have you ever stared death in the eyes?

[Maveric]

In CoH our characters are practically immortal. However, in real world, we know that if some blade weilding pyschomaniac slashes you fifty times or you fall off a sky skyscraper.... game over.

So, any forum members here have any "near death" experiences?

i've had a few myself, but he last time happened in a movie theater....

I was bored and went to the movie theater to catch a flick. There wasn't any good movies showing but I was bored so I decided to watch Dumb and Dumber. I really have a strong disliking for most slapstick comedies but like I said, I was bored....

I bought some twizzlers and a soda and took my seat inside the theater. I had my choice of seats as NO ONE was inside, appearantly I was the only loser bored enough to go see this movie. And so the movie begain and I watched...

I was surprised... I mean it was so terribly stupid, sooo unbelievably dumb that it was HALARIOUS! I've never laughed as hard while watching a movie as I did that movie. Then came the Toilet Scene... For those who don't know, the movie is about these two bumbling idiots who go on an adventure to return a briefcase full of money to a mysterious lady... anyways in this particular scene one of the guys (Jim Carrey) pours a half of a bottle of concentrated liquid laxative in his buddy's coffee as payback for dating the girl he is interested in.... Anyways the guy arrives at the girl's house and then the laxative kicks in and he runs straight to the bathroom, then halarity ensues... during the scene he is convulsing on the toilet I laughed so hard I starting choking on the twizzzlers I was eating. I started choking and sufficating for what seemed like several minutes. I started to lose consciousness everything started to go dark and I started to see a light in the distance (it was probably just the movie screen but ya never know). And the only thing I could think about was-

"**** me!, I'm going to appear in tomorrow headlines in the newspaper as the man who died alone in a movie theater while watching a stupid Jim Carrey movie..."

then I swallowed the bit of twizzler and took a great big gasp of air and started coughing...

[Solario]

Numerous times, now I just need to remember the latest. Hmm.. Nope, a lot of them are really trivial, but I do remember an incident when I was younger. I was climbing around on a tree, and decided that this was enough, and it was time to go in, so I jump down and my collar is caught on a branch. So basically I'm outside my grandma's house, the grownups are inside, and I'm trying to scream for help, all the while not trying to choke by my former collar-turned-noose. After a while, I imagine it to be minutes, but it's probably less, I manage to wiggle free and hit the ground face first, and lie there for a couple of minutes wheezing for air.

Last year I was riding my bike home from a classmate's house, and while going down the steepest hill in the area, my prop stand is getting looser and looser, which results in it going completely loose and getting jammed in my back wheel. I'm throw off the bike and just when I think it's done, I hit a lamppost head first. So now I'm there lying on the street, bleeding from my face, knees, elbows and hands, but fortunately the second car that passes stops up and helps me to the side of the road, where I sit for a rough 15 minutes, before I wobble over to the nearest shop, where they call me a cab to take me home. Then to add insult to injury, there's a massive motorcycle parade on the street where my house is. And apparently they don't stop. I try arguing with a police man to get them to stop for 10 seconds, but apparently the kid who's bleeding from the head, arms and legs isn't a priority. So that ends with me running as fast as I can in my poor state between motorbikes that are roughly going 50 miles an hour.

Which is another reason, I can't stand police officers.


But hey, I'll probably have another story after wednesday, where I'm helping my drunkard, ex-junkie of a sister move from her abusive boyfriend (who she also abuses) to her new flat. Luckly he's probably either stone-drunk or wallowing in pain, because of his deadly liver disease after 40 years of drinking.

Moving is fun.

[Alumette]

For about the first five years of my life there was a question as to whether or not I would live. I don't remember much of it, or of feeling particularly scared, so I don't know if it counts or not.

My body had this strange condition in which it wouldn't take nourishment from food. I had to go weekly for tests and they would put me on every kind of diet they could think of to try to find something that my body would be willing to use. They think it was because of my dad having been exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, but they're not really sure. My growth rate was sooooo far behind and that's why I'm so petite now, I guess. I was always the shortest person in the class, etc. In essence my body was starving itself and as such I wasn't growing because it didn't have the building blocks it needed.

