“I would have been killed immediately if I hadn’t listened.”

"Later, some of Berdella's unidentified victims appeared in the paper, and they all looked just like my boyfriend. He was going to be the next victim, I'm 100% positive. It's the one time in my many years that a man has apologized for underestimating me. I saved his life."

"A few days later, a rumor started going around. That uncle? He was in a gang involved with drugs. And that night, he was planning to take me out to them and do unspeakable things, including gang rape me."

"I turned around and saw a house (that I swear was never there before). I didn’t even knock, I just burst inside. The man looked at me and told me I looked lost. I just instantly felt safe. I don’t remember his face, and, actually, I never really saw it because his ball cap covered his eyes. He drove me home and said it was a good thing I didn’t go through the park, since it gets dangerous at night. I made him drop me off away from the apartment because my mom would have freaked out about a random guy dropping me off. I ran home, thinking I was gonna be in so much trouble, but my mom just said ‘Oh, I was wondering where you are, dinner’s almost done.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.

Disclaimer: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.