Wait, People Shared Their Scariest Moments And They’re Wild

Back when cell phones were basically sci-fi, I was shopping and this guy started following me everywhere. The guy was chatting about government conspiracies and mystery machines in his head - total nutter, but not the usual kind of crazy I knew from my own wild family.

My defense? Pretend I was *even crazier.* I got right in his face, kept eye contact, cranked up my voice like we were best buds, and said I wanted to visit him at his shelter. Lo and behold, he started backing off and finally just asked why I was talking to him. I said, “not many people do.” He left scared, and I went home a winner.

At 13, grabbing hot chocolate in a hotel lobby, a dude got in the elevator with me. He stared creepily the whole ride, even stepping out when I did. According to me, lucky building design saved the day.

Me and some friends dropped into a hidden cave deep in the Pennsylvania woods with a tiny entrance – you had to drop about seven feet in, rooting your way down. While exploring, we noticed thousands of spiders crawling all over the ceiling. Quiet as mice, we realized the only way out was... back through the spider playground. Two girls nearly froze in fear, but eventually we all scrambled out safely. A few months later, I found out this cave was off-limits anyway because of rattlesnakes. Good call.

After struggling to put in contacts, I was paranoid about rubbing my eyes in the bath. When I opened my eyes, completely blind, I freaked out - until the power came back on. Insta-heart attack, 0/10 do not recommend.

College finals, almost midnight, walking to my car with a dead phone. A truck slowed, did a u-turn, and started following me. I stopped, let it pass, and waited by a lamp post… but it circled back and parked right behind my car. I ditched the mission to grab my laptop and got campus security to walk me to my car instead. Sometimes, it pays to be a little paranoid.

On a crazy high-altitude climb in the Andes, I got hit with altitude sickness so bad I felt like dying. The world was flipping upside down, I was vomiting and gibberish-ing, and it was -50°C with windchill! My guide saved me in the middle of a massive blizzard when I basically gave up, but the whole night was a total nightmare. I still love mountains - just a bit less death-defyingly now.

When I was a tot, my mom had super vivid nightmares about our house being on fire and saving me only to get bad news at the hospital. One night, I woke her up screaming about my room being on fire. Months after we moved out, my grandma told us the house actually did catch fire – the bedroom I shared with my sister was totally wrecked. Cue all the chills. Talk about spooky premonitions.

Mountain lion stalking me in the Santa Cruz mountains. I've dealt with some scary bears, but this was the one time I genuinely felt like dinner. Not my favorite moment, to say the least.

Walking home by an eye hospital, an old man with gross, tobacco-stained hands grabbed my hand tightly and asked if I wanted to see his eye - only, one eye was gone, just an empty socket. Then came the classic "do you want to put your finger in there?" line. I hauled my hand free (he was surprisingly strong) and ran like mad. Total nightmare fuel.

My friend was in Mexico for work with Google Maps. On a taxi ride, some crazy guy tried to drag her out and stabbed her *six times*! The driver bailed just in time and she survived, but has scary scars and a shadowed silence from that day forward.

Working late at a hotel, a young guy walked in chewing a razor blade, fresh wounds on his wrists, mouth a mess - just needed to call his girlfriend. When I answered, he asked, "Why you gotta call the law on me?" and then dipped. Yep, last week on the night shift for me.

One split second, I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop a near-fatal car crash. So I closed my eyes and braced for impact. Time froze, then bam - it all stopped, and I was alive. Messed up and bloody, but alive, and that moment sticks with me 25 years later.

Backpacking with my wife and dog, a tweaked-out guy showed up wearing a triple chain-lock necklace and wielding a katana with an elk antler handle. He started hacking trees and marking trails, while his friend waited for us smiling like it was some horror movie. We didn't stick around for the awkward "party invite" and hiked 8 miles out in the dark. Yikes.

Backpacking with my wife and dog, a tweaking guy showed up carrying a katana with an elk antler handle. He started hacking branches and marking trails for his buddies. His friend seemed off too, smiling while dragging a bloody cooler. We packed up and hiked 8 miles out in darkness. Trust your gut, always.

