Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1tbfq6t/i_started_jogging_again_but_i_will_never_again_go/

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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/sojournerpluviophile on 2026-05-12 21:42:11+00:00.

To understand what happened, you need to know the layout of that neighborhood. My house is on the right side of a street that sprouts out of a major town road. If you go to the end of our street, there's a T-intersection with a cul-de-sac on the left and an incline down to the woods on the right. Sometimes I see other neighbors up early, walking dogs or getting some exercise in before the day starts. Personally, I've never liked dogs. The neighborhood is crawling with cats, who allegedly hunt venomous snakes. Seeing one of them strolling down the gutter does not give me the same anxiety as when a dog on a leash lunges at me barking. I'm a pretty big guy too.

Sometimes, when I'm out jogging, I see my neighbor from across the street. She's a dedicated runner, and it seems like every time I'm out at dawn, she's sprinting up the street from the direction of the T-section, barely skimming the ground, her LED visibility bracelet flashing green. I haven't learned her name yet, though we are on amicable terms. If we pass each other on opposite sides of the road, she always greets me with a quiet "Good morning!" and I'll do the same. She also goes on a walk every evening. I wish I had that level of commitment.

Yesterday, I tried to wake up earlier and have time to spare when I arrived at work. After changing and warming up, I stepped out onto the dark street. It was still and empty. My glasses immediately fogged up from the dampness, and when they cleared, the illumination from the streetlamp shone in translucent cones. Moss draped the magnificent live oaks growing in yards up and down the street. I started jogging with my flashlight in one hand, and did a loop around the end of the street near the main road, then headed back and past my house. I was dripping sweat by now and slowed a little as I went downhill on the side street. The houses here are all older, many with wrap-around porches, and the street gets darker as you approach the dead-end near the woods.

Then, my flashlight caught something in the woods. I ignored it at first, but when the bouncing light reflected in the two eyes again, they were closer. It stepped out from the tree line. Now, we have coyotes here, people say they see them digging through the trashcans, but this was much bigger than a coyote. It was lean and rough, growling with its ears pulled back against its head. I turned on a dime and struggled up the hill, lungs burning, certain that the wolfish creature, which probably stood five feet tall, was after me. If it was, I'm sure I wouldn't be around to write this. To make things worse, the streetlights shut off, as scheduled, but it was still too dark to see well. When I reached my front door, I slammed the glass door, locked it, and watched.

The sun was barely up. I got a drink of water and glanced back at the door. My neighbor was sprinting up the street, impossibly light and silent as always, green LED bracelet blinking. She entered her own house, but it was strange. A chill ran down my spine as I realized why. She hadn't been out a moment ago, and there was no way she would have started and finished in the half-minute I had stopped watching the street.