A social media nightmare

by Lynn WL

Author's note:
When you're on social media you have to be careful with the personal information you share cos you never know who might read it and what they might do to you.

I posted this story on Reddit a while ago using an alt account. This is based on true events. I waited so long to post it here because I didn't want to reveal my identity at the time. I just don't ever want to experience this kind of nightmare again. Some of the names were changed. I'm not linking back to the original story. So in case some of you happen to have read it, there is no copyright infringement. I wrote the original story myself using a different name.

Disclaimer:
Unfortunately, a few people were offended by this story. So let me be very clear: this story is in no way intended as an attack against people with mental disorders. Any reference to them is purely coincidental. Please don't take anything personally. If you're very sensitive to this matter, you may want to choose a different story to read.

*****

It was a balmy Saturday afternoon. The last weekend of Summer. For me at least, as I was a college student, and school was to start the following Monday. I was trying to decide on something relaxing to do before busting my ass again for a semester. There was this used bookstore in town that I loved to visit as it had a great collection of ghost story books (my favorite genre). So I thought I would spend my afternoon there. I might not even buy anything, but just browsing through their collection would give me a thrill.

The bookstore wasn't too far from my house, and I could have walked but decided to drive in case I should want to go somewhere else afterward. I was wearing my usual casual attire - a tank top and a pair of short ripped jeans shorts, and nothing on my feet. Yeah, I hate wearing shoes or anything on my feet, and I lived in a beach town where it wasn't that uncommon to see people out and about in their bare feet.

As I got to the bookstore I headed straight for the horror section. There was no one else there which I thought was cool, as I could have the whole place to myself. I had been there for maybe 5 minutes, and was browsing a ghost story book when I heard someone say my name. 

"Uh... excuse me... Lynn?"

Lynn is my nickname which my family calls me by as it sounds like the last syllable of my real name. I also use it online like on social media. So I was a bit surprised to hear someone say it in the bookstore. Could there be another person named Lynn in there?

I turned around, and right behind me stood a skinny, nerdy looking guy, maybe in his 20's, with disheveled hair and thick glasses. He was wearing a gray polo shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and white tennis shoes with black socks. He was looking at me, so there was no mistaking that he was indeed addressing me. He smiled, revealing his crooked and stained front teeth.

"Uh... do I know you?" I asked.

"Well, you may not know me yet, but I know you from Reddit. You are Lynn, aren't you? I mean, I don't know if that's your real name or not, but that's the name you used in all the stories you posted on Reddit, hehe!" he replied chuckling nervously.

What he said was true. I had posted a few stories on Reddit in different subs, and I always used my nickname. But that only made me more confused. How the fuck could someone from Reddit know what I looked like, since I had never posted my picture there (or on any other social media for that matter), and how to find me in real life?

"Um... you're right," I said hesitantly. "But how did you know what I looked like and where to find me?"

"Oh, uh... that's kind of a long story. By the way, my name is Fred, hehe!" he said extending his hand.

I shook his hand which was cold and clammy. Yuck! Then Fred continued talking.

"You see, a few months ago I was really depressed. In fact, I was contemplating suicide. I was browsing Reddit and other social media looking for suicide related threads, and even asking questions on how best to kill myself. A few people cared enough to post the suicide prevention hotline number, but others couldn't care less. They ridiculed me and posted all kinds of mean comments which created a nightmare for me."



I was quite intrigued. He continued, "I kept on browsing Reddit, and one day I came across one of your comments in a totally unrelated thread. You said you loved life and believed it's magical; you always looked on the bright side and expected good things to happen. I was amazed, for you were the exact opposite of what I was - a total wreck who was ready to end his life. My curiosity led me to check out your profile. I was fascinated reading your other comments because you never said anything negative. You always posted positive, uplifting, funny, and sometimes even silly and rather naughty comments which made me laugh. But not once did you ever get angry or try to put someone else down."

He paused and swallowed a couple of times while I stood still with the book in my hand, listening intently. How much shit about me did this dude know? I would soon find out as he continued.

"Reading your comments actually made me feel better about life. Oh, and there was this one comment where you gave advice to another depressed guy on how to be grateful and experience true happiness. I was impressed and learned a lot from that post. I hope the other person did as well. I wanted to learn more from you, and more about you. So I kept on reading..."

Honestly, I was kind of flattered but at the same time a little creeped out. "So, how far did you read?" I asked.

"To the very beginning. To your very first post on Reddit..."

I was flabbergasted. "God, that's a lot of reading! I've been on Reddit for almost a year and have posted quite a bit..."

