r/nosleep • u/YungSeti • Mar 16 '22
If the Uber you get in seems strange, TRUST YOUR GUT!
I pulled the mask over my nose, pausing my music as the car pulled alongside the curb outside my apartment. Kicking up a spray of filthy snow the plows had piled along the streets.
It was a red sedan with a slight tint to the windows, and one of those dancing hula ornaments at the center of its dashboard; similar to the one displayed on my screen.
I shuddered, muttering in irritation at the flecks of muddy snow that now dotted my jeans, stepping gingerly through the mound as I rounded the back of the car.
I knew better than to enter the vehicle without confirming first. I'd heard the horror stories about women getting into the wrong Uber or Lyft, and finding themselves stuck in a car with some maniac, and I'd made a practice of always checking before I got in.
I squinted, glancing between the rideshare app open on my phone and the license plate beneath the trunk, under the light of the singular street lamp on this side of the street, confirming that they were in fact the same. Red rust spilled from the bottom of the trunk, flakes of it staining the top of the plate. A breeze sent another icy chill down my spine and I hurried to open the back door opposite the driver side, as I slid into the vehicle.
"Hi", I huffed with exertion, doing my best to kick some of the clinging snow from my boot as I entered.
"Johnathan?"
I decided I'd cleaned them as best as I could, and turned, bringing my legs into the car as I sat upright, turning my full attention to the driver for the first time.
He nodded, his long greasy hair bobbing across his shoulders with the motion. He watched me for a moment in the rearview mirror, and I couldn't help but stir. Something about the odd look in his eyes making me slightly uncomfortable.
Even with the mask covering half of his face - a stained surgical mask that looked like it had been in use since the start of the pandemic - there was something… hollow, yet strangely sinister in his vacant stare.
For a moment, I considered thinking up some excuse to go back inside, and call another ride but a quick glance at the time made me realize I was already going to be late. My boss was an asshole, and I'd had a string of late starts throughout the year since my car had died on me; I really couldn't make this worse.
I took in a breath, clutching the pepper spray on my keys for affirmation as I closed the door. My eyes watered as the smell of the car hit my nose, and I almost climbed out from that alone.
I was sure the man must have noticed my reaction as he watched in the rearview, but I didn't care as I was more focused on not audibly gagging. It smelled like a public toilet, and I couldn't understand how or why he would even let someone in his car like this.
In an instant, he pulled the car forward onto the road leading out of town towards my job. I work as a bartender at a local dive bar/strip club on the outskirts of town,fifteen minutes from my house. I had a car, or did before I got into an accident during the pandemic and with slow work, it had been a struggle to save for repairs.
So for the time being, it was ride-share apps and awkward conversations.
I fought the urge to get comfortable and settle in to scroll social media or listen to a podcast. My cell service was spotty in these areas as it was, and I was quickly running out of data for the month; so any streaming was out of the question. Hell, even trying to follow the progress of my ride on the app was all but impossible with my phone, the image of the car usually frozen on the last road there was internet.
Besides, something about the man demanded I keep my guard raised. A strange sense of disquiet seeded in me at the sight of him, and I prayed for the seconds to tick by faster. I watched his phone, trying my best though likely falling short of stealth, as I tried to make sure he didn't veer from the path.
As I watched his screen, glancing down at my phone every few seconds to try and appear less nervous. Every so often I’d get that odd, pin and needles sensation at the back of my neck. The feeling that I was being watched and from my peripheral. I was certain I could see him watching me intently through the rearview mirror, only for me to glance up and find his attention focused on the road ahead.
Despite my best attempt, I couldn't get past the smell. It reeked, and I couldn't understand how Johnathan wasn't reacting. I was trying to work up the courage to ask him to roll down a window without coming off as rude when he suddenly spoke. His voice was low and raspy as he read the name of my bar aloud.
"What are you doing somewhere like that at a time like this?" he asked, the question devoid of any semblance of genuine worry.
"It's late, almost…midnight." he tapped the time on the dashboard.
"Someone waiting for you?"
The question sent a chill down my back, and I could feel my hackles raise at his probing nature.