Waiting at a red light, I spotted my buddy pumping gas and leaned out to give him the finger and yell at him. If I had just driven off, a guy running a red light at 65 would’ve nailed me. So yeah, being a jerk paid off for once.

Working nights at a gas station, a dude rolled up asking for directions. When I stepped closer, he hit me with "You have the most beautiful eyes, I'd like to put them in a jar." My coworker yanked me away and said, "Time to call the cops," and that was that. No thanks, creepy eyes guy.

Watching my dad collapse and die right in front of me was the worst. He came back after a minute but later died for good. At 12, I had to call family and prepare everyone. Life-changing.

Tending to my toddler’s brother, I turned around to find my 3-year-old missing. After a frantic search, I found her calmly playing at the water station, smock on and all. Heart-stopper alert!

My baby stopped breathing right after a c-section, and docs revived him. That moment felt like five minutes of sheer panic, even though it was only 30 seconds. Nine years later, he’s totally fine. And yep, I'm preparing for another baby soon, hoping for smooth sailing this time around!

My husband forgot to close the baby gate and I walked out to see our 10-month-old right at the edge of the stairs. Before I could react, he tumbled down. I screamed, scooped him up, and somehow, he was totally fine. That slow-motion horror? Terrifying!

Growing up, I shared a bed with my sister who had intense nightmares and hallucinations. One night, she woke up with eyes wide open, glaring with a scary look. She’d yell about snakes or spiders on me and wouldn’t calm down for hours. Seriously creepy kid stuff.

In Ohio, I had to slam on brakes for deer crossing the road - saving me from a crash but wrecking someone else’s ride. Then, just days later, driving my brand new Jeep, I hit a deer. Deer 1, me 0.

First night as a security guard at a massive train yard. Told there was a homeless dude hiding somewhere. I searched the giant field of brand-new cars and trains for an hour, flashlight in hand. Nothing. Then I found out the guy had been *on* the tracks where I didn’t dare look. He was found... in pieces. Yeah, nightmare time.

My husband and I were driving back from a city when a car crossed the median right at us. He swerved us off the road into a ditch just in time. The other guy blamed a blackout, got a hospital visit, then was let loose like it was no big deal. Absolutely terrifying.

Cycling through Southern Illinois, a storm turned into a tornado situation with massive wind gusts and horizontal rain. We kept looking for ditches to dive into, just waiting for the worst. Eight miles felt like forever, and that night watching Twister, I felt a little safer knowing what *not* to do.

After putting my 3-year-old to bed, I spotted him heading past the baby gate. Next thing I knew, he was tumbling head first down 10 concrete stairs. I screamed like a maniac but found him smiling at me when I got there. The relief was unreal.

At 3 or 4 years old, I walked down a hill to buy ice cream at a BMX race. Moments later, the snack van exploded in a fiery ball, killing workers and others in line - who had smiled at me just minutes before. I dropped my ice cream and hid. Talk about a scary memory.

Coming home 32 weeks pregnant after a long weekend, I started bleeding. Having had multiple previous miscarriages, my worst fears came true. Hours in the hospital later, it turned out to be an "angry cervix" and my baby was fine. Still, those hours? The scariest of my life.

My 4-year-old sister disappeared for 45 minutes. We called cops, neighbors searched, and we all freaked out. Turns out she’d been hiding under a table the whole time - safe, but still scary.

Having a drink at an Indian hotel bar, I stepped away to the bathroom. On returning, my scotch had a weird frothy rim that turned to powder. The bartender dodged my questions, and the whole vibe screamed "stay away." Payment made, I locked my door and imagined worst-case scenarios. Never been so suspicious of a drink.

While backcountry skiing in fog, I thought I knew where I was until I suddenly realized I’d just launched off a steep 8-10 meter cliff. I landed face-first in deep powder, blew out my ski bindings, and laughed like crazy once I realized I hadn't died. Epic oops.

Took acid on a long stressful drive. Later, I flushed the toilet only to have it shoot blood and poo water all over me. Covered in bodily fluids, half-tripping, I asked my friend if it was real life. Nope, just the worst acid bath ever.

Doctors told me my 2-year-old might have pediatric cancer based on blood tests. Waiting for the results felt like forever. Turns out it was just an infection, but those days? The scariest of my life.