r/nosleep | Reddit Horror Stories • Collection

On the Pennsylvania Backroads, You Keep Driving. No Matter What Follows You.

On the Pennsylvania Backroads, You Keep Driving. No Matter What Follows You.

u/victorywillbemine_9h

The story I’m about to share with you took place a long time ago. A decade ago, in fact. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why I’ve decided to share it now after so many years in silence. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that everyone I knew who could relate to what happened is gone now. I won’t lie to you; a part of me fears that I might be next.

I don’t expect you to believe me; though, I suppose, if anyone would believe it, it would be you guys. I decided to post on r/nosleep because you accept people’s experiences without judgment. Because people need to know what happened. And in a community of over 13 million people, this is bound to reach somebody. What matters is that I know the truth. And shortly, you will too.

I suppose it would be helpful for you to know a bit of background information. A little over ten years ago I was a senior in high school. And like many teenagers, I was high off the feeling of invincibility a driver’s license and a car full of friends gave to me. It seems incredible to me that we could have been so incredibly naïve. We were so full of ourselves back then it’s a wonder we ever even made it to that road. When I look back at all the stupid stunts we pulled….well, you know what they say about hindsight.

My buddies and I had a real tightknit group. A couple of us had been together since the 4th grade. That was me and Tyler. Tyler was a big guy. Tall, even when we were little, and bulky too. And although none of us were really jocks, Tyler played on the high school football team. The next to come along was Franco. He joined us in the 6th grade. Everything that Tyler was Franco wasn’t. But he had a sense of humor that rivaled the most gifted stand-up comedians. I used to tell him that he should do stand up and he would always make some self-deprecating joke and laugh it off.

Jeremy and Corey came last, in 9th grade. Those two were as different as night and day but somehow, their dynamic worked. One was tall, lanky, and perhaps the most responsible of us all. The other was rough, rugged, had a full beard at fourteen, smoked, and used to experiment with a tattoo gun of his own making. And then there was me. I don’t know how I fit into the group, honestly. If pressed, I would say I was sort of a combination of the qualities of each of us. Which, now that I think about it, just about sums me up: Jack of all trades, master of none.

Anyway, the five of us were a real tight crew. And despite the fact that we didn’t all attend the same high school, it didn’t stop us from doing just about everything together. I could tell you stories about adventures in chasing girls, forming bands, facial hair contests, and the wonders of a corn cobb pipe….but that’s not really the point.

If you’re at all familiar with the greater Delaware Valley, or really anywhere in Southeastern PA, northern Delaware, or Eastern Maryland, then you’ve probably heard the tales of Devil’s Road. I know, I know; it sounds like some silly urban legend with a tremble-tremble name. And I suppose much of it is just that; legend. Tales vary wildly from person to person about the exact nature of this little stretch of roadway, with everything from Satanic cults, inbred DuPonts (they are a rather famous and wealthy family in Delaware state history), and the Ku Klux Klan alternately making appearances in various versions of the legend.

A couple of things most of the different versions agree on include travelers being chased off the road by jeeps or pickup trucks with bright headlights, oddly shaped trees, and a general air of creepiness that permeates the site. Below is a link with a short overview of the general legend and its various incarnations:

(http://www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania/local_legends/devils_road/index.php)

If you want to poke around Reddit or YouTube, there are some posts and videos you can read/watch to help round out your understanding of the legends and area. A local radio station has also recently covered the legend. Their writeup is here: