Episode 1
[00:00:00] Welcome dear listeners to a world that lies beyond the realm of the ordinary. Where the mysterious and the unexplained converge. Prepare yourselves for an audio journey that will send shivers down your spine and make your heart race. Welcome to "Chillers and thrillers", the paranormal podcast that delves into the darkest corners of the unknown.
[00:00:28] And where the shadows hold secrets. Hello and welcome. I am your host, M. Since I was a child, I was obsessed with ghost stories. My mother and father would indulge me and tell me their own experiences with the paranormal and folklore from my home country of Brazil. I would stay up late at night and read books, like "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark", "Goosebumps" and "Fear Street." [00:01:00]
[00:01:00] And no story was ever scary enough. I loved and still love watching creepy shows like the Twilight zone, the outer limits, and my absolute favorite, are you afraid of the dark? Cue to today, and I still love all things paranormal. From books to movies to podcast. And I know I'm not alone in this love for all these things.
[00:01:23] So this podcast is made for people like me, who love to hear spooky stories of the strange and the unexplained. Where no story is ever scary enough and where we can form our own midnights society.
[00:01:36] For these first episodes, I'll be recounting stories. I've collected online throughout the years. And will credit the writers by their usernames. But I would love to hear your paranormal experiences. So please feel free to email me at chillersandthrillers@gmail.com.
[00:01:51] In today's episode, our stories will be about people who are living. They're ordinary day-to-day lives. When they meet someone, [00:02:00] who's not quite what they seem to be. So let's get started.
[00:02:06] Story one. Zoot suit. Hitchhiker by Reddit user Benedictus.
[00:02:13] So I had a football coach back in high school who was also one of my teachers for a semester. He told us one story that freaked us out pretty bad. He had a coaching job at a small college in Montana when he was a lot younger and newly married. . He said that after practice, one evening he was making his long commute home and the route ran alongside just fields and fields of hay, grain, whatever. Since it was late summer, early fall it wasn't approaching dark yet. His car was an old beat up truck with just a bench seat. Anyway. He's driving along when he sees a hitchhiker on the shoulder. This being back in the day and in small town, Montana, my teacher pulled over to let the guy in without a second thought. [00:03:00] The man was described as wearing a really old, outdated style of suit. Not quite as Zootsuit, but styled in a similar baggy way. He also had a big stylish hat on. This guy looked like he was out of the forties and "sorta like a pimp" as my teacher said.
[00:03:18] My teacher thought it was weird that he was so overdressed with it being super hot out. But maybe that was the only clothing he had. So he lets the guy get in and he sits next to my teacher without a word.
[00:03:31] My teacher asks him where he needs to go and the guy just points forward. So my teacher drives on. Later my teacher tried talking to the guy, just making simple conversation, but the guy wouldn't speak or even acknowledge him. He just pulled his hat down like he was sleeping.
[00:03:49] Out of where the guy just tips his hat up, looks at the window and says, "Stop the car. Now."
[00:03:57] My teacher pulls over and lets him out, not wanting to offend a [00:04:00] possibly crazy man. The guy stands on the side of the road for a second. Then at a dead sprint just runs off into the field beside the road until my teacher couldn't see him anymore.
[00:04:11] My teacher waits there for a while thinking maybe the guy had the runs or something and he just didn't want to, you know, Go right next to the road. After a long enough wait, my teacher gets back into the car and starts to accelerate back onto the road.
[00:04:27] The thing about really old trucks is that they don't accelerate very fast. As my teacher got back into the road, he looked in his rear view mirror to check for a safe merge. But there wasn't a car in sight. What there was, was the hitchhiker. On all fours, like an animal. Crawling after the truck at an inhuman speed.
[00:04:48] Meanwhile, my teachers beginning to fish tales, he attempts to go faster the whole time. His eyes glued on the mirror, watching the man chase after the car.
[00:04:58] Eventually he was able to get up to [00:05:00] speed and lost sight of the guy in his mirror. When he was able to stop at a gas station to use a payphone, he called his wife at home to tell her the story and to lock up the house. She thinks he's just messing with her and he had been talking to her coworker about the hitchhiker.
[00:05:15] When he asked why she would think that. Apparently at her office in the town, she worked in, one of her coworkers told her a story of the exact same thing happening to him. And it's a well known over legend in that town. She thought it was just folks playing with a new girl at work who had to drive home alone at night.
[00:05:35] Anyway, my teachers assured her that he was not lying and she evidently believed him. So, yeah. Now I would just avoid lonely roads in Montana.
[00:05:46] I wonder where this town is. If we have any listeners from Montana, I'd love to hear if you know about this story, any similar folklore.