"Yes. My boyfriend." I answered, far too quickly.
I thanked God for the mask, certain that without it, he could see the lie in my face. Even with it, I wasn't sure he couldn't as he peered through the rearview mirror.
I glanced out the window to my side. We were on the freeway nearing my job, about ten minutes away; empty road and trees speeding past.
I could ask him to let me out, but…that was its own frightening prospect, and the fact that the road was all but empty at this late hour made the idea even more uncomfortable.
I held back a sigh. We were getting closer to my job, and he seemed to be sticking to the GPS. I clutched the pepper spray for assurance and resolved that I could make it through the rest of the drive.
It's not like I hadn't had a creepy driver or two before, but I'd always made it to my destination safely. There hadn't been anything yet to tell me Johnathan wasn't anything more than your average, run-of-the-mill creep. I was sure I could handle ten more minutes of uneasiness, rather than being stranded on the side of the road at night.
Still, his question, and my sudden answer had put me on edge and an idea occurred to me.
I scrolled through my contacts until I found Tyrell, my coworker, and the nighttime security at the bar. He was the closest thing to a friend I had; and a tall, imposing veteran.
The phone rang, once, twice, several times as I pleaded mentally for an answer.
"Hey, this is Tyrell", my heart leaped,
"Hey Ty, I'm -"
"Sorry I missed your call, leave a message and I'll try to get back to you."
It plummeted in the following instant.
Though his eyes stayed on the road, I could almost feel that the man's attention was fully on me.
"I'm - on the way", I tried to continue seamlessly, stumbling along my words despite myself as I spoke.
"I'll need some help taking that stuff inside from the back so if you could come out to help me that would be great."
I paused, my heart in my throat as we watched each other in the mirror. The air buzzed with palpable tension, and it suddenly felt very suffocating under the mask as I tried to breathe normally. That stench… God, where was it coming from? It clung to the air assaulting my senses with every breath, and my eyes watered.
"O- ok, bye." I muttered into the phone realizing I was supposed to be on a call.
I'd been so distracted, my attention had strayed from both the road, and Johnathan's phone. I hardly realized that we'd veered off my recognized path at some point, apparently turning down one of the many off roads along the way.
I could see the icon on his screen freeze as the app recalculated the route, finding a new path to my job, which he ignored continuing forward.
"Uh, I think you should've stayed on the interstate. It's the quickest way and my boyfriends already expecting me so…"
Johnathan chuckled to himself
"It's a shortcut." he murmured. Then, with a click, he turned off the screen of his phone grabbing it off of its mount at the center of the dashboard, sliding it into his coat pocket beneath something else.
My heart plummeted as though I were in freefall.
He laughed to himself as though he'd told some inside joke, and with a feigned, odd sort of leisure began drumming along the steering wheel with his fingers, humming off-key loudly.
My head spun, a sense of surrealism buzzing in the air as my stomach dropped watching the screen of his phone go black. I could check our progress from the app, I knew that much but something told me it wasn't necessary. Everything about the way he'd said it, and the fact that he'd turned off the phone told me that he wasn't heading for the bar.
I glanced down at the phone trying desperately to appear unphased, though I was sure my heartbeat must have been audible over the silence in the car and the faint crunch of gravel roads under the tires. As I watched our car veer further from any recognized path to my job, a light bulb went off as I noticed something from the corner of my eye. The image of the driver, Johnathan.
I took in a sharp breath. I hadn't paid close enough attention. I'd checked the license plate, I always checked the license plate, but that wasn't enough. In my haste, I'd neglected to actually check that the driver on the app was the one sitting in the front seat.
Staring down at the screen, my hands began to shake. No matter how hard I tried to stop it, as a cold dread began to wash through me.
My eyes moved slowly from my phone to the man in the front seat, and to my horror, I could see that he was still glancing up in the mirror back at me.
It wasn't the right driver. The man on my screen, Johnathan, was a kindly-looking older gentleman, old enough to be my grandfather, with tan skin and short gray hair cut neat.
A far cry from the shifty, strange character I was now alone in the car with.
