Real Encounters

*I like your fingernails*

Okay so before I delve into my own creepy story I want to acknowledge that there were many, many times throughout the following encounters that I acted very stupidly and unsafely. So before everyone comments how dumb I was, know that as I type this I have the South park Joseph Smith "Dumb dumb dumb" song going through my head.

When I was 19 years old, like most people my age, I was attending university and was living in a private house off campus with a few other students. As I'm not the most sociable person and didn't go out very often, my daily routine was pretty consistent: wake up early, morning lectures, lunch at home, evening lectures and then home for the night. Campus was around a 15 minute walk from the house which I made alone as my flatmates were based on different campuses.

One day I was walking to university with my earphones in when I noticed a red car crawling along beside me. The driver was male, around 5"9, quite muscular with a few noticeable tattoos. He was staring straight at me and so I pulled out my headphones to hear what he was saying. He asked me some general questions (name, what I study etc) and then for my telephone number because he'd like us to go on a date.

I wasn't interested but I'm one of those people that has a hard time saying no, so I gave it to him but changed the last digit thinking I wouldn't see him again (even though he claimed to go to the same university, it's pretty big) and he probably asks a lot of women out so wouldn't be too fussed. I then hurried off and forgot all about it by the end of the day.

A couple of weeks later I was walking to university again when I spotted the red car turning the corner on the opposite side of the road. Feeling a little embarrassed I avoided eye contact and walked a little faster, only to hear the sound of tyres screeching on the road behind me as it made a sudden u-turn. Now on my side of the road, the red car zooms past me and comes grinding to a halt a few metres ahead. The guy gets out and rushes towards me. I'm shocked but continue walking until he blocks my path and begins shouting in my face:

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?!" "I told you I want to take you out!" "I've been calling you everyday for weeks and you haven't been answering!"

He wasn't much taller than me but it felt like he was towering over me, really close and very angry. I decided that telling him I wasn't interested wouldn't be the best thing to do as he was so furious so I said I had been busy, that I had finals and had switched off my phone to focus on my work. He calmed down instantly and his whole demeanor changed. It was almost a Jekyll and Hyde transition. He then said "it makes sense that you're busy, I've seen you walking to campus everyday", "you're in the library every evening now, you shouldn't work so hard" (the only new addition to my routine were nights spent in the library).

It didn't seem weird at the time because he had told me he goes to my university so I just shrugged it off. He then claimed to be going to class too and asked if he could drop me off. For someone who reads extensively about serial killers (in particular Bundy) you'd think I would have known better than to get into a car with a stranger, he wasn't even offering candy so I'm officially dumber than a 5 year old.

I rationalized that the campus was 15 minutes away through fairly busy streets which I knew well and that he had calmed down now so I got in the car. Almost immediately I felt it was a huge mistake. For the first few moments we were silent until I couldn't stand the awkwardness any longer. I asked him what he studied and what year he was in to which he gave very vague, short answers so I figured he didn't want to talk and fell silent again.

Then it started: "I'm sorry I got so angry, I just really like you", "when I spoke to you it made me like you more and I noticed you have really clean fingernails, not like some of these whores with painted nails you see", "I fucking hate girls like that", "do you speak another language, I like it when girls speak to me in another language when we're having sex".

I laughed most of this off as I didn't know what to say and noticed we were approaching a side street next to my campus gate. At this point I was thoroughly freaked out and just wanted to get to the closest, safest place I could find.

He thankfully pulled over and let me out, insisting on walking me to the door because his next lecture was about to start and was "a few doors away". I slipped into the nearest room I could find, pretending it was my next class, after saying my goodbyes. Inside the room I waited a few minutes hoping he'd be gone and he was. However when I started walking to my actual class I noticed he was leaving the campus.

After this encounter I decided to change my walking route which successfully meant I didn't see him again. One evening I noticed I had a mass email from my course organiser warning all students, especially female, to be vigilant as a rape had been reported the night before in an area close by. A description was eventually released of the perpetrator which sounded eerily similar to the man in the red car (mostly due to the similarity between the tattoos described in the report and the ones I had seen up close).

I don't know if he was caught but I never saw the guy ever again.

Credits: Reddit, ImNothingWithoutYou