When was the last time you were terrified?

[Champ]

The last time you were thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation.

I just ran into that definition and I wondered about the last time I felt that, it didn't take me long to wonder.

It was last night on my way home, I was cutting through an apartment complex. As I'm walking next thing I hear is "Grrrrrr", I look to my right side and it is a loose Rottweiler, alone in the parking lot. I've been in this situation many times even with loose Pit Bulls so I wasn't freaked. I talked in my doggy tone offer to pet him to let him know I wasn't threatening, it has always been successfull. Then he began to bark and growl, he started approaching me growling. I threw my arms up and started to back away, I tried yelling "Bad doggy", didn't work. Then I stomped in front of him and it made him back away, but he would come back. He would not make a move when I was facing him, but I had to continue to stomp. This is when I felt intense fear AND desperation. I was desperate to get away from the dog as fast as possible and I feared that I wasn't, atleast not physically harmed. I knew running would be the worst posssible thing to do in that situation. I started to walk away, he would chase after me but when he got close I turned around and stomped which made him run away which gave me time to walk away, he would chase after me again, turn around and stomp. I would keep repeating this. When we got into the grassy area, he stopped and sniffed around which gave me just enough time to walk away and climb the wall on the back of the complex.

on edit:Errors Galore

[Calanus]

1. That would have been on the Klingon home-world, just before my divorce

Man, I thought she'd NEVER sign those damn papers.

[jellybelly]

wow...

My friend made the mistake of running from a German Shephard. He ran for blocks, screaming in terror. Then he tripped, the dog just gave him a pitiful look and walked away. I laughed hysterically.

[HEyHEY]

2. Good post

I guess, it was a few months ago, I was cutting through a field late at night....suddenly I noticed I was ten feet away from a Deer. At the same time it was amazing...we looked at each other... I wondered if it was going to attack me...it didn't, I kept walking.

[Champ]

8. When I lived with my grandma in Flagstaff for 6 months

The apartment complex was in a wooded side of town. I would see Deer all the time in my backyard, could never get close to one. I loved the wooded areas. It would be my favorite place to go to have time to myself, talking walks, only place that I lived near where human contact was rare.

[roguevalley]

18. when my mom disappeared from the doctor for about three hours

and we thought she had been snatched. she was just tired of waiting.

[shraby]

3. I'm afraid of big dogs, so I know

the feeling. Even medium sized dogs will be avoided by this coward..and I have 3 dogs.

[Champ]

5. I'm not really scared of certain breeds or size

I've seen loose dogs of all kinds, many Pit Bulls. Most of them were pretty friendly, as long as you aren't threatening or an object to chase. Alot of Dogs like to chase things of all kind when it's on the move. I've been chased whenever I've been on a bike.

[6000eliot]

4. 11/02/2004

N/T

[Champ]

6. I was too

[WCGreen]

7. Waking up in Intensive Care this past summer

with no real idea how I got there.....


Yea, and I was jaked up on Morphine and Adivan....

I didn't know what was real, what was fake and had no idea even what city i was in,,,,,,

[FizzFuzz]

32. Hey WC....I hope a friend or family or loved one got there for you??

I missed this post at first, but it just hit me now... brrrrr.

[WCGreen]

34. They got there as soon as i started to rouse

The nurse, I gather, called Mrs. WC Green and she was there shortly but i had no recolection, still don't. as to how I got there....

I had pnemonia that developed into Accute Respitory Distres Syndrome (ARDA) and it did some damage.....

But, I'll get through, I always do....

I just now started to put some of that experience in my posts. I was in IC from May 30th to June 20 and then didn't get released until July 4th.....

[FizzFuzz]

35. Wow!! You don't know if you were minding your own business at home

or if you were out taking a walk, before it happened?

glad Mrs. WC got there, what a blessed relief that must have been....

[WCGreen]

36. I knew I was sick, I thought I had a mild case of Pleurisy

And the last thing I remember was lying on the couch, watching TV...

