As humans we have a super power known as intuition. In most daily cases, it feels like a bad gut feeling, something that desperately warns you about being cautious. Check out some of the most interesting cases from people who felt that something was not right in Bored Panda’s previous post right here.
Sometimes, however, life takes us to the most bizarre, uncomfortable, and plain dangerous situations where the gut instinct is no longer needed. It’s obvious. So when someone asked people on Reddit “What is your ‘Oh shoot, I’ve got to get the hell outta here right now!’ story?” a bunch of spine-chilling stories started flooding in.
From a job interview where a startup CEO double locked the door behind the applicant to the semi driver who stayed glued to the back of the driver’s car on a road in the middle of nowhere at 3AM, these are some of the creepiest stories that seem like scenes from a movie. Luckily, the lessons were learned and the happy ending followed. Read on for some of the most interesting responses below.
#1
I was walking to my house from my ex house very early in the morning when I saw this little girl with a backpack running for her life from two big street dogs. At that moment I didn’t think and I ran towards the dogs and missed a kick, the two dogs came after me biting my legs and arm. They were out of control and these were like the longest 5 minutes of my life. I couldn’t stop them from biting me, the little girl kept running until I didn’t see her anymore. It was just me and the dogs attacking me. I tried to climb a fence to get inside a house but I couldn’t when a taxi driver stopped and went out of the car with a short stick and he tried to scare them off giving me a chance to run and without thinking I got inside the car, the guy just ran a couple of times around the car with the dogs behind until he got in and he drove off like really fast. He took me to the hospital where I got a lot of stitches on my legs, arms and hands. That guy is my hero. Every now and then I go to his taxi stop and give them sandwiches or something. We never knew what happened to those dogs.
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190points
#2
I lived in south Everett WA for a couple years. Was walking home from the bus stop to my apartment, which took me behind the home depot. Suddenly a van starts following me, I hear the side door slide open and look behind me to see a man with the top half of his body hanging out the slider door looking at me. I took off running towards my apartment, literally running as far as I could, the van started going faster. By chance a guy was pulling out of the driveway of my apartment complex, sees me running for my life, and stops. The van immediately turns around and speeds off. Guy asks if I'm okay. I ask him to just stay there and please watch me walk into my apartment, which was the building next to his. He did, thank God. I started carrying mace and a very large knife the next day.
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145points
#3
When I was 19 my two friends and I were leaving a nightclub in Prague at 4 am and realized the metro was closed and we were stranded. We met these two American guys who said we could stay at their place and my friends thought they were cute so they agreed. I had a bad feeling but my friends told me I was being paranoid. We start walking to their place and the guys are telling us conflicting stories about where they’re from, how long they’ve lived there, etc. and I’m getting an even worse feeling. I’m trying to talk to my friends about it but the one guy won’t let me get a second alone with either of them. We get to their apartment and when we walk in there’s nothing inside but a mattress on the floor in an empty room. I panic and tell my friends we need to leave NOW but the bigger guy blocks the door and tells us we’re not going anywhere. I start screaming bloody murder and push him as hard as I can away from the door and my friends and I run the f**k out of there and keep running. By the time we were far enough away the metro had opened up and we got back to our hostel. When we told the girl at the front desk she said young guys can be used to lure young girls in for human trafficking. My friends trusted my instincts after that.
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127points
Previously, we spoke with Helen Marlo, a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Jungian psychoanalyst who shared some very interesting insights into what happens in our minds when we have that bad gut feeling. According to Helen, intuition perceives possibilities in the present situation and it is perceived primarily through the unconscious and not concrete reality. “It presents itself as an instinctive apprehension; an insight, with wholeness; and without awareness of how this psychic content appeared,” she explained.
#4
After I graduated from college, I finally landed an interview with a guy who was starting his own company. The economy was s**tty, and I so wanted a job. I went in for an interview, and quickly noticed that he doubled locked the door behind me (it was a small office in a strip mall). I immediately started to panic and then realized that no one else was there. He had me sit down and two questions into the interview he tried to put his hand up my skirt (I was wearing a business skirt suit). I got up and ran, and thankfully was able to open the locks and get the hell out of there. My mom accompanied me to every interview after that for a while.
