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Folks Online Tell About 27 Terrifyingly Real Things Existing Around The Places They Live
The novels of the 20th century American science fiction writer Harry Harrison tell of "Deathworld"—a planet called Pyrrhus, where literally all living creatures, from plants to animals, sought to destroy people on the planet in every possible way. Someone ironically noted that the writer, apparently, was simply describing Australia...
Well, besides Australia—where literally every harmless spider or caterpillar can be incredibly aggressive and poisonous—in fact, any place on our planet can be really dangerous. So, with today's selection, we will talk about just these kinds of places. More precisely, about life-threatening things and creatures from these places.
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#1
Humans. Seriously. I grew up in Florida, which has plenty of it's own horrifying, terrifying and pretty decent competition for apex predators. Moved to Colorado, learned about mooses and elk, mountain lions.. Although only the mooses and elks actually ever concerned me. Stayed in the Southwest for a bit. Camel Spider are pretty flipping scary! And definitely the humans in the remote parts. D***s, isolation and not a very deep breeding pool in those parts makes that movie The Hills have Eyes too close to reality.
But where we live now. In Mid-Missouri. Seeing, watching, experiencing over the last almost 10 years first hand of fascism taking root. Spreads. Turns people against each other in a feral sort of way. The hate. The in fighting.
The absolute need of a growing amount of people to blame, hate and destroy their neighbors, their communities, and even themselves and own children all in the name of leaders who only worship money, a god they have have truly forgotten and re-formed to excuse their own sins and grants permission to k**l the stewards, worship the elites.
These humans are terrifying, dangerous creatures. A dangerous terrifying animal is dangerous and terrifying out of instinct and survival. These ones are dangerous and terrifying as a choice. Not for survival but for ego and to dodge personal accountability.
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#2
I live out in the country, on a quiet dirt road surrounded by woods. My nearest neighbor is a five-minute drive away, so I’ve always thought of this place as isolated and peaceful. But recently, I’ve had a couple of unsettling experiences. Twice now, I’ve caught two different people emerging from the woods and looking into my house.
It makes me wonder how many times this has happened without me knowing. My dog often goes into a barking frenzy at what I assume is nothing, but now I’m not so sure. I’m starting to realize I might not be as alone out here as I thought.
Matt Blakeley 5 months ago
Pop out at them with what looks like a bloody axe. That will make them reconsider.
#3
I'm in Africa.
There are remote parts here that literally have nothing but radioactive waste from Europe.
In order for European companies to comply with EU regulations, they just dump their waste here.
There was a court case that the locals tried to stop it but everyone was bribed and it all just keeps happening.
We also have limited train systems. The steel railways are stolen, put on a ship and sold to companies in Asia. The government then buys the steel back from the Asian companies. Lots of corruption and bribery.
It all started 4 days ago, when the user u/Chaulmoog asked other netizens in the AskReddit community: "What's the most horrifying thing that exists where you live?" and triggered a real flurry of scary stories—which, in just a couple of days, collected 4.3K upvotes and around 5.5K different comments.
Well, if you exclude the frankly cynical or parody comments like "landlords" or "taxes," you might get the impression that in many places on our planet—whether in a rural area or the very center of a huge metropolis—it may be better not to make the mistake of leaving your room at all.
#4
Every summer, the mosquitoes here unionize, develop a taste for human ankles, and somehow bypass bug spray like it’s a polite suggestion.
Also, landlords.
#5
100+ years ago the slaughterhouses in chicago dumped so much of their waste into the chicago river, that there is a portion of the river that is still bubbling today because there's piles of rotten meat remaining at the bottom.
Edit: Even more horrible, don't look up what happened to the fat that floated to the top of the river back in the day.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
Yeah, let's cut back on government regulations and regulators - they just k**l businesses and companies are very good at ensuring customer and environmental safety. Oh, and who needs scientists and experts to research best practices? Not with my tax dollars! (Extreme sarcasm here, if you couldn't tell. I'm so disgusted with what's going on in the US Federal Government.)
#6
Idiot lawmakers that pit us against one another. F**k that s**t.
Poisonous insects and large predators, sharks and rays, wild boars and packs of stray dogs—literally any living creature can pose a threat to our lives and wellbeing. The only question is: what is the actual probability of encountering these creatures on your way?
Take sharks, for example. Based on the statistics, in 2024, there were 47 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks globally, with 4 fatalities, according to CBS. At the same time, data published in this study shows that between 2012 and 2019, the number of sharks caught by the fishing industry rose from an estimated 76 million per year to more than 80 million.