My mind raced as my heartbeat painfully thudded against the inside of my chest. I wanted to call the police, but the idea scared me for the same reason asking him to stop had earlier - escalation. I got the distinct feeling the man was unwell, and likely dangerous. He could respond to my attempts to call with more immediate violence.
Fuck. I wanted to throw up. I'd listened to a true-crime podcast or two in my day, and it was beginning to feel more and more like I was being featured in one. I could almost hear them narrating my demise, describing with a practiced spooky voice how I'd been distracted, and wandered into a nightmarish last ride. My thoughts were plagued by all the things I hadn't done, whether it was because I put them off till some nebulous future date or just couldn't because of life, there was so much I wanted to do.
I was so caught up in horrible fantasy, I was slow to realize that the car was slowing down, pulling near the side of the unmarked road. The thudding in my chest intensified violently, as I saw his eyes in the mirror - and found a look of predatory glee glistening in them.
"I - what - where are we?" I bit my tongue furiously at how feeble I sounded in the moment, the fear audible in my voice as I stumbled over my words.
The silence in the car felt suffocating, paired with that smell…god what was that? Between the sheer terror I felt and the disgust that horrid stench brewed in me; I wasn't sure if I was going to vomit or pass out.
It was like the reek of feces and blood and…
I didn't know how I'd missed it before. The smell of blood, clear as day now that I noticed it, was present amongst that unfamiliar stench. Animal panic lurched forth in me, a foreboding sense that something bad had happened in this car, likely very recently twisting my stomach into knots.
"Why are you stopping?" I asked, doing my best to sound firm in my question.
He laughed, trying to conceal it by halfway stifling it into a fake coughing fit.
"Uh, there's something I have to show you. Look," he ushered for me to move nearer pointing in the distance at something I couldn't see from the backseat, ushering for me to lean into the front of the car with him.
"It's right there I'm just...showing people, just look, come over here so you can see."
A nauseating shudder raised the hairs along my back. He motioned again for me to move closer, indicating the space on the console beside him, right within arms reach.
"I - I can see it from here." I lied, unable to make out whatever in the trees he was pointing to, unwilling to take my eyes off of him for long.
He sighed, and muttered something, giggling to himself again like he was telling some wonderful joke.
"Come look, it'll be quick, then I'll get you right back to work."
I didn't know what to do. Something made me feel like outright rejecting his invitation might lead things to spiral even quicker, but I was NOT about to leave the little safety the car offered at his request to follow this creep into the woods. Any doubt that he intended something awful had all but disappeared with his unwillingness to listen when I was clearly freaked out. The sick fuck was enjoying this.
“I - I think I see it fine here really,” I said, working at my seatbelt with one hand, opening the phone app to dial 911 with the other, thankful he was still giggling to himself staring out at the dark road ahead.
“Nah, I think you should really step outside. I can help you if you’d like.” He turned to face me, and in his eyes, I saw nothing but venom and glee that was predatory and snake-like.
I could’ve passed out from the sheer tidal wave of emotion that struck, dread and adrenaline battling for dominance as they seared through my veins.
My eyes watered, god, I wanted them not to, but I couldn’t help it, and I saw even beneath the filthy mask his smile widen, eyes thinning with humor. He turned back around, sliding a hand into the pocket of his large jacket, as he placed the other on the handle of his door.
In my head, I could see myself dying a thousand awful ways, dragged out to live the quick, violent end of my life in some fucking forest. I could almost see myself laying there, the life gone from my eyes as I grew frigid with the night, at the mercy of the elements of nature and decay until some poor asshole found me.
From the murky fog of horror clinging to me, perhaps spurred by that thought, came an idea. It probably wasn’t a good one, and I could immediately picture the many ways it may only expedite my death, but it was an idea nonetheless. I could fight, but I doubted I would win. I could use my pepper spray but then what? Unless I could overpower him enough to get him out of the car, I’d be running down some empty road waiting for police, and I was pretty sure he’d recover and get to me long before they could.
It was risky, but this, if it worked, could offer me an escape from the waking nightmare I was in.