Edit: wow, I didn’t expect this to blow up. Here’s some answers to the questions.
1 - my mom didn’t go in with me to every interview after that. She would go with me, make sure it was safe (and that I felt safe), and then would wait outside.
2 - I didn’t report him, because stupid me at the time thought it was my fault. When I ran into my car I called my mom and she asked me not to tell my dad in fear that my dad would kill the guy.
3 - it was for an analyst role in chicago
4 - I’m okay now. In that days after I promised myself to never take s**t from anyone. I’ve kept that promise.
Thank you for all the awards
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117points
#5
One time I was driving through Kansas in the middle of the night with my girlfriend on a road trip. (Summer of 2017?) We had issues with the car breaking down in Nebraska, and were sputting along until we reached Colby, Kansas and waited for night so the roads were less busy. As we were driving along, (not HWY 70 but just south to stay off the highways) a Semi caught up to us. The car didn't want to go past 50-60 mph, and I didn't want to push it and break down. Needless to say, I was going too slow for this Semi truck.
For about an entire hour this guy is riding my ass, flashing his lights, etc. Never honked his horns though. I would slow down and pull off to the side a littles bit to let him pass but every time I did he would slow down too and give me a ton of space. Its now about 2-3 AM. We are in the middle of nowhere coming up close to the border of Colorado. He is still contantly riding up to my ass and turning his lights on and off again. We finally come across a gas station and pull over to a pump on the right side.
I CANNOT emphasize how literal I mean by "middle of nowhere." Its flat deserts forever in all directions. Its an empty Shell gas station that is closed and dark AF. We hope the truck will just pass us and we pretend to pump gas. This f**king truck slows down all the way and stops right there on the road next to us. He proceeds to BACK HIS TRUCK UP enough to pull into the gas station behind us, perpendicular to our car. I start loosing my s**t and looking around ( I am standing outside of my car) and my girlfriend is screaming for me to get back in the car. THIS GUY GETS OUT OF THE SEMI and starts walking DIRECTLY towards us. He is only about 50 yards away when I notice a small brown pickup truck sitting on the back side of the Shell, eerily placed. I notice there is someone in it. I run towards him. As I get closer I realize there is a police badge painted on the side of this brown pickup and the man inside is actually an OFFICER!
I can only imagine what this guy on late night duty was thinking when I am running up to him. He rolls down the window with a confused look on his face. My girlfriend is screaming at me in panic as this guy gets within 10 yards of the car, while I am spitting about 50 words out of my mouth in about 2 seconds explaining our situation. The officer doesn't say a word and just drives around our car. The man notices and does an IMMEDIATE U-TURN back towards his truck, as the officer is yelling at him to stop. I hop back into my car, look in the rear-view mirror for a second to see the officer getting out to try to talk to this guy. I turn on the car, hit the gas, and drive into Colorado a few minutes later.
I will spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if that officer wasn't just sitting there that night. Who ever you are man, bless your soul.
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110points
#6
I was living at a pretty upscale apartment complex. The perimeter was lined with REALLY nice ground level town home units. This one guy moved into one and he was kind of odd. On warm days he’d walk around shirtless in the complex’s park which is odd for PNW, but I mean okay... then he started pasting bible verses to his window. Now I’m not saying liking the Bible is an issue, but that was an alarm bell. ...then he started writing in charcoal over the Bible verses pasted to his window....
Then one night I took my dogs for a walk. It was during a bout when my dogs weren’t sleeping much and needed 2am walks. I go down to the park area in front of these townhome units. Lots of bushes and trees. My dogs are pissing in the bushes and suddenly my girl dog gets low and starts growling. We notice there are boots in the bushes. I then look around and notice a dozen figures in black tactical gear and masks. Virtually invisible. I freeze and start to panic. One of them puts his finger to his...mask? I assume where his mouth was. I got the hint and bolted. Right as I get to the entrance of my apartment I see them take a battering ram to the door and drag the Bible verse guy out completely naked as he screams about how god is judging them. The unit smelled HORRIBLE and was left as-is for months. Eventually a nice couple moved in. I asked the building management what happened and I was given a look and told “you don’t want to know”.