As you can see, the statistics are far from in favor of sharks. But, in fact, you encounter the most dangerous and aggressive creature on the planet literally every day of your life—and, most likely, you safely avoid any trouble from them, right? To see this dangerous creature—just look at the mirror.
#7
Wild hogs. They chased my neighbor up a tree and waited for 2 hours in hopes he'd come down.
#8
Tornadoes. Quite a few years ago, a town was nearly erased from existence, not terribly far from me.
Seeing the absolute destruction first hand is insane.
WalterWhiteSavannah 5 months ago
4 years ago my birthplace in BC was burned to the ground. Like 99% of the town. It's the 4 year anniversary actually and half of whats been rebuilt was just put on evacuation alert. Climate change ain't real though wildfires just got worse cause of... uhhh... magic or the devil I guess.
#9
I'm in maine, so...pick your favorite stephen king story.
However, for those who live, for example, in the state of Idaho or its surroundings, there may be another hypothetical danger—the Yellowstone volcanic caldera, whose probable eruption, due to its scale, could be disastrous for all life on Earth, not to mention Idaho and the other surrounding states.
Probable eruptions of the Yellowstone caldera have been shown in various disaster movies like "Supervolcano" or "2012," but in fact, scientists today are closely monitoring volcanic activity around Yellowstone, and we're almost sure that they will try to minimize the possible damage from the eruption.
#10
Moose. Surprisingly dangerous.
#11
Probably the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. Woke up to one of those guys in my bed. Wasn't f*****g fun.
What I liked most of the stories told in this collection is the witty admission of one of the responders, who said that they are originally from Maine, so it's worth considering any of the stories or novels by Stephen King. Well, the "King of Horror" often places the action of his works in his home state, so let it be, for example, the clown Pennywise—why not?
#13
Summer. Phoenix, Az.
#14
Sewer rats the size of cats just casually chilling at night.
Mike F 5 months ago
My mother used tell a story about walking home from a bus stop in Detroit when she was young and encountered a rat just on the sidewalk near an alley. She tried to shoo it off (she was a country girl, not frightened of much) and it stood up and turned out to be larger than cat. The country girl became frightened by rats from that moment on.
Petra Peitsch 5 months ago
After the many plagues caused by them in hundreds of years, most of the european cities are trying their best.
#15
Me, I live in suburbia placed nicely in a heavily forested area. Every now and then, I go out into the woods at 1-2 am and blow my Aztec death whistle.
But seriously, life on our planet is constantly changing, animals and plants occupy new territories and adapt to changing living conditions—including human activity. So it's far from certain, for example, that all the elements of this list will be as relevant, let's say, in ten years.
Nevertheless, we'll be grateful if you also tell us in the comments on this post about the most dangerous creatures and things in the area where you live. After all, maybe one of your neighbors had no idea about this—and you'll probably save their lives? Well, or scare the hell out of them—who knows? Anyway, please visit the comments below.
#16
Bad drivers-this probably is a issue everywhere with road rage/parking lot rage, you name it.
#17
Cascadia Subduction Zone
I bet it's pretty well known around reddit but, in a nutshell, the Oregon coast(and Northern California, and Washington), at least as far inland as Portland, will be liquified by a massive earthquake/tsunami that's due "any time now"
"Any time now", in geological terms, could be decades or a couple of centuries. Or tomorrow. It is a perpetual nightmare through waking and sleeping hours, never too far from mind.
Actually, this article makes it sound less scary. Only a 15% chance of it happening in the next 50 years.
SkyBlueandBlack 5 months ago
OMG YES. I've visited Seattle, and I actually love it. But you couldn't pay me enough to live there. I feel much safer here, practically on top of the San Andreas Fault... where the only real worry is wildfire (there were a couple nasty ones today nearby).
#18
Housing costs, both to rent and buy. Absolutely destroying our society, massively increasing economic inequality, and causing so much stress for so many while others profit massively.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
It's so distressing how people with decent jobs can't find affordable housing. I have no idea what can be done about it, especially in this (US) political environment where regulation and price controls will never happen.
#19
Guy got shot at a grocery store because he dared to suggest some return a cart.
#20
Stray dogs that roam in packs at night.
Petra Peitsch 5 months ago
And on days, in many eastern-european countries. Dogs were and are kept more like farm-animals in villages, not like pets. The trend is changing slowly, and in cities dogs are nowadays more like pets, but I would say, for like at least t60-70% of eastern europeans, dogs are still farm animals kept for their guarding or alerting abilities.