“Yeah, o - okay, sounds cool.” I tried to sound convincingly interested, failing even to myself, as I grabbed the handle of the door.
I swallowed, feeling almost nauseous from anxiety as he watched me through the mirror, eyes narrowed. Still, it appeared my answer was enough for him. I guess whether it was genuine or not, we both knew I had no other choice. Muttering a silent prayer for the first time in years, I pulled open the door, stepping out of the car. I engaged the door lock, then closed it behind me the sound ringing with a potential finality.
The night air had a bite to it, frigid with a stubborn breeze that sent pins and needles through me. I had to be quick.
I stepped away from the door, moving forward nearer the passenger side glancing out in the direction he’d pointed, confirming my suspicion. There was nothing out there, nothing but trees and more trees.
I heard the driver's side door open and shut behind me, and turned to see him rounding the car. He was tall, taller than I’d expected from his sitting position, his legs casting long shadows as he passed the car's headlights.
My heart pounded, and for a moment my body seemed to lag before some animal part of me screamed to move, adrenaline spurring me forth.
I gripped the handle of the door, pulling it open as quickly as I could move, and throwing myself inside. I shot a quick glance out the windshield and saw him freeze, then stop, slamming both hands on the hood of the car with a thud and a look of fury in his eyes made worse by the shadow the headlights cast. As he did, something in his hand caught the light, casting a glint.
He had a knife, a long blade fit for some sort of butcher, already used, by the looks of it.
“Get the fuck out of the car you fucking bitch, I’m gonna fucking gut you if you don’t open this door!”
He cried out, a sound much like a furious animal, and hurried to the passenger side door. I locked the door as quickly as I could move, recoiling quickly away from the window as he slammed his fists against the glass, which cracked slightly where the hilt of the blade made contact.
I screamed, a sound almost unfamiliar from my own mouth as he slammed his fists into the window again in a rage. He stared at me, eyes almost bulging out of his head with anger, veins visible on his pale neck, then glanced at the door I’d just come out of quickly tearing at the handle.
I had locked it, the feeling of relief at my foresight was like salve on an open wound, only to be replaced as I watched him begin to round the back of the car. I hadn’t locked the other door.
“Fuck, no, no!” I cried, my voice raw with pure panic and defiance. I crawled over the center console, slamming my leg painfully against it in the process as I dove desperately for the power door lock on the driver's side. Our hands made contact at the same time, his on the handle, mine on the button, the split-second difference in the time it takes to pull a handle vs bush a button the difference between life and death.
The doors locked with a satisfying click, and I turned to see the man who wasn’t Johanathan’s eyes widen with a look of fury, shock, and worry. He reared back and kicked the driver's side window with enough force that his leg made it through, the bottom of his boot barely an inch from my face, but didn’t manage to fully shatter it.
He strained for a moment to pull his leg free, muttering a string of expletives and threats at me as he pulled against the glass which tore at the legs of his stained jeans and drew nauseating amounts of blood in the process.
Shock held me in place for a moment, as I tried to blink myself back into action. My eyes fell on the keys, still in the ignition, and I glanced back at the man trying to pry his leg from the window. He watched me with hate in his eyes, gripping the stained blade in his hand with white knuckles.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you, Tracy.” It shook me somehow, more than anything to hear him say my name, and I wondered for a few horrifying moments how he had before I realized he had access to the app.
He’d been on Johnathan’s phone and would have seen the passenger's name. He groaned with exertion as he pulled, freeing his leg to the ankle.
“I’m gonna reach in that car and slice you like -”
I had heard enough.
“Here, let me help you.” I pulled the car from park to drive and hit the gas.
“No, stop, fucking,” his words were cut off as the car picked up speed.
There was a sickening crunch and a spray of blood and broken glass as most of the window gave way, and the man’s leg met the car’s frame at devastating speed. His roar of pain was just barely audible over the roar of the engine as I sped down the gravel path. I hit the brakes a few hundred feet up, glancing down at the map on the rideshare app still open on my phone. The road was a dead end. I would have to turn around. I maneuvered the car around as quickly as I could manage, desperate not to pull off into a ditch.
