You don’t have to look for creepy tales to feel uneasy; sometimes life gives its own chills. While some eerie incidents may be explained, others defy logic and make you wonder if what you witnessed was real. The unnerving moments we’ve gathered will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Story 1:

My father had a heart atta:ck, and I rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. They wouldn’t let me into the ICU, but hours later, a kind nurse let me see him. Months later, my father called, urging me to turn on the news. Turns out that the nurse wasn’t a nurse at all.

She had been arrested for pretending to be one, and some patients had even worsened under her care. Investigators found out she had a serious mental condition, and although she attended nursing school, she never graduated. Years later, she somehow managed to infiltrate a hospital and deceive everyone. Thankfully, she was caught, and I’m relieved she never treated my father directly.

Story 2:

I was playing the game FEAR in my room at night with the lights out when I turned around and saw what looked like the girl from the game standing there, watching me play. It turned out to be someone visiting my roommates who, for some reason, had let themselves into my room and watched me play for who knows how long before I noticed. © Unknown author / Reddit

Story 3:

I went to the bathroom one night and heard scrabbling from behind the wall of my shower. It sounded too big to be a mouse… more like an oversized rat or something.

I thought I was hearing things, but when I went back to my room, I could still hear it. I peeked out the window, and there was nothing outside clinging to the side paneling or anything. It wasn’t the upstairs neighbors doing anything, either.

To this day, I have no idea what it was. But it was terrifying as someone who lived alone.

Story 5:

I was playing with blocks with my son. He was spelling words with the letter blocks. His sister, who was only about two at the time, wanted to join in. She quickly lined up four blocks, and I was horrified to see that she had spelled the word ’’evil’’.

Story 6:

In college, I used to sneak into the campus theater at night and play the piano, which was next to the stage. One night, I had been playing for 30 minutes when I heard a loud cra:sh coming from behind the curtains. It startled me, but I thought maybe the props were haphazardly stacked and had fallen, so I went right back to playing. A few minutes later, I felt something tap my shoulder and blow into my ear. I jumped up and ran back to my dorm room across campus.

Story 7:

A couple of weeks ago, I was abroad and using a dating app to meet people, get recommendations, etc. A guy started messaging me, and we talked a bit, discussing maybe meeting up. The next day, I was in line for a tourist attraction and received a message that was a picture of me in line! Turns out he worked at the attraction, but it was still very creepy to receive a picture of yourself.

Story 9:

I worked in an old hospital late at night and noticed the elevator doors open behind me. I then heard the clip-clop of hard-soled shoes take a few steps my way. When I turned around, no one was there. A linen cart sat across the hallway, so I thought this person was hiding behind it. I knelt and looked underneath, only to see two shiny, old-fashioned, pointy nurse’s shoes pointed my way. I eased my way around the cart to scare the person who was trying to scare me, but no one was there. I looked down and could no longer see what I thought were shoes.

Story 10:

I was on a hike, and my dog suddenly froze up and basically dragged me back to our camper. When we got back, I heard a pack of wolves howling VERY close to our site. I feel like if we were still out on the trail, they would have found us pretty easily.

Story 11:

I was under 5 years old when I used to see a man sitting in the corner of my room. He had blue eyes and was quiet; all he ever did was look over me. He was kind and felt like a guardian angel or something. Then one night, he wasn’t there anymore, and I remember hearing voices in my closet telling me to stay away. It felt… wrong. I felt stuck to my bed and couldn’t sleep because I felt something standing over me that didn’t belong there. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. I made my mom sleep next to me for weeks after that.