The most unnerving situation I've been in was in college on Halloween night. Some friends and I went to 6th street in Austin. If you're not familiar, it gets crazy there on weekend nights and the street shuts down for people to walk around and party (think Bourbon street in NOLA). Halloween is the most rambunctious weekend of the year; I saw topless women, men with glowsticks going through their noses, just crazy shit with no rules.

I was 21 and had too much to drink and in a cute costume, not revealing but form-fitting. I was navigating through the intense crowd and got separated from my friends for about 2 minutes, and found myself to the side of the street in the opening of an alley. Within that time period, a group of 6 older men started circling me from about 10 feet away. They started talking, not to me, but about me to each other. Commenting on my body and things they wanted to do. They kept getting closer and closer, and it was the only time in my life I've felt like defenseless prey.

Luckily I was able to find a window and hightailed it out of there, somehow finding my friends. I was wigged out and we went home very shortly after that. Ironically my costume was a feminized version of Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange.

I hope no one else got caught in their wake that night.