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3 Very Disturbing TRUE Coworker Horror Stories
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00:00Back when I was 20, during the summer before my senior year of college, I landed an internship
00:16at a financial services firm downtown. It wasn't anything fancy, mostly data entry,
00:22spreadsheets, and sitting in front of a computer all day, but it paid decently and it looked
00:27great on a resume. There were seven other interns behind me, and we were all crammed together in
00:33this open office section with rows of cubicles that didn't quite give you privacy, just enough
00:38to make small talk feel optional. Out of the seven, five of them were people I liked, a mix of chill,
00:44down-to-earth college students who didn't take the internship too seriously. Another guy, Eric,
00:50was the type who treated the whole thing like it was life or death, barely spoke, and was always
00:55typing like his keyboard owed him money. But the seventh intern, Alex, was something else entirely.
01:02When I first met Alex, he seemed normal enough, maybe a little awkward, but we all were at the
01:08beginning. He was tall, thin, kind of pale, and had this mop of dark hair that always looked a little
01:15unwashed. He didn't really fit the finance intern stereotype, but that's not what threw me off.
01:21It was the way he acted around me. At first, it was subtle. He'd pop up at my cubicle during the day,
01:28lean over the divider in a way that made him look freakishly tall, like seven feet tall because the
01:34cubicle walls were low, and only his head would be visible above it. He'd tilt his head slightly,
01:39grin with a strange frozen smile, and start talking in this deliberately weird voice, like he was trying
01:46to sound creepy on purpose. I'd laugh it off awkwardly, pretending I thought it was funny, but I remember
01:51thinking it was an odd thing to do in a professional setting. He'd say random stuff, like working hard or
01:58hardly working Ronnie, in that slow, unnatural tone, and then hold the smile for way too long.
02:05The first couple of times, I figured he was just being quirky or trying too hard to stand out.
02:10Some people at internships are awkward like that, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
02:16But then it started happening more often. Every single day, at least once, I'd see his head slowly
02:23rise above my cubicle wall. That same stretched grin plastered across his annoying face, and he'd start
02:30some bizarre conversation that didn't make sense. Sometimes he'd make jokes that weren't funny,
02:36or mutter random phrases that didn't relate to anything. And every time, he used that same
02:41unsettling voice, like a soft voice in a kind of taunting way. Honestly, a very good recent
02:49comparison of the voice he was doing was the voice Charlie Hunnam did for his role as Ed Gein.
02:54The other interns noticed it too, but they mostly laughed it off, thinking Alex was being weird on
02:58purpose to lighten the mood. I also think they thought Alex and I had built some kind of rapport that the
03:04rest of them didn't build with him. There was something about the way he directed it only at
03:09me that made me feel uncomfortable. It's not like I treated him any differently. It was like I was his
03:15personal audience for whatever creepy act he was trying to pull. As the weeks went on, his visits got
03:21longer. He'd lean over and stay there for minutes at a time, staring at me while talking, sometimes not
03:28even saying much, just looking. I'd fake a laugh, say I had to finish a report, and hope he'd get the
03:34hint. He rarely did. Then one night, about six weeks into the internship, I was home eating dinner when my
03:42phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize. I normally don't answer unknown calls, but since I was
03:51expecting a delivery confirmation, I picked it up. When I said hello, all I heard for a few seconds was
03:57silence. Then suddenly, I heard a voice I recognized immediately. It was Alex's voice, the same forced
04:07creepy tone he always used in the office. He said, the tide's coming in, pull your boat out of the
04:13water. But this time, his voice was a little louder, almost a yell. He dragged the words out
04:19like he was reciting a riddle, and then he burst out laughing this insanely unhinged laugh before hanging
04:25up. The thing that made my skin crawl wasn't just the call. It was the fact that I never gave Alex my
04:31number, not once. The next thing I did was text the number back, asking if this was Alex. But the text
04:38said not delivered, and when I looked it up, it was a landline number. That's when I really started to
04:45get freaked out. How did he get my number? Why was he calling me like that? I tried to rationalize it.
