band was playing at this place called The Inn, and they had planned New Year's Eve shows there for two years in a row. This show was pretty popular, so tickets needed to be purchased in advance, and there weren't any additional tickets to purchase at the door on the day of the show. To give you a better understanding of how this venue looked inside, I'll share some details. There's a ballroom area that essentially is a big room with the stage at the front and a big dance floor in front of it. There are tables set up about five to six feet away from the

dance floor with a bar located in the back. I sat at our table for about ten minutes before I decided to get up and grab myself a beer. As I was standing there, this guy who was in his late 50s, over twice my age, was there too. For the sake of the story, let's call him Steve. Steve looked at me and told me that I was a beautiful young lady

and that he thought that I was cute. I gave him a small sheepish smile and said thanks. I don't know how to handle compliments very well, so this was already uncomfortable. But then he grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a hug. I didn't reciprocate and I asked him not to touch me and to leave me alone. He walked off so I assumed that was the end of it.

When I returned to my table, I didn't tell anyone, which was dumb in hindsight. But like I said, I thought I had squashed it. As I sat with my group, talking and waiting for dinner to be served, I felt someone walk by and touch my arm. I looked up and saw that it was Steve, who smiled and winked at me. This creeped me out even more than I already was. I still hadn't said anything about Steve to my fiancé Ryan, but he noticed him and shot him a dirty look. That seemed to deter Steve, so once the band started playing, Amy, Alyssa, and I got up

and went to the dance floor as this band is our favorite. We danced for about half an hour before taking a seat back at our table for a bit. We only got to sit briefly since the band started playing one of our favorite songs. As they started to play the song we really liked, we got ready to head back out to the dance floor. I was still warm from dancing before, and I knew that I would get even warmer, so I took off the sweater that I had on. As I was doing so, I heard from behind me, Yeah baby, take it off. I turned around and I saw Steve behind me. I didn't say anything as I got up from the table to join Amy and Alyssa on the dance floor.

As we were dancing, I told them what happened. They were both pissed off and kept an eye on the guy as he started making his way to the dance floor. He started dancing and making his way towards me as he stared at me. I turned my back to him while the girls kept an eye on him. Eventually, Amy put herself between me and him. She sternly told him to knock it off and he left the dance floor. I thanked her profusely because it was genuinely scary. I can stick up for myself, but only to an extent since I am a people pleaser.

We saw him leave and go outside so we thought that we were in the clear, but I kept looking over my shoulder just in case and I'm glad that I did because he came back in. When we saw that he had returned, Amy went up to one of the waitresses and let her know what was happening. The waitress ended up getting the owner of the inn who had Steve removed from the premises. I'm thankful for having amazing friends who took such good care of me in this creepy situation, and a creepy Steve, let's not meet again. I've listened to enough of this podcast to be able to dig deep into memories of my early twenties. enough of this podcast to be able to dig deep into memories of my early 20s.

In doing so, I recalled one of the more unsettling moments in my life. Let me start by saying that there aren't a lot of times in my life that I felt unsafe. I'm a small bartender standing about five foot. Over the years, I've become outspoken, especially regarding anyone who seems like they're making any bar guests of mine feel uncomfortable. However, there was a point in my life when I wasn't as outspoken, which is when I found myself in a bit of a creepy situation. I was 22, a bartender at a pizza place in my hometown. It was winter, post-Christmas time. So work had slowed down pretty significantly.

At this time, I decided to sign up for a webcam site to bring in some extra money. Now this was before OnlyFans, so it was essentially a chat room, set up, where I could share video content. I'm currently 28 and pretty heavily tattooed. At the time, I wasn't as tattooed as I am now, but I still had quite a few. There were a few tattoos that could only be seen while I was naked. Now, my chat room guests frequently talked about these tattoos

as they complimented them. I used a fake name while using this website, and I had a fake background story. I never revealed my location, and I created this fake fantasy persona the best that I could. I was down for whatever was going to help me make the most money.