"Oh I know... it was indeed a lot of reading, but it was exciting. It was like reading a book - an autobiography if you would, by someone I really admire. But in this case, I was reading it backward, hehe! Oh, and of course, there were those stories you posted to "Nosleep" and a couple other subs which I also loved. They were an extra treat, you know. Anyway, by the time I finished, I knew quite a bit about you. For instance, in one or two of your stories you alluded to the fact that you're very pretty; actually, ever since you were a kid, hehe!"

He blushed a little, and I think I did too for I felt my face a bit warm. Fred continued talking.

"You mentioned that you liked to dress very casually, and that you hated wearing shoes. You love going barefoot even in public places, and not afraid to get your feet dirty which is also quite amazing to me. Oh yeah, I still remember your very first comment was on that barefoot sub where you thanked a guy for mentioning you and your blog in his post. Oh, and your blog is something else. I read all the posts about your experiences going barefoot since you were 9 years old. I couldn't get enough of it, hehe! You know, I love looking at girls in bare feet. Clean or dirty, they look so natural. Why should they cover their beautiful feet, right? Hehe!"

I just smiled. Another foot fetishist, a fucking weird one too. I have encountered a few foot fetishists both online and in real life as a result of my love of going barefoot. But I managed to put 2 and 2 together. He read my blog too, which means he should know my real name. Suddenly I felt weak. But my curiosity got the better of me. So I hesitantly asked him, "Do you... do you know my real name?"

"But of course, hehe! It's Sharleen, isn't it? What a beautiful name. As beautiful as you. But I didn't want to address you by it cos I might freak you out, hehe!"

I was petrified. I felt all the blood rushing to my feet as I stared blankly at him. As if oblivious to my emotions, he went on.

"You mentioned where you lived both on your blog and on Reddit, and in one thread talked about this favorite bookstore of yours. So, that's how I knew how to find you, hehe! I thought I should come to this bookstore and look for a very pretty barefoot girl in a tank top and shorts, hehe!" He appeared a little more nervous now.

"So... do you live around here?" I asked. My voice was shaking a little.

"Oh, no. I'm from Boston," he replied which astounded me.

"Boston?! That's a really long away! Are you here on vacation?" I lived near a touristy area, so it wouldn't be totally outlandish if he was here on vacation and then decided to look me up. But his answer shocked me.

"Oh no, I'm not on vacation. I made this special trip to meet you. You see, I wanted to meet you so badly. You're like an angel to me. Actually, I've been here a few days, coming to this bookstore every day waiting for you. There was another girl who walked in here barefoot yesterday, but I knew she wasn't you, because she was a little... on the heavy side, if you know what I mean, hehe! But today you finally came! Oh Lynn, or should I say Sharleen...? I can't tell you how excited I am. You're even prettier than I imagined, and... and you look so hot in your outfit revealing your beautiful legs and feet, hehe!"

Now I was totally weirded out but didn't know what to say. For someone to travel that far just to meet a stranger from social media, there's got to be something wrong with him. Something very wrong!

"Dude, this is all fucking nuts!" I blurted in disbelief.

"Ohoh...yeah, I now remember you also like to cuss. You did it a lot on Reddit but never in anger which also turned me on, hehe! You see, I was brought up in a strict religious family, and swearing is a no-no. In fact, it's considered a sin, and those who do it will burn in hell. I know you're a non-believer, so you don't care about sin, hell, and all that stuff which is OK with me since I've been questioning this whole religion thing myself. I still don't cuss though, not even on social media because uh... I'm still  unsure about this hell thing so why chance it, you know? But for some reason when a girl, especially a pretty one, swears I get excited, hehe!"

That's it! I'm getting the fuck outta here. I don't have to put up with all this shit. So I put the book down and said to Fred, "Look, Fred... it's nice meeting you, but I have to go now."

"Oh, but you just got here!"

"I just remembered I had to meet some friends and go shopping."

"But wait... I've hardly gotten to know you. I'd like to spend some more time with you. I was thinking maybe we could go get some coffee or something..."

"Uh thanks, but I really have to get going," I said while turning around ready to walk out. I was trying hard not to be rude.

"Uh... maybe another time?" he said as I was walking away.

I pretended not to hear him and continued to walk, hoping he wouldn't follow me. There ain't gonna be another time! I glanced over my shoulder as I reached the door, and luckily, he wasn't following me. But I didn't want to take any chances. So instead of heading straight to my car, I walked to the left on the sidewalk. There happened to be a big truck parked in front of the bakery next door, so I stood behind the truck where I could see him when he came out, but he most likely wouldn't see me.