It wouldn't have been so bad if the drugs hadn't warped my whole perception of reality....

Then, of course, there was the trac in my neck, the tube in my stomach and all those blinking lights......

I was out there, further out than anything I remember from my, ahem, drug days....

But, Mrs. WC Green talked me back, the nurses were great and the PT gang got me back on my feet.....

[FizzFuzz]

37. woaaaaaa!

[WCGreen]

38. On the plus side....

I lost about thirty pounds of excess weight...

don't recommend the diet though.....

[msgadget]

9. Glad you made it away safely. Strange dogs are SUCH an unknown.

The last time I was that terrified was also by a dog, my own. Between the time I let him out into the yard and the time I came to fetch him in - about 15 minutes - some wiring must've gotten crossed because he crouched low, bared his teeth and started a low growl as I approached him. My other dog came from nowhere and pushed himself against my legs to urge me away but it took me awhile to 'get' that I was in danger so I tried to push around him and the other dog again bared his teeth and actually took a little leap in my direction. My faithful mutt again urged me back even though he was shaking with terror himself. I may be slow but it finally it dawned that maybe I should retreat but for every step backwards I took the inexplicably unfriendly one took one forward and if I stopped completely he'd growl menacingly. After a couple long years I finally backed onto my patio and was able to haul ass into the house. I sat down, had a cup of coffee and called the vet...who asked me to bring him in. Don't even ask, of COURSE I was thrilled at the prospect of riding with a mad dog in a closed vehicle!

I'm a woman, which means I'm brave, so I got up, opened the patio door like it was any other day and whistled for the fool. He came in, head hung low, tail between his legs like he'd just dug a hole and knew he was gonna be yelled at. He gave me nary a problem in the car and once the vet checked him out and treated an ear infection it was like it never happened. To this day I recall that cold dread and can't even associate it with the same furry nut who sleeps at my feet right this very moment.

[Champ]

10. That is an interesting story

Thanks for posting it.

[msgadget]

11. Seriously, your incident was far scarier than mine

and I'm SO glad you made it home safely. I'm a dog owner and lover but I don't trust strange dogs even a little bit. Maybe no more shortcuts for you...?

[FizzFuzz]

19. woa that is weird. And your other dog protecting you

even though he was shaking--gee, that gets me teary eyed! I am such a mush, when it comes to animals.

[msgadget]

27. Yep, the foundling my husband was always complaining about

came out from behind a bush and kept himself between me and the alpha dog. Poor thing, he was shivering and peeing but let me get in the door first. These days they still romp and play as much as the older one's age will allow, it didn't permanently change their relationship at all. And, my husband pretends he's a pain but sneaks him snacks late at night when they're watching tv together.

What gets me is that I was preparing myself for having to put down the dog when I got to the vet's office or at least keeping him sedated forever but haven't had a problem. Of course I tell visitors he's 'eccentric' and they leave him be.

[FizzFuzz]

30. ohhh now you've got me crying again

That's sweet, your husband sneaking him treats. Ha!

So lucky that the older one hasn't had any more incidents--lucky for everyone, I mean!!

And I can't help thinking of my little Weeny. She's a Pomeranian, and she's very very small, and picturing her in some kind of situation like that, shaking and peeing herself but being corageous anyway....I know she would, she is the most wonderful Weeny in the world...

ahh, I'm getting mushy again.....

[FizzFuzz]

12. the one that comes to mind happened when I was in college

a million years ago....

School was over for break and I was the only person still in the dorm. My room was on the third floor. I went into the building to go to my room and on my way up, I saw two guys "townies", going up and down the hall, testing the doors. They saw me....stupidly, I continued upstairs to my room. I locked the door and then listened. Sure enough I heard them coming up the stairs. I had a phone in my room but the room phones didn't connect to campus security. You had to use a hall phone for that. I was shaking apart, cold sweat, teeth chattering. There was no one around, and they knew it. I then remembered my friend's phone number, so called her and told her to call campus cops for me. Then I did the only other thing I knew to do, I sat at my Buddhist altar and started chanting loudly and firmly. If nothing else, I figured they would think I was crazy and go away.