04:52Maybe he found it through a company contact sheet or something. But even then, the way he said that
04:58line didn't sit with me. I couldn't stop replaying the sound of his laugh in my head. It didn't sound
05:04like someone joking around. It sounded like he was f***ing with me to the point of trying to actually
05:09scare me. This wasn't just goofy behavior anymore. That Monday, when I got to the office, Alex wasn't
05:16there. His desk was empty, and I didn't see him all morning. I went to our supervisor, a guy named
05:22Martin, and I asked him if Alex might have gotten my number through the company. And Martin was very
05:28confused, saying interns didn't have access to employee info like that. On top of that, they'd let
05:34Alex go at the end of the previous week because he wasn't doing any work and had ignored multiple
05:39warnings. That's when I told him about the call. He seemed surprised, and some of the other interns
05:45overheard. A couple of them started nodding and saying they always thought Alex was creepy,
05:51that he'd made them uncomfortable too. I told them about the weird cubicle visits, the voice,
05:57everything. Martin said not to worry, that Alex was gone for good and had no reason to come back.
06:03So, that was a little comforting. For the next week or so, I kept expecting something else to
06:09happen. A message, a random encounter, something. But nothing came. Life at the office went back to
06:16normal. I figured maybe that was really the end of it. Until one early morning. It was a Friday,
06:24around 5am. Still dark outside, except for a thin gray light creeping in through the blinds.
06:29I woke up because I thought I'd heard something, maybe a noise from outside. It made me get up
06:36and look out my window. I wish I hadn't. Standing in my backyard, halfway between the trees and the
06:43porch light, was a figure looking up at my window. Even though it was barely light out, I could tell
06:50who it was immediately. The thin frame and the messy hair, the way he stood perfectly straight.
06:56It was Alex. For a few seconds, I could not move. I just stared at him, trying to make sense of what
07:04I was seeing. And then, clear as day, I heard him call out my name in that same creepy, performative
07:11voice he'd always used at work. He dragged it out, long and sing-songy. I grabbed my phone, about to
07:18call 911, when I saw him tilt his head back and start laughing. That same loud, hysterical laughter
07:24like he did on the phone before hanging up. It didn't sound right. It sounded like someone
07:30completely detached from reality. I shouted through the window, yelling at him that I was calling the
07:35police and to get the hell off my property. I also waved my phone out the window. He just stood there for a
07:41second longer, then turned and started walking away, still laughing as he disappeared into the
07:47trees behind my house. I called the police, and in short, the dispatcher asked me if he was still
07:53there. When I said no, she told me to call back if he came back or threatened to break in. I never saw
08:00him again after that. Not at work, not around town, nowhere. The police couldn't do much, since he
08:07hadn't technically broken in or made a direct threat. It was one of those situations where you just have
08:12to live with the unease, hoping it's over. The rest of the summer passed without incident. I finished the
08:19internship, and on the last day, my boss pulled me aside to offer me a permanent position for after
08:24graduation. At the time, I accepted, though a small part of me felt unsettled about ever going back to that
08:31office again. I never told them about what had happened that morning. I didn't see the point.
08:36Alex was gone, and no one even knew where he'd ended up. Over time, I convinced myself that he
08:42must have been dealing with some kind of mental illness or social disorder, something that made
08:47him act that way. It's the only way I can make sense of how he went from a quiet, awkward intern
08:52to standing in my backyard at five in the morning, laughing like a lunatic. It's been a few years now,
08:59and I've moved on from it. I didn't end up with that company. I got a different job after
09:03graduation. I don't think about this too often anymore, but sometimes the thought of that image
09:09of him in my backyard still skeeves me out. I still wonder how he got my number, how he found
09:15my address, and what he wanted that morning. I guess it's not that hard to get people's info
09:20online these days. All I know is that for a few months in my life, I worked alongside someone who
09:26wasn't just strange. He had something way deeper going on, and no matter how many years pass,
09:32I'll never forget the sound of him laughing in the dark, as if it was all one big joke that only he
09:37understood.
09:37I was 17 when this all happened. It was my first real job, working at a local grocery store in our
09:54quiet Vermont town, the kind of town where everyone knew everyone else, and where nothing ever really
10:00happened. I liked the job at first. It was simple, and most of my co-workers were friendly. I quickly
10:08fell into a rhythm with the cashiers and some of the stock workers, especially during the slow hours
10:13when there weren't many customers. When that happened, we'd all gather near the front of the
10:18store, just chatting about random stuff like what we watched on TV, making fun of the older,
10:24quirkier employees, and complaining about customers. That sort of thing. It was one of the few times
10:30during my shifts where I felt like I wasn't just standing behind a register staring at a screen or
10:34blank wall all day. Depending on who was the shift supervisor for the day, it would either be relaxed
10:40or more strict. Like if a younger supervisor was working, it would be more chill. People would be
10:46on their phones, and people would socialize by the front. There was one co-worker who I didn't know
10:52well at first, a guy named Sean. He was 24, a little awkward, the kind of guy who always seemed like
10:59he didn't quite know how to read social cues. He had longer hair, but kind of in the awkward,
11:04in-between phase like he was growing it out but didn't quite reach his shoulders yet.