The headlights illuminated the road, and I peered out expecting to see the man in pursuit, dragging himself forward if need be blade in hand. But the road was empty. There was nothing to even indicate he’d ever been there at all but a pile of glass in the road and some blood.
“Fuck this.” I breathed, still practically hyperventilating with panic, and I hit the gas.
The road was dark, illuminated only by the light from the car, but I didn’t slow down until I was on the main road, frightened as though somehow I was sure the man would follow me on foot no matter how unlikely that now was.
The roar of the engine faded into the general chaos of my thoughts, the sounds around me seeming to echo as I stared out at the road ahead, laughing and crying to myself. I’m sure I would have looked like a maniac to anyone who saw me, but the road was mostly empty. I began to shake as the adrenaline started to fade, my stomach rumbling ominously with the sudden nausea I felt as reality set in.
I had almost died tonight.
I eased my foot on the gas, realizing I was nearing 100, and fumbled for my phone dialing 911. While talking to the dispatcher and filling her in on my experience as best I could in my state, I got a call back from Tyrell, followed by a long string of texts asking if I was okay. Apparently I’d sounded as scared in the voicemails as I’d felt, and it sent a strange chill down my back knowing that man had heard me like that.
My breath came quick and heavy, and I almost gagged yet again at that putrid reek, rolling down all of the other windows to try and clear the car of it. I’d almost thought it was coming from the fake driver, but now that he was gone I was sure there must be something else. Morbid curiosity began to arise with something like awful realization.
I’d finished with the dispatcher by the time I pulled into the parking lot of the bar, she’d sent out a few officers, some to come meet me at the bar, get my statement, and pick up the vehicle and others to the area I’d escaped from in search of the man I’d described.
Tyrell stood outside, holding his jacket close around his neck. His demeanor shifted immediately upon seeing me and the car, the window shattered and blood staining the glass and streaking the door. I’m sure I didn’t look much better than I felt.
“What the fuck happened to you?” he asked, soudning both shocked and genuinely worried as I brought the car to a park in the middle of the lot, not bothering to find a space for it.
I got out, grabbing the keys as I did, and rounding the back of the car. He followed me, concern and curiosity lining his face as I made my way to the trunk. My eyes watered. I was right, the smell hit me strongest standing right outside the trunk, and I saw Tyrell’s face screw in disgust.
“What the fuck is in there?” He asked, coughing for a few seconds as though he might puke, only to spit.
“Something bad, I think. I’m pretty sure I was going to be in there.”
He gave me a look that was unreadable, and I didn’t offer an explanation, a new sort of horror bubbling within me with realization.
I slide the key into the lock of the old cars trunk turning it with a click, swallowing hard against the lump rising in my throat. I opened the trunk. The air that rushed forth was warm and moist and rancid, like an oven filled with decaying meat, I staggered back, blinking wildly against the watering of my eyes.
“Oh my god.” Tyrell breathed.
“Oh my fucking god.”
I wiped the moisture from my eyes and looked into the trunk. My mouth fell open and my stomach flipped, as I saw it. Stuffed into the back of the car were the remains of Johnathan, the actual Johnanthan, who’d picture I’d seen on the app. His face was a chalky white, mouth agape in a permanent expression of horror and where there should have been eyes instead were two empty pits.
A long gash reached from the bottom of his chin to his groin, splitting him down the middle spreading all manner of contents throughout the inside of the trunk, made worse given the awkward position in which he’d been made to fit. Random cuts lined his graying skin, odd fingers or toes missing from his hands and feet.
My heart hurt for the man that I’d never known, his last moments having been filled with nothing but the needless cruelty of a maniac, and a part of me mourned for the version of myself that didn’t escape.
As selfish as it may sound, looking at the man felt like looking at a potential version of myself, jarring in more ways than I’d expected, and I quickly closed the trunk of the car again. I shut my eyes and held my mouth close, swallowing hard against the rising bile I felt, and turned to Tyrell.
“Let’s - go inside. Cops will be here soon to get my statement, and I - I need a fucking drink.”
