4 Scary TRUE Childhood Home Alone Stories

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1. 0:00 – 5:00: Call of Duty Zombies, Xbox 360

Notable quotes from "4 Scary TRUE Childhood Home Alone Stories"

• My room and my parents' bedroom, where I brushed my teeth as fast as I could and tried to calm down. After that, I went into my room to play Call of Duty Zombies on my Xbox…

  about Call of Duty Zombies · at 1:44

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• Call of Duty Zombies — Product · featured game · 1 mention · first at 1:51
  A popular video game that provides entertainment and context to the story.
• Xbox 360 — Product · gaming console · 1 mention · first at 1:52
  The platform on which the game is played, significant to the gaming experience.
  Into my room to play Call of Duty Zombies on my Xbox 360, thinking it would make me a little less scared. I played for a few hours, losing track of time and focusing on the game.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:10 I remember this night like it was yesterday, even though I'm 26 now, and it happened when I was 12. My parents left me home with my 18-year-old brother, Zach, for the night. And at first, I was excited because it was just me in the big house, which felt like huge freedom at the time. Zach told me he was going out for a few hours with friends and made me promise not to tell mom and dad, which I agreed to because I trusted him and also why wouldn't I want the place to myself? He would get in huge trouble if my parents were to find out and he knew that. At first, I thought it would be fun to be alone, especially on a weekend night. I ended up in the den where I decided to watch a scary movie at that age while home alone. Not the best idea, which I learned the hard way. I had never been home alone for this long before, especially at night. And honestly, halfway through the movie, I started getting scared. Not entirely because of

1:04 the movie itself, but because of the way the house sounded. The random creeks in the floor, the wind brushing against the windows, even the fridge clicking on periodically. Every time the movie made a loud sound, I would flinch, and I would look over my shoulder to behind the couch to the half flight of stairs that led to the main floor, expecting to see someone there. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, and I didn't know why I was subjecting myself to scaring the crap out of myself. I turned off the TV and ran upstairs to my room like a scared little kid running from imaginary demons that follow you the second you turn off the lights. When I got to my room, I went into the bathroom that connected both to my room and my parents' bedroom, where I brushed my teeth as fast as I could and tried to calm down. After that, I went into my room to play Call of Duty Zombies on my Xbox 360, thinking it

1:55 would make me a little less scared. I played for a few hours, losing track of time and focusing on the game. Eventually, my team and I died on zombies, and I got frustrated. I decided it was late and I should go to sleep, though. Not long after that point, I felt the vibration of the front door closing, and I assumed it was Zach coming back. I lay there awake listening to the sounds of my brother moving around downstairs, which was odd because usually when he'd get home, he'd go right upstairs to his room. But there were weird sounds coming from downstairs for too long where it started getting unusual.

2:37 They were subtle little footsteps or indescribable thumps and thuds. I felt my stomach start churning a little. That stupid idea to watch that scary movie was really getting to me. I got up and went to the window to look outside, expecting to see Zach's car in the driveway where he usually parks, but it wasn't there. That's when the real panic set in. I had no cell phone at the time. I was only 12, so I had no way to contact my parents or Zach without leaving the bedroom and going to one of the house phones, which felt impossible at that moment.

3:10 I quietly tiptoed to my bedroom door to confirm that it was locked, knowing that the lock could be unlocked from the other side with just a fingernail. I knew that if someone wanted to get in, they easily could. I looked around and decided the only safe place to hide was the small crawin closet built into the wall of my room. I squeezed inside, shut the door carefully from the inside, and tried to calm myself as I listened. It was at this point that I vividly remember hoping that I was just being overly paranoid and that it actually was Zach. Maybe he parked on the side of the house instead. Seconds later, I heard someone fumbling with the door trying to get in.

3:49 And then moments later, the door opened. The person was inside my room, and I had no idea who it was or what they wanted. I stayed completely still, listening to footsteps moving around my room, feeling the floorboards creek beneath the weight of someone walking and hearing things being moved and shifted around. Every second felt like an eternity. I was terrified that the closet door could open at any second and I could be dead. I still prayed it was my brother, but I stayed quiet, barely breathing and hoping that whoever it was would leave.