Well, I guess it worked, they went away.

I think campus cops showed up some 20 minutes later...really I don't remember much else. I was paralyzed with terror. Wow, gets my heart pounding a little bit even now.

[msgadget]

14. THAT scared me just reading it,

FizzFuzz. How was it for you coming and going afterwards?

[FizzFuzz]

16. I never saw them on campus again.

I think only another woman can really understand what it feels like, being cornered by threatening men.

[msgadget]

17. Indeed.

[FizzFuzz]

20. aww! Gee, I remember another scary one now

too!!

A deranged cab driver picked me up to go to the airport. On the way, he started talking weird....I don't remember now, this was a long time ago too. But I remember realizing that he was getting angrier and angrier, sounding pretty unhinged, and I realized that he wasn't driving towards the airport.

Woa! I just totally clenched up. This guy was huge, he could have broken me in 3 pieces with one hand.

Buddhist practice to the rescue again...I told him about it and got him to chant with me....

somehow, he calmed down, got me to the air port, I think he even came to a Buddhist meeting later on. Then I never saw him again.

wierdddddddddddd!

[msgadget]

25. Wow,

what women alone don't encounter.

I cannot believe you got him to chant with you, Fizz. What the heck did you say? "Sir, kindly repeat after me..."? You may have clenched but you never totally lost it.

[FizzFuzz]

29. haha, "Sir, kindly repeat after me.." hee hee!

That's pretty funny!

I'm not sure I can put it into words now, but I talked to him and tried to connect as one human being to another. Described how it has been very helpful for me, and that I felt sure he would find it helpful too.

Plus a good dose of "Well, Fizz, time for total trust in "Buddha Nature" (to use some jargon--it refers to the essential Buddha qualities of Wisdom, Courage, Compassion and Life Force which we all possess), cuz ya got no other choices right now....."

[msgadget]

31. I get that

Fizz. I tried some Bhuddist meditations and found them incredibly stabilizing (only word I can think of). Then I took a meditation class and the instructor told me I wasn't supposed to/wasn't ready/they were too advanced or something like that. I don't know why I listened to her.

[FizzFuzz]

33. oh brother!

That seems pretty misguided of her. Well, why not give it another shot, if it was helpful...

I definitely feel the difference when I'm keeping up with my practice--empowered is one way to describe it, stable is another--it's kind of what you need when you need it, which varies, so it's hard to put one word on it.

I'm not a natural for self-discipline (heh heh ) so that is among the things I struggle with, but that is Buddhism, trying and continuing to try to bring out your higher, enlightened self even in the face of obstacles. External or internal they're both "grist for the mill".

[jdots]

13. the only dog to be afraid of ?

A Dodger Dog or a Fenway Frank dog........these are the meanest dogs alive.

[Mojambo]

15. I was walking through Seattle Center alone at about 2:00 in the morning

after seeing a rock show. There is no one around and I'm already pretty nervous.

All of the sudden some guy, who apparently plays a clown at the park, comes stumbling out of some dark alley drunk as a skunk and still adorned in full clown makeup.

HOLY FUCK. I fully expected to see a long dagger dripping with blood. I was 100 yards away before I finally realized it was just a theme park employee.

Pure terror. There is just no other word for it.

[FizzFuzz]

21. can't sleep. Clowns will eat me.

Sorry, maybe this is the wrong time for a joke....it sure wasn't funny when it was happening. But still, after it turned out alright, and your heart got beating again, it's kinda funny.

[Mojambo]

23. Oh, it's hilarious. No doubt.

It felt very real, but when I think about it I'm like... "Come on! You know there aren't really killer clowns!"

[Calanus]

26. www.ihatemimes.com

Spread the word, Brother.