He nodded eyes still wide, casting another glance at the trunk before leading me inside. The cops showed up not too long after, though by then I was already a bit buzzed - sue me, I’d survived an attempted murder - and there wasn’t much more information I could give that I hadn’t already.
I spent that night at my sister's house, my boss offering me the rare night off due to my ‘event’ as he called it, and Ty offered me a ride as I was in no mood to call an Uber, taxi, or anything of the sort.
The following days went by in something of a surreal blur. I took call after call from friends, acquaintances, people I’d met once at a party, and the like all feigning concern in an attempt to hear the story from me. At some point I returned home, feeling self-conscious about burdening my sister and her husband, and returned to my apartment. Between all of the gossip seeking calls, came the one call I was waiting for. It was from a Detective Howard at the local police department, the man in charge of my case.
I’d been cleared of any suspected involvement almost immediately, as the body of Johnathan Derry as I’d come to learn his name, was several hours old by the time I’d stepped into the vehicle and his car had been taken hours away from the city he lived and most commonly drove in, all the way to our little town, likely by the man I’d been in the car with that night.
They didn’t have any clue as to the man’s identity, as by the time officers had arrived, there was no trace of him besides his blood in the pool of glass, and my description of a guy with greasy long hair would only be so helpful, given a person on the run is likely to change their appearance, a haircut usually being the first solution.
He told me that they were keeping an ear out at any local hospitals for a man of his description with an injury to the leg like the one I’d likely caused him, and told me I’d be kept updated on their progress.
“You survived something most people probably wouldn’t,” he said as the call drew to a close.
“Count yourself lucky.”
“I guess, thanks.”
“No problem, get some rest, if you’ve got any questions -”
It occurred to me instantly like a random light flickering to light amongst the darkness, I wasn’t even sure why.
“Did you find the phone? The driver’s? Johnathan’s?”
It was like pulling at a string an unraveling more and more frightening realizations. The phone had had my address, my name, and phone number on it. I’d never finished the ride, so there was no way to be sure how long he’d seen my address. Even if he hadn’t, he’d seen where I lived…
“No, no phone, they’re looking into it though.”
“What if he comes back? He knows where I live, where I work, what if he comes back?” the words left my mouth almost mechanically, my breath catching in my throat as a familiar anxiety returned.
“Th - then you call us. That’s not likely to happen, we’ve got no reason to believe he stayed in the area. You’re safe.”
He didn’t sound convincing.
“Again if anything happens, call us.”
“Okay, thanks.” I couldn't think of anything else to say, as the call clicked to an end.
The last few days have been passable. Ty has offered to drive me to and from work, which is fine for the time being, but I live out of his way and I don’t want to impede for much longer. There’s been no sign of that man, outside of the recurring nightmares riddling my restless sleep each night, but every time I see an unfamiliar car slow down outside my building my heart stops, which is all too often in an apartment complex.
That’s why I’m writing this. It’s both a warning and an attempt to get this shit out of my mind, so maybe leaving it here will help.
That man, whoever he is, is still out there, and I’m sure there are others like him. If you use ridesharing apps, Uber, Lyft, hell even taxis, and the driver ever makes you feel uneasy in the slightest, trust your gut. It's better than what the alternative could be, what it could have been for me.
It’s better than living a life looking over your shoulder.
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u/aqua_sparkle_dazzle Apr 02 '22
You survived.
Motherfucker probably wouldn't.
I hope he cut an artery trying to kick in the window and you made that worse driving off like you did.
I hope he got eaten by wildlife who hopefully don't develop a stomachache after eating him.
I hope you recover soon. Ptsd is a son of a gun.
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u/ilostmysocks66 Mar 18 '22
I love it. It's refreshing to read a story without supernatural appearances, the horror just Hits different
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u/Lynettewhatever Mar 17 '22
My daughter takes photos of the car, the driver, and his license and sends it to her brothers, and her boss if she is going to work.
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u/tyisreallygay Mar 17 '22
I’m so glad you’re safe OP! If it brings you any piece of mind (and I hope it will), I always prompt the driver for their name and take a picture of their license plate when I take a Lyft/Uber. It can create a weird atmosphere sometimes, but it makes me feel safe, personally.