I remember going to the doctor every week, from the time I was a baby, to get blood drawn and whatnot. It was so normal to me that by the time I was 2 or 3, I would just go into the little triage room and lay my arm out on the table. My veins in my arms had been punctured so much from the testing that they had to start taking blood from my neck. I remember my parents being worried for much of this time, but I didn't understand what there was to worry about. I was happy, just tiny; and I couldn't figure out why I always had to eat different food from my family, because of all the special diets they had me on. My mom says one time when I was about 3, the night before a doctor's appointment, we were all sitting around the table and I was eating something or other, and my family had a normal dinner, and I said earnestly, "Maybe tomorrow Doctor So-n-so will let me eat real food." :)

Another instance in which I was too young to understand the gravity of the situation was when I was about 7 or 8. I was hospitalized for 8 weeks with some kind of horrible food poisoning. I had to be fed intravenously the whole time, and they kept me in isolation: only my immediate family was allowed to visit, and they had to suit up in masks and gloves the whole time they were there. No one under 14 was allowed to visit. I remember standing on a stool and waving to my best friend who was down in the parking lot, because she was too young to come up and visit me. :( And I remember being soooooo bored. And really missing my mom and dad a lot, because they had to go to work and such during the day. Not being able to eat for 8 weeks sucked too, although I had no appetite. Say what you want about hospital food, but that first tray of solid food they gave me the day before I was released was manna from heaven. I still remember what was on it: clear chicken broth, a poached egg, dry toast, orange jello, and apple juice. Among all the fine restaurants in the world where I've eaten, that hospital meal ranks among my top 10 meals of all time in my life. :)

Perhaps that's why I love food so much now. :)

These aren't as dramatic as some of your stories, but things definitely hung in the balance for me I suppose. I wouldn't call it staring death in the eyes so much as trying to fly below its radar for a period of time.

And now that I think about it, what a grim thread!

[Seadevil]

I can think of four, actually, but they're all like Alumette's (happened when I was little, don't really remember alot of it myself). Yes, I had a death wish as a kid.

When I was born, I was slightly anemic and had a severe case of asthma, which I still had until about 7th-8th grade, and it was very, very hard for me to breathe. I'm told from my parents that literally right after I was born, the nurse cut the cord, grabbed me, and took me to ICU or some such wing. I stayed there for about a month (i think) in an oxygen tent until the doctors thought I was well enough to go home. My dad's said that he would just stay there some nights and cry because they weren't sure if I would make it.

The second is pretty much the same as the first, but happened when I was about 8 or 9. It got to where I had such a hard time breathing that I was blue in the face from lack of air. My mom rushed me to hospital, the nurses met her at the door and again rushed me off and I again stayed in an oxygen tent for a while. I actually remember bits and pieces of this, mainly family coming to visit and one instance where I was pointing out something in a Ninja Turtle coloring book.

The next instance happened when I was about 1. I was still in my walker and was running around the house. I got out of my folks sight, got into the bedroom and started tugging on a cord, which happened to be connected to an iron, which was still plugged in for some reason. I pulled it down and it hit me directly in the eye, bounced, and hit my left forearm. I was burned pretty bad and at the hospital they had to get the burned skin off of me for some reason. My sister was in there when they were doing it because my mom didn't want to go in. She says I kept saying "sister, no no, sister" (I call her Sister) as they were doing it. I turned out fine though. The only 'reminder' I have from it is a very, very faint scar on my forearm where the iron hit.

The last one isn't a life-or-death thing, but it's kinda sorta close. I was still an infant and somehow got some bleach or some such liquid in my eyes. We washed it out as much as we could, took me to the doctor, he checked me out and was honestly baffled at how I wasn't blinded.


Yeah, this thread is ****ed. O_o

[Charon]

Well, I burnt my hands extremely badly when I was 2 years old and almost died from the damage to my veins in the wrists.

My brother, however, almost drowned in a swimming pool, because he had an asthma attack and then bassically slipped under the water without anybody noticing. He claims that when you're drowning, just as you're running out of oxygen, you go into a state of almost euphoria, where you just sort of let go of trying to breath, and just float around as if nothing matters because death is inevitable.

However, that's where my dad fished him out and some life guard gave him CPR, so he could just be bull****ting me. :)

[Stalking Shadow]

The closest thing I can think of was when I fell off a see-saw and broke my arm. I passed out for two hours.

There was also the time when I was fencing, and my opponent's foil broke and went into my left bicep, but I didn't really pass out. I just shouted "ow". Really loud and repeatedly. Sort of like, "ow... ow. ow! OW! OW! GETITOUTGETITOUTGETITOUT!"