4:24 I could hear them dragging something across the floor at one point. which made me even more nervous. I felt like hours had passed, though it was probably only minutes. Eventually, I heard footsteps receding and moving away from my room. I stayed in the closet for what seemed like forever, likely 2 hours, until finally, I heard Zach calling my name from across the house. His voice sounded urgent and pissed off. And a few moments later, he came into my room and called my name again. I stepped out of the closet and the first thing he did was yell at me, asking what I was doing in there and what I had done to his room. It was this moment that confirmed to me that it was in fact not my brother who was in the house.

5:07 I explained the situation as quickly as I could, still shaking and unable to stop my hands from trembling. Once he understood, we both got up and started looking around the house together. That's when we realized how bad it really was. Drawers had been pulled out. Some of our electronics were missing, including TVs and gaming consoles. It was clear someone had been through the house and had taken things that were valuable. Zach immediately called the police, knowing that this was serious, and we waited together, still on edge, checking doors and windows to make sure nothing else was taken. The police came and made a report, writing down everything that was missing and asking us questions about what happened. They told us they would investigate and that we should wait for our parents to get home.

5:52 Around 4:00 a.m., our parents arrived. My dad was furious and went straight for Zach, smacking him square in the face for being such a careless idiot. Not only leaving me alone, but leaving the front door unlocked. My mom checked on me, gave me a hug, and told me she was just glad I was safe. Zach was forced to pay monthly rent from that point on to slowly pay back for all the things that were stolen and treated with extreme caution after that night. I, on the other hand, was not punished at all. I was just shaken up, terrified of what had happened. And the whole experience stuck with me for years.

6:28 Every time I thought about it, I could feel the fear all over again, remembering hiding in that closet and hearing someone walking around my room, not knowing if I would make it out alive. It was by far the scariest experience of my life, and it has stayed with me even now.

6:54 When I was just a child, not even in kindergarten, I lived with my grandparents. My mom and dad had just separated and my dad worked in the next town over, so I saw him every weekend. My uncle, my dad's brother, also lived with us, so I was rarely ever truly alone. I was always told to never answer the door for strangers. It was a small, peaceful town where everyone knew each other. We had a neighbor who visited often to watch hockey, wrestling, or join family barbecues. I'll call him David. He was friendly with both my grandpa and my uncle. He often drank beers with my uncle and helped my grandpa with yard work or truck repairs.

7:36 If my grandpa came home with a moose from hunting, he and David would haul it into the shed together. One night, I was briefly left home alone. My grandma was at bingo and I'd called for a pickup. My grandpa told me he was going to get her and asked if I wanted to come. I refused because I was watching cartoons. He reminded me not to open the door for strangers. Then he left. As soon as I saw the truck pull away, the house got quiet. Only a few minutes later, someone knocked at the door. I ran up and asked al loud who it was and I just heard David's familiar voice identifying himself. I told him that my grandparents weren't home and he replied that he had just seen my grandpa leaving. I told him my uncle wasn't home either and he said he had been talking to my uncle on the phone and knew he was out drinking at a friend's place. Then he asked to come in. I told him I wasn't allowed to open the door for strangers

8:31 and he insisted he wasn't a stranger since he was our neighbor and someone I already know. In my child mind, he was right. But I didn't understand why he would come over when my grandpa and uncle weren't there. I unlocked the door and opened it. David towered over me. He was obviously drunk, swaying, slurring, squinting with one eye. He stepped inside and put his hands on my shoulders as I backed up. I didn't feel alarmed yet because I had seen my uncle drunk many times. I told him he could wait in the kitchen while I went back to watch TV, but he would not let go of my shoulders. I tried to pull his hands off of me, but couldn't. His voice changed, filled with anger, and he said things that frightened me, though I can't remember the exact words now, only the fear that they put in me. He dragged me into the kitchen and grabbed a large knife. He pressed the tip against my belly and asked if I wanted to be