[msgadget]

28. I'm sorry,

but I can't help laughing! I know if I were you I'd have wet myself but here, safe at my keyboard, it's just somehow funny. (Damn, a clown??)

[Guaranteed]

22. Couple of times-

The first was when I was nineteen. I had gotten in a fairly bad bike accident (the particulars of which I'm rather ashamed of, so I won't get into them here), and my face got banged up really bad. Lots of stitches in different places- lip, eyebrow, cheek, etc.- and my eye was swollen shut, bruised, all messed up. Basically, the right side of my face got half torn off.

So the next morning I was in the shower, and I was cleaning out my nose, as many smokers have to do. I blew my nose and MASSIVE globs of blood came out- not like a bloody nose, but a mixture of blood and tissue and mucusy stuff. And the volume of it was amazing. My blood pressure immediately skyrocketed as I thought "internal head injuries." I thought my brain might be bleeding.

I was living in a dorm, then, and I went to my RA and he drove me to the hospital. I was still scared out of my mind- thought I might die.

The doctor took some x-rays, and figured out that my right cheek sinus was fractured. BIG relief- no brain damage that they could tell. The damned idiots from the night before had given me a CAT scan, but hadn't found the fracture.

Damn, that scared the hell out of me.

The second, more recent time, was a few years ago when I was deliverying pizzas. I was making a left turn onto a fairly busy, fast moving street in the city where I lived. It was two lanes going one way, and two lanes the other. I looked a bunch of times both ways, but for some reason when I pulled out I looked to my left and suddenly there was a car coming straight at me at about 45 miles per hour. I pulled the wheel hard left, and somehow he went around, in front of me. To be honest, though, I have no idea how he did it. It seemed to me that the car passed right through me. Felt like I should have been dead, there.

2 lives down, 7 to go.

[FizzFuzz]

24. wow! I've had bunches of scary health problems so I can relate to that

kind of terror. Ugh, horrible feeling, I can almost imagine that moment for you.

The car one--whew, I haven't had a close one like that...woa!!

[NJCher]

39. my moment of terror

I am shuddering at some of the posts on this thread! Good thread idea.

Champ! I am so glad you are OK! I would have been terrified, too--knowing full well what these dogs are capable of. Oh mannnnnnnnnnnnn. Boy were you smart in getting out of that situation. And, MsGadget, I'm glad your dog turned out to be OK.

Here's mine. I told this story here a few years back.

I'd come in from a swim and had taken a shower. Hot summer night. Had a skimpy night robe on and was lying on my bed when I heard something outside my window. Figured it was a raccoon or something.

To make matters scarier, let me tell you that I live back in a wooded area on a mountain at the end of a private road. It dead ends with me. I was home alone that night.

The French doors to the deck were open in the adjoining room. I hear sounds, like paper rustling. I dismiss it, thinking it's my cat.

At one point I decided to get up and check it out. But I couldn't get up! It was like there was a giant hand pushing down on my chest and I felt like I weighed 500 lbs. I simply could not get up. At this point, I was petrified. The back of my neck flashed hot and cold and I could feel my skin prickling. This vague awareness that I was in danger seeped in like water under a door.

A day or two later I examined the screen at the French door. It had been pried off. We later learned over $5000 in valuables had been taken--in less than 90 seconds.

A friend and neighbor remarked that the MO was like a burglar who ripped off a diamond ring worth 10k from her home.

A few months later, a man in a town just down the street got up to investigate sounds he heard in his living room. He was shot in the stomach when he walked into the room and was in the hospital for a long time.

When I read this in the newspaper I was grateful for that giant hand that seemed to be pinning me down.

Late this summer they caught a burglar who had burglarized hundreds of homes in this area. And guess what: it was the same guy who had been caught for stealing my friend's diamond ring.

How weird is that?


Cher

[FizzFuzz]

40. speechless.

actualy, my first reaction was Holy crap!!! but I thought that might not look good...

but anyway, WOW!!!!

just plain unadulterated, WOW!