11:09He worked in the dairy section, so we didn't interact much at work. He was quiet and polite
11:15enough, and I honestly didn't think much of him. Most people just nodded at him when they walked past,
11:21and he did the same. But eventually, I was added to a co-worker group chat, and he was in it.
11:26I didn't think twice about it. It was just a chat for work stuff and dumb jokes, and it seems most of
11:33the younger employees were in there. But then Sean started messaging me directly. At first,
11:39it was harmless. He asked about my shifts, whether I was covering certain days, things like that.
11:45But over the next few weeks, it became clear he was trying to get closer. He started asking questions
11:51about my personal life, like what music I liked, what I do after work, even little things like what
11:57I did over the weekend. Again, I didn't think much of it at first. I mean, people make small talk,
12:02right? But the tone was off. Sometimes he'd call me cute in ways that made me uncomfortable.
12:09Sometimes he'd make jokes that were slightly flirty. I tried to ignore it, thinking maybe he just didn't
12:14know how to behave with girls my age. That's another thing. I was only 17. He was decently older than me,
12:21and I don't think anyone else knew he was flirting with me like that. It didn't take long before the
12:27behavior became slightly annoying. He'd comment on things I posted online, and sometimes the messages
12:33were late at night. Not threatening. Not really. But there was this persistence in him that made me
12:39uneasy. I didn't know how to tell him to back off without making it awkward at work, so I mostly
12:45ignored him. Don't shit where you eat, I always hear people say. One day, I was at home watching
12:51Stranger Things, my favorite show still to this day. I'd been catching up on the latest season,
12:56binge-watching episodes in my bedroom, just completely lost in the show. And then a couple
13:01days later at work, everyone was gathered at the front of the store chatting about TV shows.
13:06I was talking with a few of the cashiers about some random series, when Sean suddenly asked me,
13:12you like Stranger Things, right? I froze. I couldn't remember telling anyone at work about my show.
13:19I just nodded, trying to brush it off, but it left this cold feeling in my stomach.
13:25How did he know? I didn't say anything. I did make eye contact for a moment.
13:31He just smiled awkwardly and eventually left the front of the store back to the dairy section like
13:36nothing had happened. But I couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching me more than I had
13:41realized. It wasn't until a few nights later that the fear really started. I was lying in bed,
13:48trying to fall asleep after a long day at work. The house was quiet, and then I heard a soft scraping
13:54noise against my bedroom window. At first, I thought it was the wind or maybe a branch brushing against
14:00the glass. But then I heard it again. A distinct sound of someone's hopping on the window, just
14:08lightly enough for it to be unnerving. I got up and peeked through the blinds, half expecting to see
14:14Sean out there. But there was nothing. I tried to convince myself the sound was nothing to be alarmed
14:20about. But the thought of Sean's question at work, about Stranger Things, a show I hadn't told anyone
14:26about. It kept running through my head. A couple of days later, he texted me again. This time, I
14:34didn't ignore it. I told him clearly and firmly that I wasn't interested. That was when things
14:40escalated. Almost immediately, he replied, OK, good luck changing your address. I couldn't believe it.
14:49In one insane text that he clearly sent before thinking of the repercussions,
14:53he proved my suspicions right. I saved the messages and took screenshots. I went straight
14:59to my manager and explained everything. My manager was shocked. He told me not to worry,
15:05that they'd handle it. I also went with my dad to the local police department to file a report,
15:10showing them the messages and explaining the incident with the window, explaining that I
15:14suspected Sean might be stalking me. The next day at work, Sean was called in by our boss.
15:20He didn't come back. It turned out he was fired on the spot, and the police started the paperwork
15:26for a restraining order. I thought maybe that would be the end of it, but I quickly realized
15:31that nothing really felt over. Even with the restraining order in place, if he was actually
15:37a crazy person, what's a piece of paper going to do to stop him from coming back to the house
15:41and doing something crazy. I double-checked locks obsessively, refused to answer any calls or
15:47messages from unknown numbers, and avoided talking about my routines with anyone except family.
