Something really disturbing just happened

Okay, I gotta admit, I'm a little shaken.

I've been so lucky to get leave from the army to spend christmas with my family this year. Right now, it's just me and my mom who's home. As I'm writing this the clock is 6:05 AM, and I think I'm more scared than I've ever been.

I went to bed about three hours ago, and right before I fell asleep I was reading about the Wow! Signal. And let me just get this out of the way: No, I don't believe in aliens. But still, it certainly adds to the creepiness of what happened.

Around 4:30 AM I awoke to what I can only describe as the sound of a woman screaming in pain. At first, I thought I had to be crazy. But then a couple of minutes passed, and I heard it again, and this time much closer. Then right after that, I heard it a third time, further away again.

I immediately got up and went to my parents bedroom to check on my mom. She was lying in bed, and our dog was sleeping on the floor. I woke her and told her what I heard.

She got up, and we both started to listen after the screaming. It took a good five minutes, but then we heard it again. This time it was faint, as if it was far away. A couple of minutes later, it happened again, but this time much closer and louder. My mom got really scared.

I got my pants on and went out on the porch to see if I could see anything, but alas, I saw nothing. Since then, we haven't heard the screams either.

With my time in the army I've seen and done some weird shit, but nothing like this. The whole episode sent shivers down my back. I contemplated calling the police, but haven't done it so far.

My parents live in a small town in Norway, and it's just under 10.000 people here. Needless to say, this is not normal for my hometown. My mom is scared stiff and can't go back to sleep, and I'm just sitting here writing this, trying to get my head around what happened, and what I should do.

I can't really explain that scream, but it's really burned into my mind. Again, it sounded like a woman screaming in pain, as if she was giving birth or something, but it had an unnatural twist to it. As if she was screaming inward almost. There was almost this distortion to the scream.

Yeah... I just had to write this. Normally I'd get my jacket on and take a look outdoors, but something about this seems... wrong. And on top of that, the streetlights are off during the night, so it's pitch black outside. Think I'll check with the neighbors later and hear if anyone else heard this.

I really don't like this.

@legion_: Call the police! There's really no reason not to. This is precisely what they exist for.

Maybe call the cops and ask them to look around. Could be something dangerous happening to someone. It's not really your responsibility to go and check it out, but you could at least call the cops and tell them you have been hearing screaming.

Well ghosts and shit aren't real so if you are sure you heard screaming, maybe you aught to find out why someone is screaming.

Call the police, that's what they're there for.

Also, why aren't the streetlights on during the night? Isn't that the whole point of streetlights?

Yeah I called the cops right after posting this. They sent a patrol out to check it out.

As for the streetlights, the town is kinda weird that way. They shut off the streetlights for everything but the major roads between 1AM and 6AM. They're back on now, but still, I don't feel comfortable going out there. Mostly because I don't want to leave my mom alone, but also because I'm actually scared for the first time since I can remember.

Police! Police! You've got me scared too! Call the police before something bad happens!

It could be a weird rare case like someone was filming a video/movie outside. Eh, I don't know.

Gaaaahhhhhhhhh..... That'd freak me out too.

I'd call the police and tell them about hearing some screaming. It's their job to check out scary/illegal/dangerous shit.

If you want to write low quality ghost stories masquerading as real life they have a wiki for that

Oh come on! When it's late, you're tired, and you hear something creepy, you can perceive it in odd ways that make it feel more scary. His memory could be playing up the events, but I don't think it's a fake ghost story.

Well done. You may have really helped someone. Let the cops do what they're paid and trained for.

Although, from what you described, a weird inward yell that moved from far to close to far again, it sounds like it may have actually been some kind of wounded animal. Certain animal noises can sound frighteningly human, and usually like women or children, so that fits too. Not that a screaming animal is a great thing, of course, but better than a person in distress for sure.

(Also, I never realized you're Norwegian! Like pretty much every European person I've ever known, your English is perfect. So well done on that too! ;)

It really isn't. I prefaced my post by saying I don't believe in aliens, and I should have prefaced it by saying I don't believe in ghosts either. I don't know what it was, but that scream was the most disturbing thing I've ever heard.

Right now I'm just sitting here by the window waiting for it to reappear. I really want to know what that was, and at the same time I really don't wanna know.

Could it have been an animal making that noise? Cats can make horrible noises sometimes. Maybe a raccoon?

Also, when you say it was close then further then closer, do you mean in relation to the house or just closer to you as if it's inside? If it sounded like it was coming from inside then that would be terrifying.

