Short horror stories

real paranormal

He doesn't finish, but I ask if I may finish on him. He agrees. He freaks out after I do. He gets up, without saying a word and completely naked. He walks back down to the basement.

I put on my underwear and walk to the edge of the stairs. I hear whimpers and whispers. There is no one downstairs except for him, of this I am sure. The clanking metal sounds continue. They're nothing loud. They sound like a scalpel being placed on a metal surgery tray, or tools bouncing in a toolbox.

He's downstairs for 5, 10, 15 minutes now. I'm fully dressed. I'm giving my friend a play-by-play through text, and he tells me to drop him a pin. I don't know how to so he walks me through the process. When I finally do send him my location, he calls me: "You have to get out of the house. Now." Why I ask? "Do you know where you are? You're out by O'Hare!"

My fight or flight completely kicks in, now understanding that I'm stranded in an area that has no access to public transportation, and I don't have a car. I yell downstairs to see if he's alright. All sounds stop. No reply.

For a moment, I think about grabbing his keys from his jacket, driving his car a few blocks from my place, and leaving it wherever. At this point, I yell down, "I'll be waiting outside." I hear what sounds like chains dropping and footsteps coming heavily up the stairs. I run to the door, fumbling with the lock, until I rip it open and get outside. He was naked last time I saw him, so I figure getting dressed will at least slow him down.

I freeze for a moment, and then I took off running. I made it 2 blocks away before I broke down crying and called an Uber. This was February in Chicago, and it was maybe 22 degrees outside and snowy. At this point mystery man tries calling me, and I hang up. He texts: "Ha ha where'd you go?" I say that I got a ride and that I'm okay. I block his number.

I hid between 2 cars at a used car lot while waiting 30 minutes for an Uber to pick me up. I saw mystery man's car driving around.

2 Ubers had already cancelled, and I had to call the third Uber to make him promise that he wouldn't cancel on me because I was in danger.

I block out this experience, mostly. There are some nights when I begin to go over all the details in my head. It destroys me and turns my blood cold. And it's the little, red flags that deeply unnerve me.

1. I'm convinced that we were in a model home, or at least a home that he was selling.

2. He was gay and comfortable with himself, but I believe he was referring to something far more sinister when he was saying that this was his "first time."

3. The smartest thing I did, among many foolish choices, was not going down to that basement. I do not think I would have come back upstairs if I had.

4. There's a moment in the end of the Girl with the Dragon tattoo where a man goes with the killer into his house, knowing by now that he is the serial killer. And he killer says something along the lines of, "You knew, but you still came inside. We're too afraid of being rude to go with out animal instinct and get away from danger." I experienced this first hand.

5. I always think back to the story that was submitted here last year, about a man who was almost killed by John Wayne Gacy at a hotel as a teenager. He says that one day, he saw Gacy's fact on the TV's after being caught, and he had a total breakdown (knowing what almost became of him). Something deep inside me tells me that I may have a moment like that myself one day

A Real Fixer-Upper by

About five years ago, my husband Adam and I decided that it was finally time to start looking to purchase a house. We had always talked about buying an older, fixer-upper home because we've had the idea that they hold more charm and character. Plus we can appreciate a place that has it's own quirks and we love the thought of turning something run down into something beautiful again.