"I Came to a Sudden Halt": 18 Eeriest Experiences Night Shift Workers Have Encountered During Their Shifts
"I glanced outside and saw the shadowy figure of someone standing beneath the streetlight, enveloped by the mist."
Please be advised that this post discusses topics related to suicide and difficult circumstances.
There's something about working into the late hours of the night that makes even the most mundane job a little more terrifying. Recently, redditor Lopsided-Warthog-854 asked the r/AskReddit community to share their creepy night shift experiences that will forever haunt them. Here are their first-hand accounts from working the "graveyard shift."
"I used to work the late shift providing IT support for a college classroom. Since night classes rarely encountered urgent problems, we mainly focused on repairs and maintenance that were difficult to address during the day. I didn’t mind the darkness, so I often skipped turning on the lights when I only needed to quickly check something on a computer. One evening, around 10 p.m., I received a request to install software on a professor’s computer in a classroom I hadn't visited before. As I entered, the room was only faintly illuminated by the soft glow of hallway lights seeping through the door. Halfway across the room, I suddenly froze in place."
A chill ran down my spine, and an intense sensation washed over me: I was not alone. It wasn't merely the feeling of being observed; it was as if I was encircled.
As my eyes gradually acclimated to the dim light, I noticed them for the first time. Hospital beds stretched along the walls, numerous and eerie. Each bed held a shadowy figure, sitting upright and fixated on me.
WOW, UNBELIEVABLE!
"OH, I APOLOGIZE!" I exclaimed without thinking, my heart racing in my chest.
Suddenly, it dawned on me that they were nothing more than fakes. All of them were merely plastic mannequins. I had inadvertently stepped into a nursing classroom.
2. "In the past, I worked the night shift as a janitor in a small office complex. One night, around 2 a.m., while I was mopping the hallway, I suddenly heard the sound of typing on a keyboard. It felt strange since I was alone in the building. Curious, I went to investigate the office where the noise was coming from, only to find all the lights off. As I stepped inside, the typing ceased. To my shock, I noticed the chair at the desk was gently spinning, as if someone had just vacated it. I quickly abandoned my mop and chose to stay in the lobby for the remainder of my shift."
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3. "During my shift as an EMT in the early hours, I received a call to assist the police with a welfare check. Peering through the bedroom window, we spotted a man's legs draped over the edge of the bed. After knocking and receiving no response, it became clear that we were likely dealing with a deceased individual. We forced open the garage door that led into the kitchen, and immediately, the unmistakable stench of death assaulted our senses. Just then, we were startled by a fit of manic laughter that sent shivers down my spine. Who else could be in this house with a body emitting such an awful odor? The police, on high alert, drew their weapons and began to methodically search the premises while the laughter persisted. To our surprise, it turned out to be the man's pet bird."
4. "It was midnight, and I was wrapping up my shift at the restaurant. While I was mopping the dining area, I turned to rinse the mop and caught sight of a massive moose, about 9 to 10 feet tall, peering in through the window. I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat for a moment. Then, without a care, it strolled across the road."
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5. "I used to pull late shifts by myself at a warehouse close to the port (definitely not something that would be acceptable nowadays for safety reasons). One particularly chilly and foggy night, I was operating the forklift around 1 a.m. I glanced outside and spotted a figure standing under a streetlight, completely obscured by the fog. It sent a chill down my spine, as I was accustomed to being the sole occupant of that area after 7 p.m. As the figure slowly emerged from the thick mist, it grew larger, and soon enough, a guy appeared, shouting, 'Hey!' I hopped off the forklift and approached him, unsure if he posed a danger. He flashed me a wide, toothless grin and simply inquired, 'Where can I find the lot lizards?' I pointed him in the direction of the truck stop a few blocks away. I sincerely hope he found what he was looking for that night."
6. "As a night shift nurse, I've seen lots of spooky things, but the one that always creeped me out was at the nursing home I used to work at. It had been an old mansion before being turned into a facility, so it already had creepy Addams Family vibes. But it was just a thing where residents would see a little boy playing in their room before they died. I'd be giving meds or whatnot, and they would look past me and point to nothing ('Is that little boy yours?' 'Why is that boy up so late?'). All of them would die within days of seeing him. Also, it's pretty neat in a way."
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7. "While driving an 18-wheeler at night, I've encountered a few strange occurrences. One particular night, close to midnight, after a long day navigating through heavy traffic near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, I spotted a woman standing between the lanes, her delicate white dress fluttering in the breeze. I hit the brakes hard to avoid a shattered bag of concrete that sent dust swirling everywhere. After that, I quickly found a spot to pull over and decided to get some rest."
8. "Woman's prison guard here. I had just watched Smile, and the next night, while I was in the mental health pod, an inmate was standing in a weird ballerina position with her right hand holding a water cup out from her body perfectly straight and with her head tilted, all while she had the biggest, creepiest smile on her face. She was standing in the exact center of her cell, staring out. In 15 minutes, when I walked by her again, she was just standing still, smiling at the door. In 15 more minutes, she was asleep in her bed, 15 more minutes and she was standing and saying over and over again that she wanted to hurt me and that I should let her out. I had a blank, serious face for every encounter with her, but inside, I was screaming and trying to not be a bitch. She has never done anything like that before or after with me."
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9. "I worked the night shift as a civil engineer on the Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent Net. One night, after I finished an inspection in the south span around 1 a.m., I was driving my cart back on the sidewalk on the main span when I drove past one of the usual white inspector pickup trucks in the closure area. I stopped my cart after passing the truck and looked back, realizing it wasn't one of our official trucks. It was a red civilian SUV with lights on, an engine running, and nobody inside. I went up to the car, and immediately, my stomach sank."
"The keys sat in the ignition, their phone lay on the dashboard, and a note rested on the seat. I quickly contacted the bridge patrol, but first, we needed to gear up and thoroughly search the interior of the bridge to ensure they hadn't descended down there."
We released a flare into the ocean to assist the Coast Guard in reading the tides while they searched for the body. I'm uncertain whether they were able to locate it.
I often reflect on the individual who was so overwhelmed by their suffering that they stopped on the bridge, left their car running, stepped out, and leaped into the abyss below.
10. "I once worked as a diver in one of the massive aquariums at a casino in Las Vegas. This particular tank was located right near the entrance of a bustling nightclub. Our dives began at 3 a.m., and let me tell you, not much good comes out of that hour in Vegas. While I was outside the tank keeping an eye on my diving partner, I noticed some paramedics arrive with a stretcher shortly after. They wheeled out a guy from the club, completely strapped down, laughing maniacally like the Joker, with his eyes rolling back in his head. His face was riddled with countless razor cuts."
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"To be honest, there wasn't a lot of blood, but his face was covered in streaks, and he was completely losing it, laughing uncontrollably."
It was incredibly unsettling, and the surrounding area was eerily quiet; the only sounds I could pick up were the hum of my diver's air compressor and his laughter.
I can only speculate that it was either a bad experience or a bout of psychosis, and I sincerely hope he received the assistance he required. His facial condition may have been permanently affected.