Luckily I didn't have to wait very long. He came out within a couple of minutes, walked to the parking lot across the street, and got into a red Toyota Camry. After he left, I quickly got into my car and drove away. I decided to drive around town a little bit before heading home. I made sure there was no red car following behind me before I turned into my street and then into the garage.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I got inside the house. Not totally relieved, though. I still felt uneasy. Did he know where I live? Most likely not, since I never gave out my street address on Reddit or my blog (only the town and state). But I had this fucking weird feeling that I had not seen the last of him.

The first few days of school were uneventful. The daily routine kept me busy, and I gradually forgot about Fred. On Thursday afternoon I was sitting cross-legged smoking a cigarette in the grass in front of the building where my next class would be, which had become kind of a habit. I was reading a book, so I wasn't paying attention to my surrounding.

"Oh, Lynn, you shouldn't be smoking. It's not good for you, you know, hehe!" I was alarmed to hear that familiar voice and chuckle. My heart skipped a beat. I looked up, and there he was, standing right beside me grinning, showing his ugly teeth.

I sprung up in horror, and exclaimed, "Fuck you! Why are you stalking me?! What the fuck do you want from me?!"

Fred was taken aback. "Whoa, Lynn, you're out of character. You're getting angry which you never did on Reddit!" His voice was a little shaky. But then he looked down at my feet and said, "Oh wow, you also go barefoot to school? That's... that's unreal! Hehe!" His voice was calmer now. He actually looked amused.

By that time I had regained my composure and said to him, also with a calmer voice, "Look, Fred, I don't ever want to see you again, okay! If you show your face again I'll call the police!"

"Lynn, please understand... I don't want to harm you. All I want is to get to know you better, to be your friend. You see, all girls hate me. They don't even want to come near me. I thought you were different, as you were such a kind and positive person on Reddit. I thought you would care... but it seems you're just like all the other girls. You all hate me! You all hate me...!" He started sobbing, covering his face with his hands.

"Just stay away from me, okay!" I said as I walked away. I put out my cigarette and walked into the building. I felt much safer sitting in the classroom with all the other students. But I was restless the entire time. I was still trying to process what just took place. It was pretty easy to figure out where I went to school since this was the only college in this small town. But how did he know exactly where to find me? The lengths he was willing to go to, to try to find me creeped me the fuck out.

After class I walked out of the building nervously, wondering if the creep was still there waiting for me. I was relieved when I saw no sign of him. The sky was getting dark, and it was starting to drizzle. As this was my last class for the day, I walked briskly to the parking lot trying to beat the storm.



I scanned the parking lot for a red Camry, and there was none. I quickly got into my car and drove off. The storm arrived, and sheets of rain pounded my windshield, necessitating me to slow down. I was so relieved when I finally got home after what felt like an eternity driving in the storm.

That night I had a hard time falling asleep. My mind was restless thinking about that second encounter. I told him to stay away, but would he? I finally dozed off. But I didn't sleep for very long. I was awakened by someone whispering my name. "Lynn..."

Horrified, I opened my eyes. Then I heard someone breathing heavily right next to me. I panicked. I screamed and jumped out of bed. I ran to the light switch and flipped it. But the bed was empty. There was no one on it or anywhere in my room. I was out of breath, and my heart was racing. It suddenly stopped beating when I heard a knock on my door.

"Lynn, are you OK?" I recognized the voice. It was Steve, my oldest brother. His room was right next to mine, and he must have heard me scream. What a relief!

"Yeah Steve, I'm OK. Hold on a sec..." I quickly put on my shorts and t-shirt (I sleep with nothing on), and opened the door. I threw myself into my brother's arms, hugged him tight, and cried on his shoulder. He hugged me and stroked my back trying to comfort me.

Steve is the oldest of 5 children, and I'm the second youngest. He is 8 years older than I am. He told me I was his favorite sibling because I was the most fun to be with; I was always happy and playful, and never threw a tantrum. When I was little he would often tease me to death, but I would just laugh and play along, and never got mad.

Yeah, I can count the number of times I've gotten angry throughout my life. Earlier that day was one of them when I lost it with Fred. But that was triggered by fear, and I kind of regretted it later.

Steve was working and leaving in another town, but he happened to be on vacation and decided to come home and be with the family.

Anyway, I told him what happened, and when I finally let go of him, he checked my room thoroughly. As expected, there was nobody in there. So, I must have had a nightmare although it was so vivid that I could have sworn it wasn't a dream.

Steve offered me to sleep in his room. I hesitated at first cos I would have to sleep wearing clothes which would be uncomfortable, but I was too scared to sleep in my own room, so I finally accepted. He hugged me again and wiped the tears from my cheeks with his hands, and said, "I'm just wiping your tears, okay. I'm not touching your snot!"

