Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Traveling alone comes with the job. When you're a journalist.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You get used to late nights on the road, remote destinations,
and a steady diet of gas station coffee and fast food.
And after years of hopping from one location to the next,
I'd say I was pretty comfortable being out there on
my own. I knew how to read a map, plan routes,
and keep my wits about me. But there are some
things you can't really prepare for, no matter how well
(00:29):
traveled you are. I was driving back from a small
town interview on a stretch of highway nothing but fields
and mountains for miles. I'd been covering a series of
features on remote towns and the people who lived there.
After a long day of interviews, all I wanted was
to get to my hotel, take a shower, and crash.
(00:49):
The highway was practically deserted, which was typical for that
time of night, so I turned up my music, settled
back in my seat, and focused on the road ahead.
The first first time I noticed the semi truck was
when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw
those massive headlights glaring back at me. They were so
bright that for a second I thought maybe I'd missed
(01:10):
a car merging behind me. I adjusted my mirrors and
slowed down a bit, expecting the truck to pass, but
it didn't. Instead, it matched my speed, staying just a
few feet behind. I checked my speedometer. I was going
just above the speed limit, enough that any driver in
a hurry would be impatient enough to pass, But this
(01:31):
truck stayed close, so close that its lights filled my
entire rear view mirror, washing everything in harsh white light.
I tried not to think much of it at first.
Maybe the driver didn't see me, maybe he was new
to the route and was driving a bit more cautiously.
I sped up a little, putting more distance between us,
and for a moment it seemed like that was the
(01:54):
end of it. But as soon as I settled back
into my lane, I noticed the truck speeding up, closing
the gap between us again. This time it was even
closer than before. The headlights were practically blinding, making it
hard to see anything in my mirrors. I could feel
the pressure mounting my hands, gripping the wheel a little
tighter as I tried to shake the uneasy feeling creeping
(02:16):
up on me. I took a deep breath, reminding myself
to stay calm. Maybe the driver was just impatient. Maybe
he'd pass on one of the straight stretches up ahead,
but that wasn't what happened. Instead, he kept that close distance,
riding my bumper. I slowed down again, tapping the brakes lightly,
hoping he'd take the hint and back off, But the
(02:38):
truck stayed, put its headlights unwavering. I felt boxed in
by the darkness and those blinding lights that filled every mirror.
My heart started to race, a cold sweat prickling at
the back of my neck. I decided to try speeding up,
hoping that putting more distance between us might give me
some breathing room. I pushed the pedal down, watching the
(02:59):
speedometer climb as I pulled away from the truck. For
a few seconds, I thought I'd finally lost him. But
then the truck's engine roared and it surged forward, closing
the gap with a relentless determination. Something told me this
wasn't just about being in a hurry. It felt intentional,
like the driver was doing this on purpose, trying to
(03:20):
intimidate me, and it was working. I mean, it's quite
intimidating to have a truck that size stuck to your
bumper in the middle of the night. Any sudden movement
and it could run over me without even feeling it.
I was as nervous as I could get. Every time
I sped up, he'd speed up. When I slowed down,
he'd slow down. It was like he was playing a
(03:42):
twisted game, and I was stuck as the unwilling participant.
I scanned the road ahead, looking for an exit, a
gas station, anything that might offer some kind of escape.
But there was nothing but empty highway stretching out in
front of me, mile after mile of nothingness. The isolation
made it worse. I had no idea how far the
next town was or how long I'd be stuck in
(04:03):
this nightmare. Finally I spotted a small exit sign up ahead,
a little country road that branched off to the right.