If it was outside, then it might have been someone in trouble, or someone having a mental breakdown, or someone trying to terrify the neighborhood. Really all kinds of things you can come up with.

That is good that you called the police and I wish you the best of luck on this..mystery.

@legion_: Do any wildcats live in Norway (mountain lions, bobcats, etc.)? Speaking as someone who spent 13 years living in the shadow of a butte that was home to a number of mountain lions, a cougar yowling sounds almost exactly like a woman screaming.

Good on you for calling the cops, regardless of what's going on.

Yeah I thought about it being a animal. At first I thought it might have been a cat, but when cats "yell" they sound more like crying children. That's a creepy noise in it's own right, but at least you know what that is. Then I thought it might be a moose, as we have them in the woods here, but the scream was way too high pitched to be a moose. Also, they give birth around May/June, so I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been a moose giving birth either.

And thanks!

Yea man animals can makes some insane sounds, there is a place not far from where I live called Hap Hazard that always had ghost stories of a woman ghost that would scream at you. It was Bobcats certain calls they have sound 100% like a woman being Butchered alive it is fucking awful.

Not in my area. I live in the north, and most animals up here are domesticated to a degree. Animals that roam freely are mostly moose and fox, and I've never known them to make that kind of sound.

Outside the house! God, I'd be fucking mortified if it was inside. I live in a pretty long street, and at first it sounded like it was right outside my window, then further down the street, then closer again. The last time we heard it, it sounded really close, but again, I couldn't see anything from my porch.

Foxes are capable of quite a terrifying range of sounds.

I got creeped out and started looking up bobcat sounds, per the animal posts. Apparently foxes make crazy sounds at night. Type in "fox sounds" in Youtube and it autocompletes to "fox sounds like woman screaming" or "fox sounds at night."

Try some of these? The vixen call at 30 seconds?

Probably a fox.

@banefirelord: @csl316: Those are pretty chilling actually, but it's not what I heard. The more I think of it, the more I think it was a person. It was screaming kinda mixed with crying, if you get what I mean? That kind of stutter people get in their screams when they're crying at the same time. It was really disturbing.

Also, while there are foxes here, I live in a purely domesticated neighborhood and I've never seen a fox in these parts. You'd have to drive more towards the countryside to find them. We have a cabin in the woods, in there we constantly hear foxes. It sounded different to this.

Oh, so you heard it too? Did it almost sound li

Oh my, that's terrifying. Stay safe duder.

:(

Send it to Mysterious Universe!

When in doubt, remember that the undead do not respond well to light or fire damage but are resistant to piercing and slashing damage. Ghosts are incorporeal and require a powerful magical or silver weapon to hit, so your best bet is to have your local cleric use "Turn Undead"

I fully understand not being unable to get back to sleep after shit like that. Once I accidentally tripped the alarm at my house and had to respond to the cops at like 2 in the morning.

Get back us at the morning and tell us whether it was a fox with a heart or a flower-patterned apron on. For now, get some sleep man it's almost 8 am in europe.

Heh. You live in a real innocent neighborhood. Spine-tingling death rattles are an almost daily occurrence outside my window. Most of the time it's just kids messing around. I live in a horrible part of town, of course.

Wow, that is terrifying!

Wait, you don't believe in aliens, or you don't believe in UFO's? Aliens in UFO's that have visited earth, that I can understand, but not believing in aliens? Anyways, as for the screams thing; I wasn't there, so I can't tell how it was, but imagining it with the way your wrote that, it sounds pretty scary. It was probably an animal though...

You've certainly creeped me out. Good call on getting the cops involved. Better safe than sorry.

Super freaky.

Ive had moments like this. I think I can remember two. My sleep schedule is crap now so I go to bed at like 5 am ish (not related to this sorta stuff) so that means I'm up all night alone.

One was more similar to what you described, I may have been in bed or still up but I heard something that sounded like a scream somewhere outside. At first you're not sure you really heard that so you kinda brush it off, but then I heard it again and I was sure I heard it that time. I was freaked out but just stayed still and think I heard it again some time later. I got up and peeked out of my blinds to see if something was going on outside. Nothing I could see. That was probably the end of it.

The other one was me sitting here at the computer in my room playing a game or browsing web or whatever. Suddenly I swear I hear like a yell or moan in the house. Yet again, you just think you are hearing things at first so you kinda ignore it. Then I heard it again but it was different. I froze up and turned off my speakers and A/C and crap so it was quiet.. Heard it again. I creep out of my room and listen. Heard it again but it came from my mom's room. It was her mumbling in a distressed way in her sleep like she was arguing with someone. I was still super freaked out because I have NEVER heard her do this. And she says she doesn't have dreams (which I find weird). It was like she was possessed like some crazy old lady in a horror movie. I stood in my doorway and listened and she kinda stopped.

