Creepiest Road Stories

"On this very night, ten years ago, along this same stretch of road, in a dense fog just like this, I saw the worst accident I ever seen..." and everthang.

What's the creepiest thing that ever happened to you, driving along the lonely highways late at night, alone in your big rig?

I'll tell you mine to start it off.

I pulled over at a rest stop one night outside of Atlanta. Must have been... oh... 2004 or 2005. It was dark and not many trucks or cars in there. I was super tired. I was going to Alcoa, I think. Driving flatbed for Arrow out of Tulsa (yeah, that one). Anyway, I pull in and park and get out and head for the rest room.

As I was walking from the lot to the sidewalk that leads down to the bathrooms, as soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk, all of the sudden this man comes out of the dark walking straight at me, really fast. He'd been sitting in the shadows just beyond the sidewalk on a park bench and I hadn't seen him. You know how the sidewalk goes along a wooded, landscaped area. Well, he's looking at me really crazy while he's coming...walks straight at me and doesn't stop until he's right at the edge of the sidewalk - super close to me. It really startled me and I paused there for a moment. Freak just stands there, face-to-face with me, but never says a word, staring at me. The look in his eyes... the only way I can describe that wide-eyed look was that it seemed he was expecting something from me. He gave the impression of a guy who'd been waiting for someone a long time, and that someone had finally arrived, and he seemed to expect that I would know him or say something to him. It was like that, except he also seemed crazy and violent.

Anyway, I turned left onto the sidewalk and started toward the restrooms. Dude falls in RIGHT BEHIND ME! I mean close, walking briskly on my tail. I'm nervous. I mean, there's NO-ONE around. We're totally alone as far as I can tell. So, when I get to the rest rooms, I'm not about to go in and let this guy trap me in there. So, I stop at the vending machines just outside the john door and pretend to be mulling over what I want to buy. At the same time, I pulled out my phone and started dialing a friend of mine back in Oklahoma. I guess I thought if I was on the phone maybe it'd give him a second thought. Maybe he'd think I was calling the police or something. At least my friends would have some info about what happened in case it went for the worst. Anyway, as I stopped at the vending machines, he'd fallen back about 10 steps or so and he just hangs out there on the sidewalk looking at me all crazy. I buy a coke and say a few words to my friend and then decide I'm getting back in the truck. So, I head back up the sidewalk. Again, he follows very close behind me.

Now, this guy looked to be mid-to-late twenties, and he was big. Looked like a gym rat, real muscular. I think he was wearing a tank and shorts. You could tell he worked out and he dressed nice, but he just wasn't healthy looking. He had this look about him like, I dunno how to describe it... like he abused himself a lot in some way or another. Some people, you can just tell they've done so many sick things that they're no longer human, just a dumb animal.

Anyway, I got back up in my truck, looking behind me as I did and noticing that he had stayed on the sidewalk and wasn't following me into the lot. He was just standing there, staring. Now, I'd pulled over because, as I said, I was super tired. In no shape to be driving. I'd planned on sleeping. So, I went ahead and just locked the doors and put up my curtain. Meanwhile, I'm still talking to my friend, telling him what's going on. All I had was a tire-checker and a big Buck knife. I was thinking how incredibly stupid it is that the DOT or FHA or whoever doesn't allow truckers to carry a firearm. I was thinking that ever since I spent the night at a really grotty truck stop in West Memphis a couple weeks before where they used to rob truckers at the pumps a lot. I've since heard that this may not actually be the case, but I was told by Arrow that it was a federal offense. At any rate...after a few min I decided to peek out the curtain and see what this grease ball was up to. Check this, dudes... when I looked out the curtain through the driver side window, I saw through my side mirror that this dude is standing at the rear of my truck! Now, the rig is facing the sidewalk area where he was. So, he had walked past my cab and went all the way to the rear of my truck for some reason. And when I saw him, he was just standing there at my tail light staring straight at my driver's side mirror! I freaked out. I close the curtain and start telling my friend. I went back into the bunk and grabbed my Buck and was thinking about what I should do. After a few moments, I slip back into the driver's seat and go to take another peek. I open up the curtain... dude is standing AT MY DOOR just like a stone, staring STRAIGHT AT MY WINDOW! Motionless, but with a very aggressive stance, arms to his side, muscles flexed, fists clinched. Like, in both cases, it's not like the dude looked up once I peeked out... he was ALREADY staring right at my face when I opened the curtain. Totally still. Just waiting. This really startled me.

Now, I know all you bada$$ dudes reading this would have got out and Chuck Norris'd his arse, or sliced him up, etc, etc. But, you have to consider the situation. I mean, this isn't like I just got into an argument or a fight with some guy at a truck stop. I guess then you could say if I backed down I'd be a wuss. But this? Dude was ON ME as soon as I arrived, looked crazy as hell, was 2.5 times my size and buff, and had the NERVE - the unmitigated BALLS to approach my truck and stand there at my rear, and then at my DOOR, all the while never saying a WORD, like he's Michael friggin' Myers!!! Just staring with those crazy, wide open eyes.

Well, after that, tired as I was, I got my butt out of there, but quick. Drove all the way to Atlanta (over an hour away). For the first half-hour I was certain he was following me, as well. I kept seeing these headlights I thought must be him, passing cars and staying right behind me.

I made it to Alcoa, freaked out as heck.That's the creepiest thing that happened to me in my short tenure as a truck driver. Now, I know a lot of you guys had this put together from the beginning. But, you have to realize, I'm just an Okie and not used to this kind of stuff. I'm not even sure I'm right, but I think I've since figured it out. I remembered shortly thereafter hearing that rest-stops were a common meeting place for homosexuals that like to meet up with other homosexuals and do whatever it is they do. And, I think I read later that Atlanta rest areas are pretty infamous for this. So, that's what I think it was. But, even if that's what it was, for this dude to accost me like that when he must have known I wasn't into it... it just shows you how sick and perverted these creeps are. This perv was so dead-set that he was going to get what he wanted that who knows what he would have done if I had stayed there and went to sleep. Then I'd be writing this story from the joint. What do you guys think? Any knowledge on this, or any similar experiences? Also, tell us about one of the creepiest things that ever happened to you on the road.