One night, I was online, and a random guest requested a private video chat with me. This wasn't uncommon, and I jumped at opportunities like this, keeping requesters on as long as I could since I was being paid by the minute. I entered the chat and we talked. He asked to see several things and towards the end of the chat he complimented the moth tattoo on my stomach and asked if I'd consider getting my nipples pierced.

I told him I had thought about it, and he said that if I'd consider getting my nipples pierced. I told him I had thought about it, and he said that if I let him know where I lived, he would come visit me and pay for me to have them pierced. This guest talked about money a lot, so in my head, he was just some bored, rich, older guy who could easily afford the time and money that it took to talk to women online all day. I was uneasy about this pitch to visit me, so I told him I had to think about it, and asked if I could do anything else for him before I logged off. He said no, and I closed the chat. I genuinely thought nothing of this. Men said creepy and weird stuff to me all the time, especially on the webcam site.

They were all relatively harmless, as most of these men were too afraid to talk to women in real life. They often used anonymous profiles so that they could act their wildest. A few weeks passed, and that particular guest did not return. I didn't receive any messages from him, and he never entered the chat again. This caused me to quickly forget about the entire interaction, allowing other creepy men's behavior and comments to take its place. Then one night while at work, I had been scheduled to bartend in the beer garden.

This usually meant I spent all of my shifts outside until right before closing time, when I brought everything into the dining room bar. As I moved my operation inside, there were only a few patrons remaining, including one man sitting at the bar inside. He was talking with a few of my coworkers, and they were all laughing. I had headphones in, so I wasn't paying attention to anything being said until my coworker flagged me down to join their conversation. As I walked over, my coworker was gushing about tattoos and how I had a lot of them.

She caught me up on the conversation and said that this man mentioned his girlfriend and how he wished that she had more tattoos or piercings. I really wish she'd get her nipples pierced, he droned. I wasn't very interested in this conversation, so I politely nodded before checking out and attempting to sneak away from the conversation. As I tried to make my exit, he locked his eyes on me, looking me up and down, and an

eager smile crept across his face. "'Are you completely tattooed?' he asked. This struck me as an odd question, so I asked him what he meant, he clarified. Are those tattoos under your clothes? If someone were to ask me this question at the present, I would tell them to screw off and two seconds flat. But timid 22 year old me clammed up and sheepishly responded, yeah, I guess. Don't you have a blue moth tattoo? he inquired. I felt my skin get cold.

I looked at him as he smiled, knowingly, as if to say, I found you. As I said previously, I never divulged any actual personal information about myself on this webcam site. Nothing. I think I even lied about my age as if that would protect me even more. any actual personal information about myself on this webcam site. Nothing. I think I even lied about my age as if that would protect me even more. I immediately turned and made a beeline to my manager's office. I broke out in a cold sweat as I tried to sort my thoughts every which way,

trying to figure out how I could explain this situation. I was trying to think of how I could explain this situation. I was trying to think of how to communicate that this man had found me through a webcam site and was now sitting at the bar. I went into the office, breathing so hard I felt like I was going to pass out. I managed to meekly explain the situation by saying, There's a man who I met from my other job, and I'm scared of him. My manager immediately stood up and asked me if he was in the restaurant.

I told him that the man was in the dining room bar. He told me to stay in the kitchen as he assessed the situation. I stood in the kitchen and, at this point, tears were slowly rolling down my eyes as I hyperventilated. Two of the kitchen staff members leaped into action, wondering if I was okay and asking what they could do for me. After I loosely explained the situation, one of the kitchen staff members told me that they would walk me to my car after closing

to make sure that I was safe. The other kitchen staff member angrily demanded to know if the man was still in the restaurant, but I didn't know. I was too afraid to look. Five minutes later, my manager came back and told me that she watched the man leave out the patio door. My manager said that the man tried to get a good look at the patio bar to see if I was