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102points
Helen argues that intuition varies across humans in terms of how much it influences our awareness of “gut feelings.” It really depends on an individual how they understand, interpret and react upon their intuition. “That means intuition has the potential to be both very powerful and very weak depending on the person,” the clinical psychologist added. It means that while some of us will act accordingly depending on the bad gut feeling, like leaving the situation as soon as they feel the threat, others may be way more passive about it.
#7
Living in Baltimore some years back and I was driving home through a rough area of the city. Sitting at a stop light behind an already stopped car, another pulls up next to me on the right. Not really thinking anything of this, the light turns green. Neither of these cars move and I see a car zipping up behind me. I look to my left and I see two guys running towards me. I am so thankful that I left a good deal of space between me and the car in front. I hooked it around the car I front and sped off. Pretty sure I was going to be a victim of a car jacking or maybe something worse. Glad they ill timed their plan and I gave myself that space. Lesson here is always keep your head on a swivel in Baltimore.
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95points
#8
Three years ago, a heavy 7.1 Mw earthquake hit the centre of Mexico. I was in the third floor of my school building when the horrible-sounding seismic alarm went off and the building began shaking like jello. Bookshelves falling, parts of the ceiling crumbling over, people screaming - it was hell.
In all of that madness, your only instinct is yelling at you to get your ass out of the f*ing building. Picture this: you know that tons of steel and concrete will fall over you if you don't.
However, and it's a big however, unless you're in the ground-level floor of the building (that is, you don't have to take any stairs/elevator to get out and the exit is nearby), you MUST fight against that instinct. It is vital to stay where you are and crawl next to a desk/chair/bed, anything that can shield you against the debris of the falling building.
Thing is, if the building collapses and you are midway through to the exit, your survival chances are pretty thin (even more so considering that stairs are the first structures to collapse in an earthquake).
So, all of my classmates and I stayed in fetal position next our desks, fighting against our "get the hell outta here right now" instincts, waiting for the earthquake to pass.
In the end, thankfully, our school didn't collapse in the earthquake, but several buildings in the vicinity did.
Interesting fact: the silence immediately after an earthquake is terrifying. Then you start hearing dogs bark, helicopters buzzing and ambulances' sirens.
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95points
#9
I worked for an agency that helps people do their daily tasks for home healthcare. I had a man whose insurance prohibited personal care (like a shower). He was very upset during my visit when I declined his request for bathing. I felt bad at first but soon the man became very angry with me. He accused me of all kinds of things and started pacing around room to room like he was looking for something. Between that and his spit/yelling rage, I slipped out of the house and drove to a safer place. I reported the incident to my employer and later found out that this person is a sex offender who had previously raped another woman. Who knows what he was planning that day. Maybe nothing but I'm glad I left.
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90points
The question is how much exactly do we really need to trust our intuition? Well, Helen argues that one should be cautious not to get into their feelings too deeply as intuition can get mixed up with the ways we deal with our anxiety. She explained: “Our psychological defenses, as well as our issues or traumas, also known as complexes. That can make it easy to mistake a psychological issue—perhaps, a wish, fear, or trauma—for intuition or, conversely, for us to overlook an intuition due to that same psychological wound.” In that sense, we probably shouldn’t trust our intuition blindly.
#10
When I was in high school (early 80s), I saw a lot of heavy metal bands. I had a friend who could always get us backstage after the show. So Anvil played and we went backstage. All of a sudden the lead singer said "Okay all the girls take off your clothes or get out." I got out. The rest of the girls stayed.
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84points
#11
Was sleeping at a friend's house, went to the kitchen to get some water, her father hugged me from behind.. I was fourteen, I guess... never went to their house again
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84points
#12
Ripped my pants while bowling. Incidentally, I was also going commando, and the meats and cheeses were fully exposed. I bowled a frame or two before noticing too. It was a second date
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84points
On the other hand, when the situation is obviously threatening, dangerous, feels uncomfortable or wrong, one should never question their intuition. You should always look out for your safety first, and there’s no room for contemplation.