[Maveric]

And now that I think about it, what a grim thread!

i'll take that as a compliment :p

-Mav

[Mahaf]

The only time I can remember was when I was about 8. I was at a friend's house, and we were in her pasture (Which had bulls in it). Her dog had been following us, and somehow managed to make a bull mad. The bull charged at us, and we were running to get over the fence before the bull gored/stomped/killed one of us. Well, along the way, my friend tripped on a large rock that stuck out of the ground. Without thinking, I stopped and turned to help her up (I'm not just blowing my own horn here, I did stop and turn back. It probably wasn't the smartest move for my own well-being, but in situations like that where your friend is in trouble, your first thought isn't your own well-being I guess..). Now, this may just be my panic in the moment, but as I was helping her up, I looked up to see where the bull was. It was about 4 ft. right above us, it's front legs high in air from where I guess it had reared up when I turned back to help my friend (On a side note, one of the best things to do when you're in the middle of a field and a cow is charging is to run at it and make noises... It usually stops the charge. If you can get over a fence, though, that's what you want to do.). We got up off the ground, and high-tailed it over that fence safely. Needless to say, we stayed out of the field after that.

[Cold Quake]

I almost got decapitated by a coffee table once.

...dang. That sounds odd. :P

[IamLink]

^^My finger was cut off by a coffee table, lol.

(still have it, just cant use it that well)

[Istasi]

I nearly split my brother's ear in half on a coffee table.

[Mahaf]

<throws his coffee table out the back door, vowing never to return to his own backyard.>

[The Widowed]

Oh, what a charming thread. What ever can we contribute?

*chatter chatter chatter*

Rachel's story: i was riding my bike to work about five years ago (i was living alone and i didn't have a car anymore). And i had to take Missouri Bottoms road down to Bridgeton. That road didn't have a shoulder, it was nothing but a little strip of rock between the road and the ditches and trees and cars would pass close enough to almost touch the handlebars. So one day here comes this big Schnucks truck and it flies right past me. I never knew how much suction an 18 wheeler makes until it blew past me, and i started teetering on my bike and trying to lean out of it because the last thing i wanted was to go under the tires of an 18-wheeler. Good thing i was able to keep my balance just long enough for the truck to pass, then i got yanked by the blast of air following the truck, teetered some more and fell over in the middle of the road. It scratched me up pretty good, but i was still in one piece.

Ed's cool story: This was back when I was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana. There was this one part where the Missouri River went through the Rainbow Dam; You had the reservoir on one side and this big-ass erosion basin on the other. It was like a small canyon, so one day I went down there and decided to do a little freehand rock climbing...no rope, no pulleys, no pitons, just me and my hiking boots. It was about a 200-foot climb with plenty of handholds. But it was twice that I had those handholds break off in my hand while my other hand was going up for a new handhold, and both times I was lucky enough to lunge and grab another handhold just as I started to fall backwards. One time was at about the halfway point of the climb and the other was about thirty feet from the top, meaning that I probably wouldn't be getting up and walking away if I did fall either time. So I made it to the top, and the next day I went in and told Sgt. Indreland about my big adventure. He'd lived in Montana most of his life (even before the Air Force), he's a much bigger outdoorsman than I am and he was kind enough to tell me that the Rainbow Dam's cut-out was nothing but shale, which is a pretty damn fragile rock...pretty sucky at supporting somebody's weight. So I had the sense not to go climbing down there ever again.

Ed's wussy story: More fun in the great outdoors. I was hiking through the woods behind Truman Park up in Hazelwood, and I'd made it all the way down one of the trails back where the forest starts running into farmland. So I was walking up along the hill and I heard two men talking just down the hill over the creek, but I couldn't see them through all the scrub. They were probably from the one little ranch on the other side of that creek. I could also see a bunch of these fat, noisy squirrels bouncing around the tree branches near that same creek and I didn't think too much of it. After about ten seconds of pushing through brush and hiking past all this, suddenly this shotgun blast ripped out over where the two guys were and some of the scattershot sprayed the tree behind me, about two feet over my head. So I just went with my first impulse and rolled down behind another tree nearby. Those buttheads shot a lot more times before I guess they finally figured they'd nailed enough of those damn squirrels, got on their ATV's and rode off. Fools didn't even come up to collect the dead squirrels for meat or anything, they'd just been using a bunch of live animals for target practice. Bastards. So I'd been lying down motionless behind that tree for what was probably the longest five minutes of my life with that damn scattershot peppering the trees all around me, and for some stupid reason it never occured to me that I could've just shouted for those two buttheads to hold their fire. I wish I knew why I didn't. I guess I was just too afraid of getting shot. :|

Okay, your turn. :D

[ChairLegOfTruth]

Funny that you should mention a knife-weilding maniac. It's a story about how being tea-total saved my life.