:goosebumps:

[whatelseisnew]

41. another dog one...

I was accompanying a friend who was going out to feed vitamins to her pregnant St. Bernard, who was also a pal of mine. I was standing maybe 15 yards away, with a bank of oil drums behind me. All of a sudden the Saint whirled, leaped straight at me and lunged for my head! That moment was terrifying... She bit the side of my face but not too bad. And it was winter in Alaska, so there wasn't much pain... Until I went inside a couple hours later, then it hurt like a mfer!

[ikojo]

42. Nov 3 2004....

Still am quite worried about what the next four years will bring, particularly for working class Americans.

[SarahB]

43. When my 9 year old son was missing.

It was only for about a 1/2 hour last month. He was supposed to go to a friend's house less than a block away. It started to get dark and he hadn't returned. I went to said friend's house and he never showed there. I went around the block yelling his name like a crazy lady, waited a few more minutes, then called 911. He showed up at the same time the police car showed up (he went to another friend's house further away without telling me). I don't believe in being too restrictive and too much of a worry wart with children, but I expect them to honest with me and if something seems out of the ordinary, I'll do what I have to do.
My young man was grounded for lying to his mommy.

[Midlodemocrat]

45. I had a similar experience at King's Dominion two summers ago

I was watching my then six year old in one of those Nickelodeon water houses and lost sight of her. Ran around like a maniac yelling her name. Incredible terror. Security showed up, cordoned off the area, and alerted the exits. Then, I saw her, standing behind an bigger kid, completely oblivious.

It was one of the worst moments of my life. I will never forget it, or go back to King's Dominion.

[SarahB]

52. Scary.

The same kid did that to me at Sesame Place when he was 3. Frightening as all heck.

[Dzimbowicz]

44. I would not say that I was terrified, but

I am an avid bicyclist and in the town where I now reside the leach law is neither observed nor enforced. This has led to several occurrences where big dogs have appeared out of nowhere and given me a good chase, not to mention a good scare; I have been bitten four times in my life and I do have a slight phobia of certain types of dogs. (Please don't misunderstand me, I do like friendly dogs.) Since I am on wheels, I try to outrun these dogs; however, I never really knew how fast a dog can run before (some can obtain twenty mph, or better, in a sprint). It has come to the point where I must carry mace with me during my daily rides. I do not want to put mace right into the face of a dog, so I will usually spray enough near the dog to let it know that if it keeps chasing me, it will be skunked. This, so far, has done the trick.

In case you may be wondering whether I have contacted animal control for my town, I have. They just do not seem to give a hoot and always find some type of excuse to give me the brush off, hence the mace.

[mr_hat]

46. I can honestly say never. For some reason,

in what should be terrifying situations, I get all still and detached. Must be missing the fight-or-flight gene or sumpin'.

Edited, grammar.

[Droopy]

47. It was about 2 1/2 years ago

I was suffering from a mental illness and hearing voices. I lived alone at the time and one night as I was trying to get to sleep the voices said that they were coming after me. I thought I heard something in the house. I lived in an old two story at the time and I was upstairs. I got out of bed, put some clothes on and that's when I thought I heard someone slowly moving up the stairs. I rushed to the bathroom and locked the door. There was a closet in the bathroom where I kept a rifle and some ammo. I took the gun and loaded it.

After a while I started hearing voices and I thought they were coming through the duct work, like sometimes you can here people talking in another room through the register. They were talking about how I knew they were there and how I knew that they had been abusing me. They said I had to be taken care of.

Around this time I started yelling. I yelled that if they were going to try to do something to me then somebody was going to take a bullet. "Yeah, c'mon motherfuckers, which one will it be?!" After yelling similar things for a few minutes, I decided to make a run for it.

