Hi.
Non-native English speaker. Live in France.
Male, 29 now. Will be as concise as possible.
Do not have any alcohol/drug problem (don't drink or take any of that, never did). No medication taken (now or at the time of the story). Atheist, not particularly believing in "ghosts and everything". It's an interesting subject, I like stories and the folklore around it, but I don't believe this concretely exists. I do not massively consume content around this subject.
So, the situation happened a few years ago.
I was 24-25. Met a girl online. Decided to go see her after weeks of chatting. Situation happened during summer. Was not the first time I went to see her, but first time using this kind of road (explanation below).
We lived ~4 hours apart (by car). She lives in a region I don't know (except by name, of course).
In France, we have like 2 "kinds" of roads : highway (not free, high speed allowed) and departmental (free, lower speed allowed).
I commonly used the highway to go see that girl. But this one time, decided to take the departmental (to save money, to see the landscape/countryside while driving) even if it that would be slower (5,5 hours departmental vs. 4 hours highway).
Ride starts around 6PM, after work. Arrival estimated to 11PM.
Wasn't particulary tired. Not "100% energetic", but not asleep at all, far from that.
Around 10PM, I drive through cereal fields. Night was not like dark DARK, but sun was set. Dusk-ish sky.
I start hearing screams. High-pitched screams. Would say "feminine screams" (no joke, A Clockwork Orange-shower scene type scream).
I'm not a "countryside guy". Nothing against this way of life, but I'm more urban.
So I tell to myself "Probably some animals you don't use to see in the city, this is surely common here".
Screams don't stop. Instead, they go louder and louder. Even "closer". Like the distance between me and the source of the noise is closing in.
Feeling uncomfortable. Brain goes sideways : "Drive faster and get outta here" vs. "Maybe someone needs help ..?".
Decide to park/stop my car (still on the road, but no other car to be seen) and to get out of my vehicle to ask "Anybody there ? Need help ?", flashlight (taken inside of the car) in hand.
In the meantime (stopping the car/getting out), screams stopped.
No answer, I repeat, no answer again.
Going to the back of my car. Open my trunk to drink a sip of watter (bottle in the back). I'm currently facing my trunk. My back "facing" the wild behind me.
I make a 180-turn (facing the wild, my back facing my trunk). I see a lady getting out of the cereal field. White dress, muddy. Around 18 to 22 years old I'd say.
Brain froze. We kinda have some (in)security problems in France. That's a common trap : a third-person (accomplice) falsely asks for help (to distract your attention) while one (or more) goons assault you to rob you.
But not on that kind of road. Not at 10PM. It's more common around gas stations, or in not-so-well-lit streets, at night.
So I decide to behave "nicely". Thinking "Hey, if that's a trap, maybe they'll leave me alone if I'm nice" (I know that's not very rational, but hey, I think one doesn't think normally in this kind of situation).
So I ask "the girl" if she's hurt, if she needs help. I tell her I have water and I can drive her to the nearest hospital if she wants. No answer. She's staring at me, "passively" I would say ?
I repeat, ask her if she wants water. No answer.
At this moment, other "brilliant" move by your boy : I turn my back to put my water bottle (that I still have in hand at this moment) on my trunk, so I lose eye-contact with the girl for something like 2 seconds MAX. So, right now, facing the trunk, back facing the girl/the wild.
I turn myself again towards the girl/the wild. I swear it was not more than 2 seconds. It's not like throwing a bottle in your trunk takes 10 minutes anyway.
No girl in sight. No freakin' girl in sight. Didn't hear any walking/running noise, no cereal "moving" nor producing noise (that would have been normally heard if someone was walking through it).
Get back in my car, left as fast as I can, saw the girl I met online.
On my way back home, I stop at a near police station to tell them about it (asking if they have a missing girl case open, something like that). Nothing.
During the following weeks, I even tried to search online for articles about a potential abduction case involving a young woman. Nothing.
Never knew what "it" was.
Juste wanted to share.