I didn't even think twice. I took the exit, hoping
he'd just keep going straight. As I turned off, I
kept an eye on my mirrors, watching to see what
the truck would do. For a moment, it looked like
he was going to follow, his head lights hovering at
(04:26):
the edge of the exit ramp, but then at the
last second, he swerved back onto the highway, roaring past
in a blur of lights and metal. I pulled over
to the side of the road, my hands shaking as
I finally let out the breath i'd been holding.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
The only sound was my own heartbeat, pounding in my ears.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I watched the truck's tail lights disappear down the highway,
baiting into the darkness until they were gone.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
I sat there for a while.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Staring at the empty road, trying to make sense of
what just happened. I'd been on plenty of late night drives,
but I I'd never felt that kind of fear, that
sense of being hunted. It was like the driver had
zeroed in on me, intent on making my drive as
terrifying as possible. Once I'd calmed down a bit, I
pulled out my phone and looked up the nearest police station.
(05:13):
I knew it might sound ridiculous, but something about that
encounter had been too intense to ignore. I needed to
report it, even if they thought I was overreacting. When
I got to the police station, I recounted the whole
story to the officer on duty, from the moment I'd
noticed the truck to the terrifying game of cat and
mouse on the highway. He listened patiently, nodding as I
(05:35):
explained how the truck had followed my every move, mirroring
my speed and refusing to back off. I could tell
he was taking me seriously, which was a relief. The
officer promised they'd look into it, and said they'd try
to track down the truck based on the description I'd given.
A few days later, I received a call from the
police department. They'd found the truck and its driver. Apparently
(05:59):
he'd been under the influence of drugs. Is erratic behavior,
likely a result of a combination of exhaustion and whatever
substances he'd been using. He hadn't been trying to scare me,
at least not intentionally, but knowing that didn't make it
any less horrifying. It only underscored the danger of being
out there alone on the road at the mercy of
(06:19):
a stranger's unpredictable behavior. After that, I started doing whatever
I can to be safer when I'm alone. I make
sure to plan my route carefully, keep my phone fully charged,
and avoid driving late at night whenever I can, And
every time I see a pair of headlights in my
rear view mirror. I can't help but remember that semi
truck and the relentless, terrifying pursuit on that empty highway.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Now, even as.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Someone who's used to traveling alone, I don't take chances anymore.
It's a sobering reminder that while the road may seem empty,
you're never truly alone out there, and sometimes the company
you find is the last thing you'd want. I'm a paramedic,
(07:06):
so helping people comes naturally to me. I'm trained to
run toward the trouble, even if it's not always the
safest option. Most days, I'm good at separating the job
from my own life. But then there are times when
that instinct to help can lead you right into something
you weren't prepared for. And that's exactly what happened on
one highway a few months back. I was on my
(07:27):
way back from visiting my parents a couple of towns away.
This wasn't a heavily traveled road, especially at night, and
I'd only passed a couple of cars in the last hour.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
The night was.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Calm, the kind where the hum of your own car
feels like the loudest sound for miles around. It was nice,
peaceful even But then as I rounded a bend, I
noticed something up ahead that caught my attention right away.
There was a car parked off to the side with
its hood up, and as my headlights caught the scene,
I saw a figure lying just a few feet away
(07:58):
on the road. They were lying completely still, face down,
right there in the glow of my headlights. I've already
dealt with everything from minor scrapes to full on highway disasters,
so my first thought was to pull over and check
if the person was okay. But then as I slowed down,
something kept pulling at my mind, a gut feeling that
things weren't quite right.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
First off, there were no skid marks on the road.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I know that's a small detail, but if the car
had come to a sudden stop, you'd usually see at
least a faint trace of rubber burned into the asphalt.
And then there was the car itself. It was just
too perfect the way it was positioned, almost angled but
not quite blocking the road, like it was set there deliberately.
I took my foot off the gas, considering my options.
(08:46):
Every fiber of my training told me to get out
and check on the person, but Something in my gut
told me to keep driving, and yet, despite my instincts,
I pulled over. I couldn't just leave them lying there,
even if it was risky. I was a paramedic, and
if there was even a small chance someone needed help,
I knew I had to check. I got out, but
(09:07):
I kept my headlights on and my door open just
in case. I walked toward the car, trying to stay
alert to everything around me. The air was still, and
all I could hear was the low hum of my
car's engine. As I got closer, the scene became clearer
under the headlights. The person on the ground wasn't moving
at all, lying face down, arms sprawled awkwardly, like they'd
(09:29):
been knocked out cold. I called out, hey, are you okay?