out there closing. When the man didn't see if I was out there, closing. When the man didn't see me, he got into his car and left. Still visibly shaken, my co-workers asked what had happened and if I was okay. I was embarrassed because I didn't like that I let someone make me feel that uncomfortable, and I was also still very scared. How did this man know where I lived? Or where I worked? How did he get so much private personal information in the 15 minute private call that we were

on? I never even revealed my real name. How could he have known all of this information? I didn't tell him anything. I was worried that he would come back again, which was chilling. What did he even want from me? The next thing I knew, it was midnight. An hour and a half had passed since the coast was cleared by my manager. Even then, I asked about twenty times, out of an abundance of caution, if he was sure that he saw the

man leave in his car. My manager confirmed, yes, he was driving a green van, he's gone. And he was right. The parking lot only had a few cars left and they were recognized by me as belonging to the closing staff. Right before I walked out, the two guys working in the kitchen suggested that I leave from the side door just in case. I agreed that this was a good idea and one of them walked out first, holding the door

open for me as I stepped behind them. Right then, a green van that had been parked right outside the side door turned its lights on and peeled out of the parking lot. My co-worker immediately realizing who it was began to chase after the van on foot, screaming, "'Don't ever come back here!' and threatened to beat them up. Two more male coworkers followed suit and the three of them went outside to circle our building and the parking lot to ensure that this man didn't pull back in.

I was crying and anxious all over again, so my manager and two female co-workers rushed me to my car. My manager assured me that he was calling the cops. He said that he was going to pull the camera footage of the man in his green van in the parking lot. I remember trying to ease myself as I sat in the driver's seat of my car. I relaxed for a second as my manager advised, take a different way home than you ordinarily would. Don't park your car and try to go into your home until you're certain that nobody is tailing you. I drove the whole way home in complete silence,

checking my mirrors every few seconds for headlights behind me. I was petrified, frozen from pure fear. I never heard from that man again after that night. I couldn't find our messages on the site to report, as I'm sure he quickly deleted his account. If he ever returned to the bar that I worked at again, I never knew about it.

A few months later, I moved to Texas and moved on from this creepy situation entirely. So to the man who liked my moth tattoo, let's never meet again. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at Bet MGM, the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for when you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature Bet MGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambiance of Las Vegas home to you than with Bet MGM Casino.

Download the Bet MGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for Ts and Cs, 19 plus to wager, Ontario only, please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.

Before we jump in, I have to give you some background so you can better understand the context of my best friend's story. Her name was Lily. Lily and I met in college. I was a sophomore and she was a freshman. We met at a meeting that I had arranged for our campus's chapter of Oxfam International. Lily and I were friends right from the start. A few years later, I graduated and moved to Cincinnati while Lily was still in school.

She had an off-campus apartment and lived by herself, and this is where the story starts. Lily started dating this guy who we're gonna call Fuckwad. He's a piece of shit and he doesn't deserve a fake name. I could tell from the start that he was bad news. She was very elusive about him and wouldn't introduce him to any of her friends or family. I was concerned, but I also knew that Lily's relationships were often fleeting.

I assumed he was probably just the newest flavor of the week. Right around this time, Lily stopped answering my calls and my texts, but I finally saw a picture of Thukwad. As soon as I saw his picture, I freaked out because I took one look at this guy's face, and I knew he was an addict. I immediately felt like I had to find Lily. I blew up her phone. I called her and sent multiple texts. I even left a very heated voicemail telling her to call me back in five minutes or I would be leaving the house to find her. Shortly after I left that voicemail, my phone rang.

But it wasn't Lily. It was her mom calling to tell me that she had Lily's phone. Lily's mom was screening Lily's calls and messages. Her mom said she had just listened to my voicemail. Now why was her mom screening her phone? My worst fear was then confirmed. Lily had become addicted to heroin. Her parents found out and intervened. They pulled Lily from school and sent her to a rehab facility. I was the only person outside of Lily's immediate family who was allowed to have contact with her, and I communicated regularly.