9:27 stabbed. When I cried, he told me to quiet down or he would cut my tongue or my throat. He dragged the dull side of the blade across my throat to show he was serious. Then I heard my grandparents truck pulling in. Car doors closed outside. Relief flooded me and I was about to scream for help, but David clamped his hand over my mouth. He turned us both toward the doorway just as my grandma entered. Her smile vanished when she saw him holding me with a knife. She screamed for my grandpa to get inside immediately. My grandpa rushed in, yelling in shock and fury as he demanded to know what was happening. He took one look at David holding me hostage and charged forward, shouting at David with pure rage. David shoved me to the floor.

10:15 My grandma rushed over, grabbed me tightly, and blocked me from seeing what was happening while telling me I was safe. I could still hear the struggle. Eventually, my grandpa overpowered him. When I finally looked up, my grandpa was shoving David out the door, yelling at him to never come back and then slamming the door. As I grew up, I realized David had waited deliberately. He must have known my uncle wasn't home and that my grandma was at bingo. He had seen my grandpa leave. That was his moment. I was too young to understand his intentions.

10:50 Years later, after my grandpa's funeral, when I was sitting with my grandma discussing memories, I brought up that night and how heroic grandpa had been. She looked uneasy. She said it was truly a terrifying night. She asked if I remembered that my grandpa went out hunting that same night. I faintly remembered him leaving, even though hunting at night wasn't something he usually did, unless it involved camping. When I asked why he left, she claimed she didn't remember much. It got me thinking. They never called the cops to press charges on him. And I never saw him again after that night. My grandpa was respected in the community.

11:28 He was friends with as well as went to the same church as some police officers and was known to be a good hunter. No one would ever question if they saw a bloody tarp in the back of his truck and he was driving out of town late at night.

11:51 This story happened a few years ago during spring break in 2020 when I was 15. I was home alone one night while my parents were out of town. I was just hanging out in my room when I got a call from one of my mutual friends from school who I'll refer to as Mason. I don't usually get calls from Mason, let alone texts or keep in touch with him, but I answered anyway. Before I could get a word out, he asked what I was doing. I told him I was just at home and wasn't up to anything. He then asked if he could drop off one of my buddies because he needed a place to stay for the night. This buddy of mine is someone I've known since third grade, who I'll refer to as Neil. I basically told him I didn't feel like having company over and just wanted to chill by myself. After hearing this, Mason practically begged me to let Neil stay at my house. I could sense desperation in his voice as he pleaded with me to let him drop Neil

12:45 off. I was still reluctant at first, but then Mason told me he'd let me use his weed pen if I let him drop off Neil. After he said that, I caved and told him they could pull up. Looking back, I realized how dumb I was to let something like that persuade me, considering what happened next. But I was a stupid pthead at the time. So, what can you do? Neil has always been very outgoing, almost with zero filter, and he doesn't care what others think about him. So, when I heard from my brother and other friends the week prior that he had started acting really weird in his classes, I didn't think much of it at first. I asked my brother to elaborate and he told me that Neil would sometimes start laughing or clapping out of nowhere, even if the classroom was completely silent and he would sometimes say very strange things to people for no reason, like claiming the basketball coaches were Freemasons trying to convert him.

13:39 After hearing this, I realized Neil wasn't acting normal. And it wasn't until he and Mason arrived at my house that I understood how bad it really was. I met Mason and Neil at my front door and greeted them like any other day. I hit Mason's weed pen as promised and gave it back. As Mason was about to leave, he grabbed Neil by the shoulders in a very serious way, tears forming in his eyes, and he pleaded with him not to do that thing. Neil looked at him blankly and casually responded that he understood. I really should have asked what was going on, but for some reason, I didn't. and I let Neil inside as Mason left. After I closed the front door, the first thing Neil asked me was whether all the doors in the house were locked.