I bolted out the bathroom door like Rambo and I thought I saw someone hurrying back into one of the bedrooms out of the corner of my eye. I ran down the steps with the gun in hand (it's amazing I didn't fall and break some bones). When I got to the front door I tossed the gun aside and ran outside and hopped in my truck. I didn't stop driving until I was about 75 miles down the road, where I stopped and got a hotel room.

I called my mom the next morning and I was incoherant and babbling. She had no clue what I was talking about. She convinced me to drive back to her place. Later that day I was in a lock down psych ward, where I stayed for a week. My dad went over to my place and took my guns. I had two of them. It freaked him out to find the one laying in the living room loaded. He still has my guns and I haven't bought any since that hospitalization.

[WMliberal]

48. about 6 years ago.

Imagine me, a 16 year old suburbanite at the Grand Tetons. For background- the city I live in has a max elevation of 15 ft. above sea level. I go "ooooh ooooh, didja see that??!!" when a possum runs across the road.

At any rate, my two friends and I are exploring the woods near our RV campsite. We walk along a lake for a few hundred yards before we start to head back to the site. We're in the woods when we hear some rustling in the thicket next to us. I thought it was the pesky 10 year old brother who followed us everywhere on ths trip. We walk up to it and an elk, at least as big as a horse steps out and puts its snout right in my face.

Made it back to the RV in no time.

[patdem]

49. I guess we have all been through tramatic experiences...here is my story

(and I'm sticking to it) A friend of mine managed an apartment complex in a 'bad neighborhood'that was slated by the city to be torn down and sold to the rich cause it was on the beach. There were probably about 50 aparements in the complex which were all two story with the hallway on the outside of the building, if you understand what I mean. There were about 4 sets of 2 buildings each that faced each other with a 'courtyard' between them. Looked more like a cheap hotel than an apartment complex. The complex was almost completely abandonded because the owner had a contract to sell at some point in the future. We were the only tenants in our building which was at the very end of the complex, and there was only one tenant in the building directly across the 'courtyard' and exactly opposite our apartment. The only thing in front of us was that other building and the only thing behind us was a field and the beach.

HERE is the SCARY part. I was home alone and I heard the sound of a gunshot. I then heard the people from the other building scream out...'get out of here do you want to get shot too'. My eyes BUGGED out. I was TOO afraid to look out the peep in my window cause I thought it may show. I waited, shaking for something to happen. Then I heard someone WALKING UP MY STAIRWAY UP TO MY DOOR AND ??? I guess he tried to PEEK into the window/door peeper? I was in the back bedroom shivvering so I did not know what they did. I half expected them to break down the door and search the apartment for witnesses. I was SO afraid my husband would show up at the wrong time and get caught up in WHATEVER was happening?

Two days latter we found out that they had SHOT and MURDERED a choir leader and THEY claimed it was somewhere else?? I was never questioned, and REALLY had nothing to offer, because it was just what I heard, and never actually witnessed anything.

[alarimer]

50. When I was 11

We were living in a condo in San Juan, Puerto Rico, until our house was ready to move into. I had walked from the condo to a little corner store for some reason. As I was walking back, there was a man sitting in the back seat of a car. As I walked by, he exposed himself. I started running and heard the car start up behind me; I thought he was going to kidnap me or something. I made it back inside the condo gates in time. I have never forgotten this. I never told anyone this, not even my mom or the police.

[greyfox]

51. The very moment....

I knew the Shrub was going back in office!!!! (true)

[supernova]

53. A few months ago

when I was still unemployed and running out of money and running out of options. It wasn't a sudden fear, but a pervasive slowly consuming one.

[mongo]

54. Last Thurs before my surgery

When the nurse came to put in my IV -which she proceded to blow the first time.

I was lterially shaking. I can't stand any kind of medical procedures, and have PTSD from the countless surgeries and procedures I have had starting at age 9.

I know that I'm being irrational, but have no control over it. On the other hand, I'm not afraid of dogs at all.....

[warrior1]

55. 11/5/2004

nt