I burst out giggling and wiped my snotty nose. I then gently punched his arm saying, "You asshole! Why do you always have to make me laugh when I'm crying?"

"Because I can't stand seeing you mess up your cute face!"

I grunted and playfully kicked his ass.

Steve glared at me and said, "Hey, you're sleeping in your room if you don't fucking behave!"

"Okay, okay..." I said still giggling but slowly coming back into the sobering reality.

I told Steve everything about Fred. He believed he was a sicko but probably quite harmless. Still, we needed to figure out the best way to deal with him. I managed to catch a few winks the remainder of the night, but in the morning I woke up exhausted like I hadn't slept at all. So I decided to skip classes and stay home.

I tried to rest and relax that day, but I failed. I couldn't get my mind off Fred. I kind of regretted how mean I had been to him. I probably should have been kinder or at least shown some sympathy. On the other hand, his demeanor was creepy which really frightened me. I was torn between guilt and fear.

I usually don't watch TV, especially the news to avoid exposure to negativity. However, that evening something prompted me to turn on the TV and watch the 6 o'clock local news. About 5 minutes into it there was an update on a breaking news they had on the previous day which I had missed. There had been a fatal accident on one of the deserted roads during the storm where a car went off a bridge and plunged into the river beneath.

Later they found the car at the bottom of the river with the driver dead. The car was a red Toyota Camry, and the driver was a 26 year old man visiting from Boston. They went on to say that this man was a psychiatric patient who was hospitalized for bipolar disorder a few months ago but was later discharged after significant improvement. He continued to be treated as an outpatient.

I froze and felt all the hair on my body stand up. Oh, my god! He's dead! And he died yesterday afternoon which means... he probably did come to my room to haunt me last night! He might be seeking revenge for the way I had treated him. Fuck!

Was it really an accident or did he commit suicide? There was no way of telling since there was no eyewitness. I quickly found my brother and told him everything. I told him how fucking scared I was. He said I should do something to appease his spirit. Since seeing his body was out of the question, he suggested that we visit the crash site and place some flowers there the next morning.

That night I once again slept in Steve's room. It was another restless night although nothing happened. First thing the next morning (Saturday) my brother and I drove to a florist where I bought a bunch of white roses and then headed to the crash site.

We saw the damage on the guard rail of the bridge where the car hit. The immediate area was barricaded, so I would have to put the flowers outside it but as close as possible. As I walked, my bare soles felt a difference in the temperature of the pavement. The closer to the crash site, the colder it got. Strange!

I knelt down and laid the roses on the ground. Tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered, "I'm sorry, Fred... I'm very sorry... please forgive me!" Then I totally lost it. I sobbed uncontrollably, my whole body quivering. Tears streamed from my eyes, dripping on and wetting the ground beneath.

I was lamenting the fate of this poor soul who was trying to find some sliver of happiness in his life. I don't know how long I knelt down there blubbering. Finally, Steve tapped my shoulder and gently pulled me up. "Come, Lynn..." he said softly.

I slowly got up and whispered one last time as I stood there looking at the flowers, "I hope you find peace..."

As we were walking back to our car Steve looked at me and said, "Oh no, you messed up your cute face again!"

He was just trying to cheer me up but this time he failed. I just couldn't laugh. I forced a smile as I wiped my tears.

My nose was really snotty, and I had no tissue on me. Neither did my brother. So I did what I usually do in situations like that: snot rocket!

"Ugh, you're fucking gross!" said Steve.

This time I giggled. "Sorry, I had no other choice!" I said feeling a little embarrassed.

Steve smiled with satisfaction as he was finally able to make me laugh. While driving he told me to stop being so hard on myself. I had acted the way any normal girl would have, and that I had done what needed to be done. I found his words somewhat comforting, but I remained quiet throughout the ride home.

When we arrived home I hugged my brother and said, "Thank you for being there for me. I don't think I could have handled it all on my own."

He smiled and replied, "Anything for my sweet baby sister."

That night I slept in my room. Strangely (or maybe not), I no longer felt any fear. I was at peace. Fred appeared to me in a dream. Yes, this time it was a dream, but not a nightmare.

It was just his face that showed, and it looked different. He still had the thick glasses on, but his hair was neatly combed. As he opened his mouth to speak I saw his teeth were smooth and white. "Thank you, Lynn, for what you did today. You do care after all. I'm sorry to have caused you grief. I won't be bothering you anymore. Goodbye, my angel..."

"Fred, wait..." I said. But he vanished. I opened my eyes and whispered, "Goodbye Fred..." I closed my eyes again and went back to sleep. Restfully.