[00:05:54] Story two. Don't talk to him. Submitted by anonymous user
[00:05:58] When I was 10, [00:06:00] my mom and I had to drive through the Colorado Rockies in the middle of the night. We were going home from a big family reunion and on the last leg, crossing six states. My mom said we only had enough money left for gas or to stay overnight in a hotel room, but not both. Everything on the trip had cost more than she planned for and she was pretty broke after recently divorcing my dad. So we basically coasted on fumes, financially speaking, from Denver to LA.
[00:06:28] It rained on and off and we had to go slower than usual because of the thick fog that was almost as heavy as rain, but not quite. I was watching her carefully because I could tell she was tired and I was worried she might drive off the edge of the winding highway. For the record, my mom was perfectly fine, this is just how I perceive things as an anxious kid. I also asked her more than once. What would happen if we hit a bear on the freeway?
[00:06:54] My strategy was to keep her awake with junk food at some point after midnight, we'd stopped for gas. And I got up to buy some [00:07:00] sodas before I went inside. I heard someone say,
[00:07:05] And I was confused about where it came from. Until a kid about my age, stepped out from the side of an ice machine. He was wearing dark sunglasses, even though it was the middle of the night and I thought maybe he was playing with me, maybe pretending to be a spy.
[00:07:20] "Will you buy me something?", he asked. I laughed nervously, "Like what?"
[00:07:26] "I don't know. I need to come into the store to pick it out."
[00:07:30] I felt awkward and mumbled no turning towards the entrance. Right when I was about to pull the door open, the kids stepped out further from the ice machine and said, "Please. I'm hungry. I want a Coke. I want a Pepsi. I want doritos. I want to..." He kept listing things off in a flat voice, and I remember suddenly feeling colder. I wondered why he wasn't wearing shoes or a jacket in this rainy weather. And I also wondered where his mom was then.
[00:07:57] A man was pounding on the glass door from the [00:08:00] inside and yelling at the kid. I told you not to come in here. Get the F out of here. Then the man turned to me and yelled, don't talk to him. Don't let him in my store.
[00:08:11] I was terrified and ran back across the parking lot to the car. I locked myself in and ducked down in the backseat with my jacket over my head so I couldn't look out the window.
[00:08:19] When my mom finished pumping our gas, she got in the car and said, if you're tired, you can just go to sleep. I guess to her, I looked like I was sleeping, not hiding. And I was quiet as we pulled out of the driveway.
[00:08:33] Some hours later we stopped for gas again, and I was still spooked. I would not have gotten out of the car if it weren't for the fact that I had to pee so badly. So my heart was thumping as I was speed walked inside to get the bathroom key. I didn't see anyone when I went outside to the bathroom. Or back inside to return the key.
[00:08:51] But when I turned around to leave. The cashier was banging on her window and yelling. I don't talk to him. Don't [00:09:00] let him in here. He knows he can't come in here. She was screaming at my mom who stood in the parking lot, talking to a kid, the kid. Who kept talking calmly, even as the clerk kept banging on the glass.
[00:09:14]
[00:09:16]
[00:09:16] I tore outside towards the car. "Mom, get in the car! Get in the car, get in the car, mom!", I must've been about 20 feet away when I ran past them, but I felt near enough for him to touch me. Like I was about to feel his fingers on the back of my neck. When I to got to the car it was locked and I kept pulling on the handle. "Mom, let's go!"
[00:09:35] I saw her say something to the kid. Then she jogged back to the car, unlocked it, and I dove into the back seat. We were just about to turn into the driveway. I peeked under the window to see if the kid was following us. And afterwards I wish I hadn't. This is the image that sticks with me. He was standing on the edge of the lot.
[00:09:55] Right where the pavement disappeared into tall grass.
[00:09:59] Where he suddenly [00:10:00] lurched over and slammed his palms to the ground. It was almost the same posture as a downward dog in yoga, but instead of bending at the hips, his back arched up into the air in a perfect tight arch, like a Halloween cat. It was grotesque and cartoonish and did not look human at all.
[00:10:18] We drove away and mom was silent not asking me what happened or why it was sobbing. She put her hand on my knee and squeeze it a few times until I finally caught my breath. Finally, she turned to me and said, "Something's not right with that kid." She loves to tell the story at Christmas and other gatherings , she loves the part where she gets to say. "He asked her for a candy bar, but he asked me for a ride home".
[00:10:44] Story three. Is Scott home. Submitted by user Mel without dinner five.
[00:10:52] Back in the early two thousands, I moved in with my now ex boyfriend. This happened when I was taking a personal day from work after moving in to finish getting things [00:11:00] arranged and unpacked. It was mid afternoon when the doorbell rang.
[00:11:05] Through the peep hole I saw a conservatively dressed woman, my guess was Jehovah's witness, so I planned to say "no, thanks" and get back to unpacking.
[00:11:14] I opened the door and got a better look. The woman was about my age, late twenties and she had frizzy hair, like a perm gone wrong. It was a nondescript, brownish, blonde, and looked dry and damaged. All her style choices looked like they were a stereotypical grandmother. She wore a a lightweight tan jacket, white turtleneck that looked like it had been washed many times, a long khaki skirt that buttoned up to the front and loafers styled like moccasins. She was under dressed for late November day. The only break in her style was a shiny black aviator sunglasses. I couldn't see her eyes. I opened the door, but left the screen door closed.