Mid 90's I was at University (mature student don'tchaknow). Coming out of the pub late one night in a pretty foul mood. They'd stopped serving the alcopop I liked and since every other form of booze taste to me like many cleaning products smell I had been on the soft drinks all night. Any way my mates headed off to their digs and, since this was our local I headed, the other way towards mine about 100 yards away.

Suddenly some guy steps in front of me a 6 inch blade winking at me in his hand. He was like a classic mugger; dirty denim jacket, jeans t-shirt and a woolen cap. I remember him screaming for my wallet and I tried to keep calm as I reached into my jacket but I was getting pretty scared. He must have thought I was armed (and we're talking about the UK here, but he was pretty out of it) since he screamed and went for me.

The adrenaline kicked in and I had a personal version of what the movie industry would call bullet time. The knife went for my heart and I stepped to my left. My right hand grabbed his wrist and my left palm pushed against his elbow as he went past me. There was a sickeningly wet snapping sound and I felt the bones of his forearm snap beneath my hand. He continued screaming and I just stood there in shock. My friends had heard the disturbance and a couple of them had come running back. One of them must have pursuaded me to let go of the guys wrist; I remember sitting on the curb and emptying my stomach while someone rubbed my back and someone else was seeing to the lunatic.

Eventually the cops and paramedics turned up. The former took my statement and the latter carted the guy off after making sure I was unhurt. Someone helped me home.

The thing is had I been drinking my system would have been softened, I'd have been less afraid and my reactions would have been slower. I'd have been dead.

I've been tea-total ever since.

[Nyx]

Bwaha. I had an idea for a thread like this once...

My Freshman year of college, I participated in a week-long missions and service trip to Mexico. I was on the kitchen team, and helped make meals for the volunteers who actually went out and did stuff in the community.

Well, the big concrete kitchen building we worked in had electricity to run the lights and the industrial sized refrigerator/freezer. All the heating of water and cooking was done with propane on massive grills. The kitchen contained all of 13 propane tanks, each of which being about four feet tall.

I think it was Wednesday night, about 10 minutes before we were going to serve dinner. The entire camp (and we were base camp, so we fed about 2000 people), was full of people, and the kitchen workers were scurrying around busily, getting the food ready. I remember looking through a rack for a spatula or something, when I hear the head cook order everyone outside the building.

I didn't know what for, but I went, and so did all the other student volunteers. After a moment, he said it was okay to come back in. I found out later what had happened.

Turns out the rubber supply hose that ran propane from the tank to the grill caught on FIRE. We don't know how or why. The cooks didn't know why it simply extinguished itself, either, but it did. Everyone I tell this story to wonders why I'm still alive, to say nothing of the 2000 other people in the 8-acre area.

[Tarkenchi]

Lets see... When i was about 5, we had this big pillow thing set up, and i tried doing a front flip, landed on my head, couldn't walk the next day in kindergarden ( i remember it, hurt sooo bad), when i was 6, i nearly choked to death... When i was about 8 I nearly drowned, but my brother saved me.

I could have died on my motorcycle, but luckily i was wearing a helmet (Went head first into a parked truck... metal, truck... the helmet had a damn crack down it... Uhm, lets see, I could have died at the gokart track when the guy behind me came into the park area full throttle and i was getting out about that point, got some bad whiplash, and almost flew out of my go-kart...

I wandered into my donkeys pasture when i was a wee kid, but he didn't try killing me, so, all in all, I haven't really come too close to the grim reaper...

[Druid]

I just happen to do alot of dumb things.