I still have all the letters that she wrote me while she was in rehab. Not only did Lily overcome her addiction during this time, but she absolutely flourished. Fuckwad made repeated attempts to maintain his hold on her, including an ominous message stating, If I can't have you, nobody can. Lily ceased all contact with this guy and graduated from the rehabilitation program. Then she went back to school and graduated with honors. I made a special trip to watch her walk across the stage that day. I have never been more proud of anyone in my life. After college, Lily went to the University of Miami for a dual master's and PhD program

in sociology. She loved the program and everything about Miami. She was living her dream and kicking serious ass. Then, in December of 2014, just before the end of her first semester at University of Miami, and two weeks before Christmas, she came to visit me for a weekend to attend a mutual friend's graduation.

We spent the weekend talking, eating, laughing, and hanging out since we rarely saw each other after she had moved to Florida. When I dropped her off at the airport that Sunday to go back to Miami, we hugged and parted ways saying that we would see each other again at Christmas. That was the last time I saw Lily alive. The morning of Christmas Eve, 2014, I was awoken by my phone ringing.

It was Lily's mom. I answered thinking that it was a little weird that she was calling so early. Answering that call changed my life forever. Lily's mom was sobbing. Through the sobs, I heard the words, she's gone, Lily is gone. My best friend had passed away. Through the sobs, I heard the words, she's gone, Lily is gone. My best friend had passed away. I knew that that guy had something to do with it, and he did.

Lily returned home for Christmas a couple of days before her death. On the night she died, she borrowed her sister's car and said that she was going to hang out with a friend. That friend turned out to be that guy. For reasons we still don't know, the two of them were in contact again and Lily made plans to meet him that night. The plan was to do some heroin according to the messages that that guy sent her. What happened after she met up with him

is something else that we'll never know. All we know for sure is that she went to see him with the intent of doing heroin. According to him, they watched a movie when she got to his place. He said that they were hanging out for a while before anything happened, but in evolved versions of this story, he said that Lily had only been there

for about 20 minutes before she took the heroin. He said it became clear that she was overdosing. But by the time the 911 call was made and the ambulance arrived, it was clear that she had been at his place for longer than 20 minutes. When paramedics arrived at the scene, Lily's skin was blue since she had been at his place for longer than 20 minutes. When paramedics arrived at the scene, Lily's skin was blue since she had been without oxygen for so long. She was rushed to the hospital where she held on

for another hour or so, but she passed away in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. I won't recount the full details of this guy's story, but I will say there were cannonball-sized holes in it from the beginning. It was very clear to investigators that he wasn't being honest. To this day, we still don't know exactly

what happened that night, but we do know based on the toxicology reports that Lily did not die of a heroin overdose. Lily was killed by a lethal dose of fentanyl that had been injected into her body. There was never any heroin. This guy intentionally got fentanyl and he let her think that it was heroin.

Whether it was him or Lily injecting it, he knew what she was taking. He knew what it would do to her. He knew that it would kill to her. He knew that it would kill her. He let her die. He sat there and watched and waited until he knew that it would be too late to save her before he called 911. He murdered my best friend. He didn't get away with it, though. I was present in the courtroom the day that he was sentenced for his responsibility in

Lily's death. Since there was no way to prove that he was the one who injected it into her, he wasn't able to be fully charged with murder. He was sentenced to 14 years and will not be eligible for parole until at least serving 11 years of his sentence. His incarceration will never be long enough, especially since he continues to live while she does not. But at least there was some justice served for her death.

So to the jealous, murderous man who killed my best friend, let's not meet again. again. This happened in 2009. I was 15. I got a job working at a fast food restaurant. To start, I cooked fries and chicken nuggets. There was a man who worked there with me. We'll call him Harry.