#13
I was in downtown NYC a couple of blocks away from the WTC gawking at a fire. There were tons of people milling around watching. They had blocked off some streets, and I asked a cop how I could get around to where I needed to go further downtown. He told me which streets were closed, but that they might expand it, so I should get moving. The conversation was pretty casual.
As I started walking away I looked back, and he had his radio to his ear, and whatever he heard, he panicked, went as white as a ghost, and started yelling for people to move further back. I turned around and jogged the hell out of there and made it to the Brooklyn Bridge before the first tower came down.
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84points
#14
I was at a new OBGYN for pain and a cyst on my ovary. The doctor looked to be in his late 20s. First he asks: Are you sexually active? I said no. His response: why not? You just don’t have a boyfriend or what? I just kinda gave him a weird look, like a what the hell does a boyfriend have to do with this look. Anyways then he went to do an internal exam and there were bruises on my thighs from bouncing my baby daughter up and down. He awkwardly rubbed the bruises for a few seconds and asked me if someone hurt me. Then, while he had his fingers inside me he said “Oh wow! They did a great job stitching you up after your baby because you are tight!” I froze for a second and then sat up. He asked me if I knew how to give myself a breast exam and I abruptly said yes and got up to leave. He grabbed my arm and said “well I’m going to show you how to do it anyway to make sure you’re doing it right!” I walked out as fast as I could and didn’t even check out at the nurse station. I was so uncomfortable and felt so disgusting.
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83points
#15
I was solo camping in the woods during a phase where I wanted to be a survival expert. I hiked out, miles from any roads or building, built a shelter and then hiked back the way I came.
Less than a mile away from my camp, I found a dead coyote, decapitated, gutted, and laid out like a sacrifice or something. The eyes were gouged out and it was strung across a big, flat rock. A rock which I used as a marker on the way in, so I know it hadn't been there a day before.
I ran out of there as fast as I could, knife at the ready, probably 10 miles back to my house. I still have no idea who would have done it, but I know I didn't want to run into them in the woods alone.
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78points
#16
Friend invited me to some rock club for his friends bday..ok sure. I don't drink spirits. They were getting bottle service and I was going to the bar to get beer. Their bill came just as I was leaving and it was $2300!!! I was so happy I did not join in. I said my good bye and got the f**k out.
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75points
#17
Bad diesel fire at work. I saw the fire ball billowing toward me so I jumped in a pit. The fireball blew over me, and when it retreated, I got the hell out of dodge. I got some gnarly 3rd degree burns, but I survived.
71points
#18
My friend and I met at Waffle House for lunch. A guy came into the restaurant looking for a piece of paper that he had accidentally left on a table. The waitress didn't know where the paper was located and might have thrown it away. The guy got upset saying the paper was important and he was going home to get his gun stored under his mattress. My friend and I quickly paid our check and got the heck out of the restaurant!
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71points
#19
I woke up one Friday in a hotel and the internet was down. I went to the hotel lobby to see what was up, and saw scenes of chaos on the TV. A crowd had started to gather to watch, including the hotel staff. One employee told me the government had shut down the internet to test it. The scenes on the TV were of violent protests beginning all over Egypt as people made their first push to occupy Tahrir Square. It was January 25, 2011 and I was in Benghazi, Libya. Without my US passport.
Needless to say I spent my energy over the next few days trying to get out of the country. I was able to leave but many of the people I was working with weren’t as lucky. The revolution started in Benghazi less than two weeks later. It was surreal watching Anderson Cooper broadcasting live from the hotel I had just been staying in.
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71points
#20
As a young teenager (maybe 13 y/o) I was camping in the backcountry during a summer camp in the midwest US. Second to last night of the trip we started seeing mammatus clouds and the sky turned green, but no immediate rain or hail. Being the good midwestern kids we were, we knew the signs and found a semi-solid shelter before the storm hit.
When we got out of the backcountry we found out that 3 major tornados had touched down and gotten as close as 1/2 km to our original campsite.
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66points