14:24 Red flags immediately went off in my head, and I knew I had just gotten into something bad. I told him they were locked and asked why. He asked me to check, so I led him down the narrow hallway by the front door to show that the back and laundry room doors were both locked. He didn't say anything after I confirmed it, and we stood in silence for a few seconds. Then, out of nowhere, his hand shot up like he was raising it, and he put on this eerie, toothy smile that I can still see clearly in my mind. He held it for a few seconds before lowering his arm without saying a word. I forced a fake chuckle to make the situation seem less weird.

15:04 Then, Neil asked for some water, so we went to the kitchen. As I grabbed bottles from the fridge, I noticed him lingering by the drawer with silverware, including the knives. I watched as he slowly opened the drawer, and reached for a steak knife. Without thinking, I ran over, grabbed his hand before he could take it, and slammed the drawer shut. Neil didn't react or move. He just stared at me and let out a chuckle like he was pretending it was a joke. At that moment, I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, and I was frozen in fear.

15:37 the kind of fear people describe in life or death situations. I had never felt like my life was in danger until that moment, and I could only focus on how I was going to get Neil out of my house. He finally broke the silence by suggesting we go to the park in the neighborhood. I agreed as if nothing happened. We walked to the laundry room leading to the driveway, and I intentionally let him out first. I told him I needed to put shoes on, which I did. He paused and subtly looked disappointed, telling me to hurry up. I shut the door, locked it immediately, and called my brother to explain what had just happened. After finishing the call, I grabbed every knife in the kitchen and brought them upstairs to my room. Keep in mind, I was stoned at the time, so my decision-making wasn't perfect, but I knew I needed to prevent Neil from forcing his way back into the house.

16:30 My brother arrived with three friends in less than 5 minutes and they met Neil outside. I stayed inside for a few minutes nervous, then went out. My brother and friends were talking to Neil, who was rambling about the school's basketball coaches being in the Illuminati and claiming they would sexually assault the boys on the team to make them play better. He continued talking nonsense for a few minutes. Then, we decided to get him home because there was no way I was letting him stay under my roof after what had happened.

17:00 One of my friends eventually took Neil home, even though he insisted he couldn't go because he believed his dad was going to kill him. After all of this, I called Mason to ask what Neil had said to him that made him act that way. And Mason explained that during the car ride, Neil had been reading a manifesto claiming he needed to kill himself or someone else to prevent his dad from trying to kill him. Mason had panicked and just wanted to get rid of Neil, which explains why he sounded so desperate to drop him off at my house earlier.

17:28 After hearing this, I lost my mind and asked Mason why he would just dump Neil at my house without warning me. Though I knew part of the fault was mine for not asking sooner. Later, it was revealed that Neil had taken drugs he shouldn't have, which triggered schizophrenic episodes and caused him to hear voices. About a month later, I told my mom the story, and she was not thrilled, to put it lightly. Needless to say, I avoided something truly horrific that night by being on edge when Neil entered the house. And I still think about what could have happened if I hadn't paid attention to him in the kitchen.

18:11 I was 10 years old when this happened. My mom had gone grocery shopping that day and she asked if I wanted to come. I remember making a big stink about not wanting to. It was a warm, sunny afternoon and I just wanted to stay home and shoot hoops in the street. I told her nothing bad would happen and she would only be gone for a couple of hours. She finally gave in and let me stay. As soon as she pulled out of the driveway, I grabbed the old basketball from the garage and started shooting around in the street where we had a hoop set up. I shot around for a while doing little games with myself, pretending I was down by one with a buzzer shot. I was sweating a little from running back and forth, and at one point I stopped to catch my breath. I bounced the ball lazily and looked around the neighborhood as I caught my breath.

18:57 That's when I looked up toward the house. At the upstairs window, someone was staring down at me. It was only a shadow behind the glass at first, like someone was standing back from the sunlight. I stared for a good second or two before the shape shifted slightly, and I realized it wasn't some kind of trick from the sun. Someone was up there at the window looking out at the street. None of my family was supposed to be home. My sister was at college. My dad was at work. And my mom was across town buying groceries. I dropped the basketball without meaning to. The window was my sister's room. The blinds were half open, and the figure was right behind them. I say figure because that's all I saw. No distinguishable features.