I was out in the woods on a camping trip with some friends. We had been climbing various trees for sport and had just found a real sweet looking one. An enormous tree was leaning on a smaller tree. It was too good of an oppurtunity to miss. We climbed and I had to show up my friends. I climbed about thirty feet up onto the smaller upper branches. My friends started yelling at me to come down, to which I responded, "No worries this branch is strong." Of course I had to prove my point and therefore kicked the branch which promptly snapped under me. I got about half a second of suspension to think about how dumb that was before I fell the entire thirty feet. I landed on my feet and did a nice bounce back up into the air finally landing on my back. I walked away unharmed but rather shooken.

Another time a friend convinced me to try out his new sport. Tree hopping (I really ought to stay away from trees eh? :P ) We climbed about twenty feet up and then he jumped onto a sappling and attempted to balance on it. It was unable to support him and bent lowering him gently to the ground. I figured I weaigh less so should be fine, jumped and had no sooner snatched the tree then it snapped sending me plummeting to the ground. I hit the ground hard on my back, lost my wind, and as a final humiliation had the very same tree that snapped land ontop of my chest. That one smarted.

Another time we were white water rafting. We had finished all of the tough rapids, the class fives of the river, and were going through the last class 4. Unfortunately I was in the front and had little to grip as far as the legs went. We hit one wave and I lost my balance and before I could recover it we hit another one. I went out of the boat but as a sheer force of coincedence the direction of my fall took my foot right in front of the face of one of my friends who in fear of himself snatched the mysterious object flying at him and yanked down. This pulled me back into the boat and just above the rock that would have ripped open my face. Cheers for my friends sense of self preservation! :D

[inkblaster]

Yeah I got bunches o scars and scrapes, but the only thing I guess that counts as life threatening is my evil kenivel impersonation as a toddler.

I had one of those cool horses with the wheels on them, and my sister was down in the basement, so I wanted to be down there too. Being about 4 I had no concept of how something that rolls ok on the floor, doesn't do so good down stairs. I got a nice scar above my left eye to show for it, apparently I almost killed my mother that day too of a heart attack.

Dang, you guys's stories are much cooler than mine, I'll shut up now.

[Ghost_Boy]

I almost drowned when I was eleven. It was during a sixth grade graduation field trip to Adventure World (which is now Six Flags America). I misread the water markers on one of the slides and thought that the 10 foot deep pool was the 5 foot deep pool. I hit the water, shot straight to the bottom and panicked. A lifeguard had to dive in and pull me out. I nearly died and my entire grade level was there to witness it.

[Solario]

Since we're talking near-death experiences and not just harmful near-death experiences, I guess I should mentioned that I was once caught by a whirlpool while swimming, I got pulled under and a friend of mine, who hates being under water dow down and pulled me up.

About 10 months ago, I was walking home from a party completely wasted with a friend of mine. On our way home, we're stopped by these two "chavs" (ask your fellow briton for further explanation of the term), who kept bugging us about what football team we liked. Neither of us really enjoyed anything but national games, but apparently that wasn't a well enough answer, since the two guys begin provoking us and throw beer in our faces. One of them tries to start a fight, and me and my friend, both too drunk to win a fight, but sober enough to know it, take off running. My shoe falls off, I decide I'm not going to be pushed around, runs back after it, where I'm punched and kick in the stomach. Luckily the guy who did it was just hopped up on coke and beer, that the kick and punches were so soft, I could barely feel it. But he still manages to kick me over a gardenfence. He apparently forgets about me and starts chasing my friend. I put on my shoe and takes off running past him and to my friend, and we run for a couple of miles. I was in so bad shape, that usually I couldn't run for more than a mile, but the adrenaline had kicked and we just kept running.
Later I discover that this nice cokefiend is the best friend of one of my friend's cousin. He now knows what he did and has decided to stay clear of my circle of friends ever since. I had an urge to go after him afterwards with a baseball bat, but my friends calmed me down.

Anyway that's one of the many reasons I've started to work out lately.

I have also once been chased by a crazy guy with a knife. The police does nothing about it, because apparently "he can't help it" and "he's not a danger to anyone."

[Sun-Scarab]

City Buses: 3 near hits .
the last one was the closest to a hit like i was half thinking i wouldn't get out of the way this time , but i got a cold chill from that last one, maybe it was Grim callin me a tease.

[Randomus]

Yeah, one time. His eyes are the blue of damned souls. Good guy, though. Interesting views on Aristotle. Great casserole recipes.