#21
Several people in/from my local area have recently died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
#22
Water bugs. Its not much but its a big a*s f*****g bug I saw in my room last night.
#25
Dead people keep washing up on the lakes.
#26
Idaho is like 10 miles from here.
#27
Rattlesnakes, I hate them.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
At least they give you warning before they strike! Just leave 'em alone and they'll leave you alone.
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What do you think ?
Rick Murray 5 months ago
No love for bed bugs? They're a growing problem, rather like the ticks mentioned adjacent.
Rika 5 months ago
Bed bugs are the worst!! I had an infestation a couple of years ago, I still have PTSD from it. I feel like people don't realize how bad bedbugs are because no, they don't carry diseases, but they will mess you up mentally (and financially).
Load More Replies...
Karl der Große 5 months ago
I live in the American Southwest, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever is worse than rattlesnakes and tarantula hawks combined. It is treatable, but often leaves people with brain damage or other disabilities.
Tim Steil 5 months ago
Just up the street from me, there are still bodies from John Wayne Gacy. Everybody knows, but for some reason no one wants to "dig up" the past. https://www.chicagomag.com/real-estate/june-2013/are-victims-of-john-wayne-gacy-buried-in-the-yard-of-this-for-sale-five-flat-on-the-northwest-side/
Libstak 5 months ago
Well, I live in Australia so.....anyway, worst are white back spiders because they are relatively smallish but can show up anywhere, I got bitten, luckily had a fair response in that I had an ulcerating blister about 1 centimetre diameter recurring for 5 years. Others are not so lucky and have flesh rot set in and spread into gangrenous pustules or worse, can even k**l or cause amputations for small children, so yeah.
Justbecause 5 months ago
Bushfires, it would be ok if we could get a decent warning but the mobile phones go out first which means we cant access any warning information. Also our local town still has an air raid siren, gives you the heeby jeebys when you go to town and that thing goes off. They used to do it when all the emergency services were required at a scene but they seemed to have stopped. Town is in a valley so the reverb was pretty chilling.
Rika 5 months ago
A friend of mine once knocked on my door at like 6AM asking to crash on my couch. He explained he got too drunk to walk home and decided to take a nap on a bench at the local park. Well, he woke up to some man staring at him from a distance while rubbing his d*ck... It turned out that man was well-known in the area and everyone was chill about him hanging out in the park at night and playing with his junk.
Rick Murray 5 months ago
No love for bed bugs? They're a growing problem, rather like the ticks mentioned adjacent.
Rika 5 months ago
Bed bugs are the worst!! I had an infestation a couple of years ago, I still have PTSD from it. I feel like people don't realize how bad bedbugs are because no, they don't carry diseases, but they will mess you up mentally (and financially).
Load More Replies... Karl der Große 5 months ago
I live in the American Southwest, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever is worse than rattlesnakes and tarantula hawks combined. It is treatable, but often leaves people with brain damage or other disabilities.
Tim Steil 5 months ago
Just up the street from me, there are still bodies from John Wayne Gacy. Everybody knows, but for some reason no one wants to "dig up" the past. https://www.chicagomag.com/real-estate/june-2013/are-victims-of-john-wayne-gacy-buried-in-the-yard-of-this-for-sale-five-flat-on-the-northwest-side/
Libstak 5 months ago
Well, I live in Australia so.....anyway, worst are white back spiders because they are relatively smallish but can show up anywhere, I got bitten, luckily had a fair response in that I had an ulcerating blister about 1 centimetre diameter recurring for 5 years. Others are not so lucky and have flesh rot set in and spread into gangrenous pustules or worse, can even k**l or cause amputations for small children, so yeah.
Justbecause 5 months ago
Bushfires, it would be ok if we could get a decent warning but the mobile phones go out first which means we cant access any warning information. Also our local town still has an air raid siren, gives you the heeby jeebys when you go to town and that thing goes off. They used to do it when all the emergency services were required at a scene but they seemed to have stopped. Town is in a valley so the reverb was pretty chilling.
Rika 5 months ago
A friend of mine once knocked on my door at like 6AM asking to crash on my couch. He explained he got too drunk to walk home and decided to take a nap on a bench at the local park. Well, he woke up to some man staring at him from a distance while rubbing his d*ck... It turned out that man was well-known in the area and everyone was chill about him hanging out in the park at night and playing with his junk.
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