Sorry to hear your story, bro. You've done what you can calling the police, stay with your mom.

You reminded me of Year Walk though (which is always a good thing). It's swedish, but I wonder if the mythology is also in Norway as well. Maybe with some variation?

Did your dog freaked out as well? On thes type of ocassions I trust the animals insticnt and if they are not scared-frightened or in alert then it maybe was a wounded animal , but then again were I have lived even if wild , nothing compared to what Norway has to offer.

Did you talk to people in your block? Some should have heard it as well and can maybe shine some light on what happened.

Also damn, that vox call, that's some haunting noises right there.

I'm gonna echo the impression that it was probably a fox or other wildlife. Bear in mind that fox vocalizations can still sound more varied than what's exactly recorded in those low-fi clips. The fact remains that probably millions of people have heard this very sound or something similar, and gone to the internet to express how unnerving it is. If you are personally convinced, all the more reason to call the cops. I'll say, having personally camped for a month in the wilderness of Maine, it was VERY disturbing when I heard foxes the first time, until a friend immediately identified them, and it was still weird to fall asleep in a tent still hearing it.

Owls, too, can sound remarkably like a woman, especially in flight. Only one owl in the world really "hoots" the stereotypical way, and many have surprising vocalizations. This contributes to cultural associations with death and their importance as a bad omen in cultures worldwide, ancient and modern. A fox is a distant sound that moves over time, an owl is suddenly this loud and weird sound, that might fly directly overhead very fast, continuously making this sound that makes you think you're about to die, and then quickly fade away again as it continues flying.

It could be a bunch of different things. Kids walk by our house at night all the time and sometimes teenage girls scream bloody murder over the stupidest shit. It could be someone next door watching a movie and having it up to loud. Or it could really be an issue of concern and someone is in danger. There is one thing I'm almost certain of: that it wasn't something of supernatural origin (though I fully understand that line of thought and am guilty of doing the same)

Also, you don't believe in aliens? The universe is so vast that it's more unlikely for them to not exist.

No reason to not suspect anything but natural, or terrestrial, causes, sounds can behave in the strangest ways. But, yeah, would something like that happen to me, I would be freaked out aswell.

Edit: also, inform the police. Something serious could've happened and they might need to know about that observation

The noise you described almost sounds like an Elk, to me. Sometimes when my wife and I are camping in northern Saskatchewan we get really freaked out by their shrieks.

Still, calling the police was the best thing you could have done in that situation. You may have saved someone's life.

Yeah I would probably call the police just to be sure. As someone said it could also be some kind of wild animal. Animals can make some freaky sounds.

I get freaked out easily at night too and had multiple nightmares as a kid of people breaking in and such. My parents are deep sleepers and my mother sometime takes sleeping pills and is out cold the entire night so I'm the only one hearing things, this one late in to night somewhere around 2-3 AM I heard something downstairs going through our utensils, opening drawers and such, Freaked out as I was I headed downstairs because I wasn't going to sleep until I know what's causing the sound and discovered it was just my mom having some hot milk and a midnight snack.

There was also this time 10 years ago when I was watching some documentary about house hauntings, an half hour later when trying to sleep I hear this scratching noise in the ventilation shaft from the cooker hood near my head. I freaked out and ran downstairs to get my dad which then slapped the part where the noise came from, a loud thud noise followed. Turned out it was a mouse that was crawling around the ventilation.

Never underestimate the sounds drunk people make while walking home...

I live out in the middle of nowhere and for the first few months here was really sensitive to anything I heard in the dead of night - It was either wildlife or someone coming to murder me. I got convinced someone was knocking my windows then finally figured out it was birds building a nest in the guttering above the living room.

That's freaky as shit and I hope things turnes out alright. Some animals can make scream-like noises, though that may or may not be relevant.

Foxes make some creepy ass sounds. I've been awaken to a fox screech a few times and it's very unnerving. I bet that's what it was.

Oh you have those too? I always have a murder of crows nesting and prancing in the gutter above my bedroom window. They always wake me.

You really should contact the police. Ruling out anything out-of-the-ordinary, you could have witnessed something related to a crime. If that's the case, you've got timestamps which could be invaluable. Call the police!

@ravelle: I found out eventually that mine had burrowed in under some rotten timber and actually nested in the attic. Now that the nest is empty I really must get that sorted.