[Mahaf]

Yeah, one time. His eyes are the blue of damned souls. Good guy, though. Interesting views on Aristotle. Great casserole recipes.
Funny you guys have mentioned his name.. Mahaf has just found out in-game that he and the Grim Reaper are one and the same. :o

(Oh yes, I am writing as we speak..)

[MikeKAY]

Funny you guys have mentioned his name.. Mahaf has just found out in-game that he and the Grim Reaper are one and the same. :o

(Oh yes, I am writing as we speak..)

I was under the impression that the Grim Reaper was Kronos?

[the_starcrosser]

Hmmm. I'm not sure i've had any true near death experiences... unless i'm forgetting any, in which case, maybe nyx will remind me. I think there's something i'm forgetting.

But i HAVE:
Stabbed myself with an exacto knife (age three)
Chopped myself with a hatchet (age six)
Cut my right index finger to the bone with a pocket knife (age eleven) That one needed stitches.
Got my hand chewed up by a dog (age fourteen) My own experience with "bullet time"! It looked like it took about 30 seconds for this dog to slowly masticate my hand, and i tried to pull my hand out between bites, but all the people around me saw was flashing fangs and OM NOM NOM GAWRRRGH.
I also had a severe allergic reaction to shrimp when i was.... five? I could have died by the time the doctor got us off of "hold" and said to rush me to the emergency room, but mom had dosed me up with a large amount of benadryl and i was fine.

Dang, i know i'm forgetting something. i don't think it was the plane depressurizing... hmm. :confused:

Edit: Maha! Of course, i did DANCE with death once.... he had a kazoo. :D true story.

[Solario]

You reminded me, starcrosser, I was also once attacked by a rabid dog, it bite my arm and didn't let go. My mom managed to free me. It was on a leach, which was bound outside a store, so it couldn't really persue me. My mom got so pissed, she went into the store and demanded to know who the dog owner was, where she proceeded to ask her whether or not the dog owner knew why the dog might have attacked her. Next thing I know, this psycho lady jumps my mom and starts scratching her and kicking her, until the dog owner makes a run for it.

We proceeded down to the police station to file a report about it, but yet again authorities failed to help me. We finally made it to the doctor afterwards and my mom, not me, actually had to get a shoot, because of that psychotic bitch.


EDIT: You know, I think I just had a breakthrough. After writing these stories I've realised why I have such a distrust of authorities. Because everytime I've needed them, they've never been there or been adequate.

[WingedAvenger]

I don't think I've ever been in a situation I would called "staring death in the eyes". I lead a sheltered life. I'm more worried about (dun dun duuuuuuuunnnn.....) Carpel Tunnel! (whhhhoooooooo!!!) :o

[Dark AngelHawk]

I've had quite a few inccidents. Some are my own doing because I tried to do the greater good. Most of those are about 3-5 years old ago.

Then there are those because I was just too damn curious.

But there are a few that do come to mind here. My dad told me a years ago that when I was about 2 years old I had milk poisoning. That I knew, however I was never told till then that my heart had stopped and the doctors swore I was gone for. So I was really almost dead but I don't remember it at all.

There are times I have almost had myself killed in situations because I thought of the welfare of others above myself. Those are long stories and I'd rather not get into all of em.

I've been through some crazy **** and there were times I would have rather been dead then go through it, but in a way it's why I want to protect people in a way as well. I never want people to see some of the things I have.

What I want to say in this most of all is a dream I have had in the past and it's a reason I do not fear death. It started at my funeral. People were standing over my body crying and I floated above watching them all. I was sad because they had not taken my advise to live on as I had asked instead of being sad. I think what got me most was seeing a friend of mine cry that I had never seen cry before. I began to beg the spirits, god, whatever there was to let me say goodbye just once more. And so I got my wish and I walked up to my aunt and she looked at me and gasped. I saw myself in a golden light and stepped up to the stairs where everyone was looking down to my body from. I stood tall and looked around.
"Do not worry I am ok my loved ones. I will be around but I had to go because I was needed. Know that I will be watching over all over you and protecting you all as well. I love you all, I am sorry. Goodbye."
I saw them all watch me vanish from their eyes and they all seemed shocked and eased as well. I felt better too.
Then soon after that I was taken to what seemed to be the middle of the earth and I was briefed as to what my mission was. I was to protect this world with many others and see to it that neither fell nor became corrupt. I ended up fighting evil spirits and demons and I had come to protect family members from things as well.
Now I know this sounds just off the wall but it was too real for me to tell you. It honestly assures me that I will be doing something that I kinda believe in when I pass. Call me crazy if you want but there's my story.