Harry was a very nice guy, but he had some issues. He had schizophrenia. I also believe he had some other psychological disorders, but I wasn't really sure. I thought that he was totally harmless. Whenever I worked with him, he would just talk about his car and the stereo in his car. Basically, due to his illness,

the restaurant that we worked at was kind of his life. Working and his car, that was it. I only worked there for a couple of months. My twin sister worked there with me. She worked there longer, for about two years. Fast forward to 2012, my sister and I were living at home in my mom and stepdad's two-story house.

My mom and stepdad did not live in this house at the time. They actually lived in Canada for work, so it was always just my sister and I living there. Around the holidays, my parents would come home. My brother came home as well, and usually if he had a serious girlfriend, they would come. The week of Christmas, my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend were home. It was around one in the morning, and my sister was awakened by a lot of knocking on our doors.

We had a front door and a back door that was in a little entryway in our doors. We had a front door and a back door that was in a little entryway in our garage. She and her dog were sleeping when they heard the knocking. It was very repetitive. The knocking was at the back door, but then it would be at the front door. She could see the shadow of somebody running across the window to get to the other door,

so whoever it was ran back and forth to knock on both doors. It was happening so fast and so repeatedly that my sister couldn't tell if it was one person or multiple people. She went to my mom and stepdad's room. Shaking my mom awake, she said, Mom, somebody's knocking on the door. So my mom and stepdad got up. They sat in the hallway since they could see the window between both doors from there. The streetlight outside was just bright enough that they could see a man running back and forth between the doors.

Our front door had little windows at the top and they could see that this was a man who was very tall. My mother called the cops and told them what was going on. The dispatcher told her to stay on the phone. When the cops arrived, they saw the man and asked him what he was doing. He told them, I know the girl that lives here. I'm trying to ask for permission to sleep in my car outside in her driveway. The cops were on the phone with my mom and said,

it's okay, we've got him in our car. You can come to the back door to talk to us. They told my mother about the man saying he wanted to sleep in his car outside, and they asked my mother if she knew a man named Harry. My sister happened to be standing there and she was thinking about it until it dawned on her. She said, Mom, that's the Harry I used to work with. My mother freaked out because she knew a little bit about this guy and his illness. She asked my sister, how does he know where you live?

She had no idea how Harry found our address. I came home a couple of weeks prior to this, and I didn't think anything about it at the time, but he had dropped off two presents, one for my sister and one for me. Now, as I mentioned before, Harry was always very nice and very harmless, so because of that, my sister and I never thought much about these presents arriving for us. We didn't think much about them being dropped off. I'm not sure what Harry was doing at our house

at one in the morning, but I'm thankful that my mom and stepdad were there at the time. I hope Harry's intentions were harmless. But to my old fast food coworker Harry, I hope to never see you or meet you again. Thanks for listening, this week you have heard Christmas Day Creep by Jessica, a stormy Christmas night by Anonymous, A Nightmare Before Christmas by Najah Colette, New Year's Creep by 45 Minutes, my 2023 New Year's Eve Let's Not Meet story by Jasmine. The Girl with the Moth Tattoo by Tori Cross. She was my best friend by Tanya. And finally, Stalked by my old coworker by Hayley. 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. Send your stories in to Let's Not Meet Stories if you want to hear them on the show. I hope that our patrons enjoyed the ad-free presentation of this week's episode. There will be no bonus content this week as we're taking the holidays off, but we will be back next week with all of your bonus stories. If you want to sign up for our Patreon and get ad-free versions of all of our episodes and all of that bonus content, head over to patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast to sign up and support

the show today. Finally, don't forget to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like odd trails cryptic encounters and the old time radio cast all at cryptic county podcasts.com. I'll see you guys next week. Everybody stay safe. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at BetMGM, the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas-strip excitement MGM is famous for when you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature BetMGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambiance of Las Vegas home to you than with BetMGM Casino.

Download the BetMGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for Ts and Cs. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Con-X Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to

an advisor free of charge. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGimming Ontario.