15:53The weeks dragged on like that. I would wake up at night, convinced I heard something outside.
15:59I had to remind myself constantly that the restraining order was legally binding,
16:03that he couldn't come near me, but the fear was real.
16:06Eventually, as the weeks turned into months, the paranoia started to fade.
16:11There were no incidents, no attempts to contact me, no sudden appearances.
16:16The restraining order seemed to hold, and life slowly returned to normal.
16:21I got more comfortable going out alone, stopped checking my window obsessively before bed,
16:26and eventually, I stopped thinking about Sean altogether.
16:29It took a long time though, for me to feel fully safe again. Even after moving on, the experience
16:36left a mark. I was hyper-aware of my surroundings, cautious about new people I met, especially in
16:42situations where I felt isolated. I learned to trust my instincts and take any uncomfortable
16:47behavior seriously, no matter how small it seemed at first. Looking back, the thing that scares me most
16:53isn't that Sean might have actually harmed me. It's how quickly someone who seems normal, even awkward
16:58or harmless, can turn into a source of fear. It can start with small, seemingly innocent interactions,
17:05messages, questions, little comments, and escalate into something far more serious.
17:12Now, years later, I've moved past it. I work in a different town, live in a new apartment,
17:17and I don't think about that grocery store anymore. I don't talk to a single co-worker from that job
17:22anymore. But the memory of those nights lying in bed, convinced someone was outside my window,
17:28it's not something that ever goes away entirely. It's a reminder of how quickly life can feel unsafe,
17:34even in a small, quiet town where nothing ever seems to happen. And while Sean never came close
17:39to doing anything physically, the psychological impact was enough to make me question how safe I
17:44ever truly was. So if you're ever at work and notice a co-worker crossing a line, even subtly,
17:50take it seriously, don't brush it off as awkwardness or harmless flirting. It might seem over the top
17:57at first, but it could save you from months of fear, or worse. Because sometimes, the danger isn't
18:04obvious. But eventually, I did move on. And now, years later, I can look back and say I survived.
18:11And that's enough.
18:21When I was 26, I started working at a small insurance office in a quiet part of Pennsylvania,
18:27the kind of office that's tucked behind a strip mall with one long row of desks,
18:32flickering fluorescent lights, and the smell of coffee at all hours of the day.
18:36It wasn't glamorous, but it paid the bills, and I liked most of the people there.
18:42The job could get boring, especially on slow days when the phones barely rang,
18:46but it was easy money. I usually worked the day shift, but on this particular Friday,
18:51I was scheduled to help close up the office because we were behind on filing a batch of
18:55client records. There was a big storm warning that afternoon, the kind that takes over the
19:01entire local news broadcast. The moment I woke up and looked out the window that morning,
19:06I knew it was going to be a dark, stormy day. And around 3 o'clock, the rain started to pour
19:11so heavily you couldn't see the end of the street. The thunder came soon after, shaking the windows
19:17every few minutes. Honestly, I was personally enjoying the ambiance of the storm. Then the
19:22manager decided to let most of the employees leave early before it got worse, but a couple of us
19:27volunteered to stay to finish some paperwork. The only other person who stayed was a guy named Tom,
19:33who had just started working there about two weeks prior. He was in his early 30s, tall, quiet,
19:39and sort of off-putting in a way I couldn't describe. I wouldn't say creepy, just strange.
19:45He never said much to anyone, but he was always nearby. If I went to make coffee, he'd be there two
19:51minutes later. If I was restocking paper, he'd show up pretending to do the same thing. I figured
19:57he was just socially awkward. When 5 o'clock hit, the storm was in full force. I swear every few
20:04seconds lightning flashed, followed by thunder that made the floor vibrate. The office felt emptier
20:10than usual, and the usual hum of lights was replaced by the sound of the storm. Tom was sitting at his
20:16desk a few rows down, typing something on his computer that looked like nonsense from where I
20:20sat. Every time I looked up, I could see him glancing over in my direction. At first, I tried
20:26to focus on my work, but after an hour or so, I realized I hadn't seen him get up once. Around 6.30,
20:34the power started flickering. Both of us made the same nervous laugh when the lights dimmed, but he
20:39didn't say anything. The next flicker lasted longer, and when the power finally went out completely,
20:45the office went silent, except for the rain. The emergency lights kicked in, leaving everything
20:51bathed in a faint orange glow. I said something about maybe it being a good time to head out, but Tom
20:57didn't respond. I heard the sound of keys jingling, and then the front door locking. He muttered something
21:04about how it wasn't safe to go outside right now. I thought maybe he was just trying to be helpful, but
21:10something about the way he said it gave me chills. I went to grab my bag and jacket, thinking
21:15I'd waited out for a few minutes before heading home. The power outage made the whole building
21:20feel smaller. The emergency lights barely lit the hallways, and the storm outside was deafening.