No response. I took another step, but that nagging feeling
in my stomach grew stronger. I looked at the car again,
trying to take it all in. The hood was up,
but there was no smoke or steam coming from it.
Usually if a car had broken down recently, you'd see
(09:50):
at least a bit of residual heat, but this car
looked like it had been sitting there untouched. And then
I noticed a slight blur of movement to the side,
a shadow in the dark, just beyond the reach of
my headlights. My instincts kicked in and I froze, listening footsteps.
They were coming from my right, close to where the
(10:11):
roadside brush thickened. Before I could react, I heard more footsteps,
this time from my left. I didn't need to look
to know I was surrounded. In that moment, I realized
I'd walked right into a trap. All right, stay calm,
I thought, backing up slowly, trying to put some distance
(10:31):
between myself and the figure on the ground. But before
I could make it back to my car, three men
stepped out from the shadows surrounding me. They each had
something in their hands. Pipes maybe, or crowbars. It was
hard to tell in the dim light, but either way,
I knew they meant business. One of them, the tallest
of the three, stepped forward with a smirk, wallet, keys,
(10:55):
anything you got on you. My heart was pounding, but
I knew than to argue. I slowly reached into my pocket,
pulling out my wallet and tossing.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
It to him. They wanted my.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Keys, too, and while it stung to hand over my car,
I wasn't about to risk my life over it. One
of the guys got in my car and read the engine,
clearly ready to leave with my ride and my money.
And then, just when I thought I was out of luck,
the guy in the driver's seat noticed my phone. He
looked at it, then looked at me, and tossed it
onto the pavement with a twisted grin. Wouldn't want you
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stranded out here, now, would we, he said mockingly. I
took a step back as they sped off headlights, disappearing
down the road. There I was stranded in the middle
of nowhere, with only my phone, no wallet, no car,
and the realization that I'd walked straight into a potentially
deadly situation. I was angry at myself for stopping or
(11:50):
letting my training override my instincts, but I was also
grateful that, for whatever reason, they'd left me with my phone.
It took me a few minutes to pull myself together
enough to call the police. They arrived quickly, considering how
remote the area was, and took my statement. One of
the officers told me that they'd received a few reports
(12:10):
about similar incidents in the area lately. Turns out this
wasn't just a random attack. It was part of a
string of robberies where the criminals preyed on people's compassion,
staging fake accidents to lure them in. The police offered
me a ride home, but the entire drive back, my
mind was replaying everything that had happened. I kept thinking
(12:31):
about those subtle clues, the ones that should have tipped
me off, the lack of skid marks, the stillness of
the car, the eerie quiet. In my line of work,
you see so many genuine accidents that sometimes you forget
to watch out for the fakes.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
In the end, I was shaken, but unharmed.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
My car was eventually found abandoned a few miles down
the road, stripped of anything valuable.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I got my car back and the.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Police assured me they were stepping up patrols to catch
the group responsible.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
But that experience has stayed with me Now.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Every time I see a car pulled over on the
side of the road, I find myself hesitating, questioning my instincts.
I've always believed in helping people, that it's my duty
as a paramedic to assist anyone in need, but that
night taught me a tough lesson that not everyone has
good intentions, and sometimes the best thing you can do
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is listen to that little voice inside that says something's
not right. If these highway horror stories made you double
check your rear view mirror, hit that like button and
subscribe for more real life scares. Which story gave you
the biggest chills? Drop it in the comments. I'd love
(13:46):
to hear your thoughts, and hey, share this video with
a friend who loves the thrill of the open road.
They might think twice next time. Thanks for watching, and
I'll see you in the next nightmare.