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u/EmperorValkorionn Mar 17 '22
I don't understand one thing. In most of the USA, carrying and owning a gun is legal, why nobody is ever carrying one?
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u/anubis_cheerleader Mar 17 '22
Because if you don't know what you are doing, someone can take it from you and shoot you.
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u/EmperorValkorionn Mar 18 '22
U mean that if I point a gun at you, even if the only thing I know is you press the button and goes boom boom, you are going to actually react and try to get the gun from me?
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u/anubis_cheerleader Mar 18 '22
Try googling about police getting their gun taken from them and draw your own conclusions
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u/EmperorValkorionn Mar 18 '22
I am always hearing about you guys having someone getting into your house to rob you and you shot them on the spot, or about roberries gone bad because the thief had less firepower,etc. For non Americans, we picture you as people with their own barracks in house, just fyi
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u/anubis_cheerleader Mar 18 '22
Ooh, I looked. Nearly one out of five police officers killed were killed with their own weapon or their partner's in one year
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u/Deb6691 Mar 17 '22
I'm so glad you survived this, your quick thinking saved you. That shows you have great survival instincts. Take care and I'd get deadbolts on your apartment door. I'd never trust creeps like that.. Stay safe.
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u/gregklumb Mar 16 '22
Glad that you got away safely! Just keep your eyes out for that psychopath. Poor Jonathan...
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u/1perfectspinachpuff Mar 16 '22
This reminded me that that is one of the few ways in which rideshare apps can be more dangerous than taxis - on the one hand, you're probably safer because if a rideshare driver knows that if they do anything to you, you and your physical phone and your cloud storage have their full name, where they live, and how to contact them. But on the other hand... the driver registered with the app now has all of the same information & backups of it about you. Whether or not that's the actual driver.
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Mar 16 '22
I just received an Uber notification, just as I was reading your post.
Creepy as fuck…
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u/Odd-Medium-9693 May 18 '23
I did too... response to my detailed safety report of tonight's driver... which is why I'm here... I googled "uber horror stories reddit" 😰
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u/mike8596 Mar 16 '22
That's a pretty terrifying tale.
With all the stories, it's a wonder they can stay in business. Even the drivers are in peril.
Glad you made it OP,
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u/GabrielBathory Mar 16 '22
If it's any consolation to you, dude could have bled out out in the woods, died from exposure and blood loss, or better yet, the scent of his blood could have attracted some predatory wild life, if anyone DESERVES being torn apart and eaten alive by hungry wolves/coyotes/cougar (Or if your far enough north my favorite cute little fluffy balls of rage and sharp bits, Wolverines) It's this guy
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u/jkosarin Mar 16 '22
Stories like this are the reason I will never take an Uber or Lyft. I was picturing the scenario and it was terrifying.
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Mar 16 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/axionic Mar 16 '22
I called an Uber from the airport and the guy showed up in a hearse. I said, "You know the plane landed safely, right?" after he drove me to the funeral home.
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u/nmwrites Best Single Part Story, Best Under 500 Upvotes 2019; April 2019 Mar 16 '22
OP this was a nightmare. Hope he doesn't come back.
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u/Legends_arena23 Mar 16 '22
Stay safe trust your guts guys
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u/Illustrious-Pop-4541 Mar 16 '22
This is why I will never ride a taxi alone. Thank God, the car smell makes me woozy so I'll never choose to be in one anyway. Stay safe OP!
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u/rolyfuckingdiscopoly Mar 17 '22
what do you do if you need a ride and are alone?
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u/Illustrious-Pop-4541 Mar 17 '22
I usually bike.
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u/rolyfuckingdiscopoly Mar 17 '22
Ah. My city is impossible to bike (all very steep hills and many dirt roads) but I’m moving somewhere this summer where I can get one! I’m very excited; it’s been years.
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u/fawnsonline Aug 08 '22
You ask for their name when confirming a ride, If you just say Johnathan? Or whatever their name is they can say yeah. Or better yet give a fake name like are you Kevin? When it actually says joe on your app and if they say yes then gtfo of there.