[00:11:58] "Hi, is Scott home?" [00:12:00]
[00:12:01] I started to say he wasn't home, but then my instincts start to kick in. I asked what she needed and she held out a paper plate wrapped in foil. "I made these for Scott. He helped me out the other day and I want to thank him". That almost made sense. Scott was a firefighter and he'd had a call to our house recently, but Why would she bring this to his house? How did you find his house? Why was I instantly uncomfortable and panicked once I opened the door.
[00:12:30] I told her she'd have to give it to him at work. She asked if he was at work. I said she needed to talk to him later at work. She asked when he'd be home. I'd said she needed to speak to him. She asked if he was home, it was an endless loop. I noticed she had a jerky manner of talking, like she had to move physically to speak.
[00:12:51] Finally, I broke the loop and said, I couldn't talk to her anymore and she'd have to leave. As I closed the door, she slammed her hand on the screen door and screamed, "No!" [00:13:00]
[00:13:01] I closed and locked the door quickly. Almost instantly there was knocking at the back door. That didn't make sense. The backyard was fenced and we kept the gate locked. . The lot was long and narrow. So along with the locked gate, it took a little time to go from the front to the back. I ran to the back and peeked in. She was there and now she was yelling that she knew he was home and I had to let her in. I looked at her out the back door. She clearly had a problem and I didn't know if 9 1 1 was the best way to help out or not.
[00:13:32] Oh, The doorbell rang as I looked at her, hopefully it was someone else. I went and looked at the people. There she was again. She was giving me a big grin and then knocking started in the back. I marched to the phone. There were two of them. So I was sure this was a crime and she was putting on an act nine 11 was my best bet.
[00:13:54] As I reached for the phone it rang
[00:13:56] I expected it to be her, but it was our neighbors from across the street. [00:14:00] They were older, but not by much. He, Jim, was a retired cop and she, Jenny, worked in an office job in the city. She was off today and was just wondering if Scott and I would like to come home for dinner. I cut her off panicked, asked if anyone was at my front door. She said no, and I begged her to double check, she asked me why, and I explained. Immediately, she got Jim on the phone. Jim told me he'd be right over and go to the interior of the house away from the windows. Throughout this whole time, the bell rang in the front and there was knocking in the back.
[00:14:32] Eventually it stopped. Jim yelled at the front door, it was him. And I could open up, he asked me a lot of questions and then we had the following conversation. I've never forgotten.
[00:14:43] "If that thing ever comes back, don't open the door"
[00:14:47] " jim, she comes back. I'm calling the police. Wait, what do you mean by that thing?"
[00:14:53] "I don't know what religion you are, but you should get somebody for protection and hang it by the door. Don't talk about it again, either."[00:15:00]
[00:15:01] Scott was as confused as I was, and didn't recognize her from my description. At first we talked about it, but then I noticed after he talked to Jim one day, he didn't want to discuss it anymore. He was raised Catholic and a few days later, he hung a crucifix near the door. He insisted it was something from his grandma's house. He'd had a long time ago and it reminded him of her.
[00:15:22] I lived there for a little over a year and nothing else happened. Uh, but a year after I moved out, Scott called me at work. He thought I'd want to know Jim had died.
[00:15:32] During the call, we talked about old times and Scott talked about how Jim had been so concerned about me after the incident. The same thing had happened to Jenny late one night when they just had their first child. I tried to take it beyond Jim's concern, but Scott said Jim had asked him to never talk about it and he wanted to respect that.
[00:15:51] Since then I've lost touch with Jenny and Scott. It wasn't until a few days after the call, I realized. [00:16:00] Jim and Jenny were my parents' age. Their first baby was a few years older than me. That means. That the same thing happened to Jenny in the 1970s. I still don't understand it.
[00:16:14] And that's all we have for today's episode. These stories have been with me for years. They creeped me out so much. The first time I read them. What about you listeners, have you or someone you love ever encountered someone that seemed a bit off? Perhaps a stranger who refused to look you in the eyes and take off their dark sunglasses.
[00:16:38] What about somebody who turned out to be something different than when you first encountered. If, so I'd love to hear your stories or to hear your theories on the stories. I've just read to you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time for more true stories of the spooky and the unexplained. [00:17:00]
[00:17:04] Thank you for tuning in to chillers and thrillers. I hope these spine tingling tales of the paranormal have kept you on the edge of your seat. I invite you to join us again soon, and please again, feel free to submit your own scary story or your theories to chillers and thrillers at g-mail dot com.
[00:17:29] Until then. Stay curious, keep your eyes peeled for the unexplained and never let the fear of the unknown deter you from embracing the extraordinary.