19:42 I didn't know what else to do except run inside and see who was home. I ran around the side of the house and through the backyard gate. I burst inside and slammed it shut behind me. I yelled up the stairs asking who was home. My voice cracked when I yelled it. For a second, I didn't hear anything. Then a voice answered from upstairs. It said,

20:04 "Rad, come upstairs." It wasn't my mom. It wasn't my sister, and it wasn't my dad. It was deeper than any of their voices, but not deep like a grown man trying to sound scary. It sounded like someone trying to sound normal. I didn't go anywhere near the stairs. I ran straight through the house, grabbed the house phone off the kitchen counter, and sprinted back outside as fast as I could. I called my mom and told her someone was in the house, and she didn't believe me at first. She told me that's not something to joke about. And she said that she was almost done shopping, but I started basically crying into the phone, telling her I wasn't joking, telling her I heard someone call my name from inside. and they're at the upstairs window. She finally believed me when I started sobbing and begging her to come home.

20:52 She said she was leaving the store right now. After she hung up, she must have called the police because a cop car pulled up at the same time my mom's car turned into the driveway. She ran to me asking where I saw the person. I pointed to the upstairs window. The police went in first. My mom followed them inside after a minute or two. I waited out front. I didn't want to go back in there. For 10 minutes, I just stood there staring at the upstairs window. No one appeared at it again. Eventually, one of those officers came out and told me it was safe to come inside. I went in and pointed upstairs to the room where I saw the man. They checked the closets, under the bed, behind the dresser. They even checked the attic. They checked every room in the house. They didn't find anyone or anything. After the police left, my mom started acting doubtful again. She said she believed me, but I could tell she didn't fully.

21:49 She said if she found out I was messing around, I'd be punished for scaring her and wasting the police's time. I kept telling her I wasn't lying. She kept saying she knew, but her voice said something else. That night, I had trouble falling asleep. I kept thinking about the voice and that shadow behind the blinds, but eventually I got tired enough to drift off. I don't know what time it was when I woke up. It was still dark out and at first I thought I woke up from a bad dream, but then I heard something in my room just loud enough to wake me. I sat upright in my bed. My eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but I could see the outlines of my room.

22:29 I could see my dresser, my closet door cracked open, my shelves, and across the room, not far from my bed, I saw something else. An unfamiliar shape. A tall, dark shape standing completely still. For a second, I thought I was imagining it, but then the slightest movement made me realize what it was. It was a person. A full-g grown person standing in my bedroom. I didn't even have time to breathe. I just screamed. A loud, broken scream that tore out of my throat. As soon as I screamed, the figure moved fast. It darted across my room in two steps, grabbed my window, slid it open, and jumped out. I heard the man's feet land on the small awning below the window. My parents burst into the room as soon as I screamed. My dad ran straight to the window and looked out. Then he ran downstairs and out the back door to try to find whoever it was.

23:28 I'm fairly certain he ran out there barefoot. He came back a few minutes later out of breath. He kept shaking his head and saying he didn't see anyone. They called the police again, but that time it was mostly just to file another incident report and for the cops to scout the area. We don't know how long he was in the house. All I know is he was inside during the day long enough to know my name and he was watching me from my sister's window and he stayed in the house until nightfall. That or he snuck in and out of the house through my bedroom window by climbing up on that awning. Either way, he was in my room while I slept, standing there in the dark. Who knows what else he did while he was in the house. That's the scariest part.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "4 Scary TRUE Childhood Home Alone Stories"?

In order: 0:00 Call of Duty Zombies, Xbox 360.

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2 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Call of Duty Zombies, Xbox 360. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "4 Scary TRUE Childhood Home Alone Stories"?

The episode runs 24 min; the transcript is about 4,510 words in 34 timestamped sections.

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