[Bagman]

I've had a lot of accidents when I was a kid, but I was fairly clumsy and stupid(the not afraid kind of stupid) but I have a recent near-death experience that happened last year.

My fiance and I were getting ready to move, and we had an old portable grill out back that we hadn't used in forever. It was the middle of the summer, and I thought I'd just roll it around front and just give it away to whoever wanted it.

So I go outside, and as soon as I lift the lid of the grill, a cloud of wasps come flying out. Apparently they had made a big nest just on the inside of the grill. I probably should have noticed the wasps flying inside the air holes in the bottom if I was thinking correctly.

Well, they went right for my face. I immediately went into flight mode(fight or flight I mean, not super flight) while pulling my shirt over my head in the hopes of getting the horrible things off me. The worst part is the sound so close to you. I didn't even feel the burns of the stings till afterwards.

So I run all the way to front of the house, and I start banging on the front door. Unfortunately, my fiance was taking a nap, and I wasn't about to go back to the backyard and try for the backdoor. So I'm standing there shirtless, banging for all it's worth on the front door, and my head burning with the stings of the little monsters.

Finally, she comes to the door, and she's all upset, cause she was sleeping and thinks I locked myself out and she thought I was overreacting or something because I couldn't get in.

She immediately sees my face is all red and I tell her what happened. We run inside, and the first thing I think of is to call my parents(they are doctors). Of course, my mom shouts over the phone "go to the hospital now!"

We live fairly close the hospital, maybe a 5 minutes drive, so I decide to try to drive there myself with my fiance. She is not from the US, and never learned to drive. Well, while I'm going there, my head starts expanding like a big red balloon.

My ears are swelling so much that I have trouble hearing, and my eyes start getting squished also by the swelling. My fiance is crying and shouting at me. I'm a pretty good driver though, even when I'm distracted, so I make it to the hospital and pull into ER.

I ran straight to the front desk, and at first the nurse there ignored me, giving me some paperwork to fill out. She didn't even look up at me. By this time, my heart is beating like crazy, and I faint right there in front of the desk.

The nurses immediately come running and put me in a wheelchair and wheel me into a spare ER room. I get stabbed with needle for the IV, and they stick tubes up my nose to help me breath. They pump me full of drugs and watch and wait.

Finally my heart rate and breathing come back to normal. The doctor comes to talk to me and says if i had waited any longer, I might have suffocated from the swelling around my throat, not to mention the shock from my heart pumping like crazy. Anyway, they watched me for about 4 hours, as the swelling went down, and I returned to normal.

Afterwards, I was hoping for some kind of wasp like super powers, but unfortunately the wasps were not irradiated.

The next day, some of my overzealous friends came over and with careful use of a whole bottle of starter fluid, wads of newspaper, and matches, totally charred the wasps and their nests inside the grill. I watched from the safety of my kitchen window :(

I know it's evil, but watching the little bastards come flying out one by one on fire and smoking, and eventually falling the ground dead was very satisfying.

When my friends finally got the whole paper nest out, it was charred black, we could see the larvae wiggling around and out of their holes. One of my friends stamped on them splattering them all over our concrete back porch.

[Metropolis1927]

When I was about 18, I was working at a grocery store. On Tuesday evenings a big semi truck would arrive and I had to stay in the truck and unlaod the boxes onto a conveyor belt.

On one particular night the truck was a mess - the boxes were not loaded well and I noticed that, as I was about half way through the truck, there was a solid "wall" of boxes stacked about 9 feet tall that was swaying back and forth. I decided to move slowly and pull some boxes from the row in front of the swaying "wall" so that I could get close enough to pull some boxes off the top row. It was like a life-sized "Jenga" game; I pulled a few and things were going ok when I lifted the wrong one. Suddenly, I saw the entire wall of boxes toppling over at me. I leaped to the opening of the truck as the boxes crashed down behind me. The top boxes hit my shoes, and there was a tremendous crashing sound as case upon case of peanut butter smashed. I had just leaped in time to not be hurt.

I have often thought of how embarassing it would be to get to the "Pearly Gates" and have to tell St. Peter that I was crushed to death by peanut butter!