21:25When I came back toward the front, Tom was standing near the door, just staring out into
21:31the dark parking lot. The rain was falling so heavily you couldn't see anything past the glass.
21:36I told him I was going to make a quick call to my boyfriend to let him know I'd be home soon.
21:40He didn't say anything again. He stood there staring out the window. I walked toward the
21:46break room, but when I tried using my phone, there was no signal. I figured the storm must
21:51have knocked out the tower. I tried the landline, but the line was dead too. I turned around to go
21:58back to the main office, and nearly jumped when I saw Tom standing in the doorway. I hadn't even
22:03heard him walk up. He was holding a small flashlight under his chin, casting shadows up his face. He
22:10had this half-smile, like he thought it was funny. I forced a nervous laugh and told him he scared me.
22:15I then asked him again about unlocking the door so I could leave, but he said something about it not
22:21being safe yet, and how it was better to wait until the worst of the storm passed. I said fine,
22:26but inside I was starting to feel nervous. He kept watching me. I decided to move to my cubicle to
22:33pack up my stuff, pretending to be calm. I wanted to wait for a lull in the storm, and then get out.
22:40When I looked up again a few minutes later, Tom was gone. I figured maybe he went to the restroom.
22:46I took the chance to head to the back door instead of the front one. I knew that one led to a small
22:51parking lot behind the building where my car was. When I reached it, I realized the handle wouldn't
22:56move. The door was chained shut from the inside, like someone had looped a chain and padlock around it.
23:02We had never done that before. I turned around and saw the faint glow of the flashlight coming
23:08from down the hallway. I ducked into the supply closet next to the break room and closed the
23:13door quietly, trying to keep my breathing under control. I could hear Tom walking slowly through
23:19the hall, and then I heard him call my name. He sounded like he was trying to sound comforting.
23:25He said he just wanted to make sure I was safe. I didn't move or say a word. My heart was pounding
23:30so hard I thought he could probably hear it. He walked past the closet, and for a few seconds,
23:36I could see the thin strip of light from the flashlight shining under the door. Then it
23:41disappeared. A loud crack of thunder made the building shake. The sound of rain got even
23:47louder for a second, and I realized part of the roof above the break room must have been
23:51leaking. I waited I'd estimate ten minutes before I finally worked up the nerve to open the
23:56door a little. The hall was empty. The flashlight beam was gone. I stepped out carefully and made
24:03my way toward the front again. When I turned the corner, I froze. The front glass door had been
24:10shattered completely. Rain was blowing inside across the floor, soaking the carpet. Tom was
24:16nowhere in sight. I hesitated, wondering if he had gone outside, but then I realized this was my only
24:23chance. I ran out the door into the pouring rain and sprinted for my car. I didn't even care that
24:29I was getting drenched. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely get the key in the ignition.
24:35I sped out of the parking lot without looking back once. When I finally got home, I locked every door
24:40and sat in my living room shaking, watching the rain pour against my windows. I didn't sleep that
24:46night. The next morning, I called the office and told my manager what had happened. He didn't believe
24:53me at first until he got there himself and saw the broken glass. He called the police, who showed up
24:59and took a statement from me when I was at the office. They said they'd look into it, but it
25:04sounded like Tom had just taken off. His car was still in the lot, unlocked, with the keys sitting
25:10on the driver's seat. His phone, wallet, and a few personal items were still inside. The security
25:16cameras had been turned off manually before the power outage, which meant he must have done it earlier
25:21in the night. Nobody ever saw him again. A few of my co-workers said maybe he had some kind of
25:27breakdown, but I couldn't stop wondering if he'd been planning something worse. I quit the job a
25:32month later. Even though nothing ever happened after that, I couldn't work in a small, enclosed
25:37place like that where I had experienced such a traumatic incident. It just wasn't healthy.
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