The most frightening moment of my life

Throwaway because I’m a lurker and I’m probably breaking some rules haha, also because I’ve only potentially just escaped this person who I don’t want to recognise me. I’ve lurked for a while and the majority of the posts are the run of the mill creepers and stalkers, so I feel like my situation is a little different and I would really love some advice. <br><br>I’m an Australian, I’m not sure what the protocol is for posting my location but I’m from a big city with a million suburbs, I’ll just refer to it as ‘home city’. Every year, I take off from my city and fly to a small town to visit my family, but this year I decided to drive (I’ve recently turned 18 and got my full licence) because it’s safer and getting better experience, I know the country and I know how to maintain my car, I’ve grown up around the bush. <br><br>It takes about 4 hours driving to get to my destination, which is smack bang in the middle of a desert, farmer’s country and there aren’t a lot of cars on the drive. Anyway, I stopped at the last service station before the ‘middle of no where’ to get petrol and things to eat, I used the bathroom, etc, and as a female, I always carry my car keys and phone into the bathroom with me. <br><br>As I’m waiting, I hear the door open and close, and a man walk in. He goes into the only other cubicle in the women’s bathroom and I go into the other one, thinking that maybe he has kids with him and they need to come in too, but there are no children, I hear a female voice laugh awkwardly. <br><br>I finish up and walk out, and notice that there is nobody at the counter, the woman who was previously serving has gone into the back room. The man and a younger looking woman with two small children then walk out of the women’s bathroom, with their heads down. I’m a little confused, but I ignore it and continue on my way. A few cars pulled in, and I finished paying, got back in my car, said goodbye to the woman at the counter and drove away. <br><br>I looked in my rear vision mirror and saw that the family were now standing outside, the woman was staring straight at me with tears in her eyes, and the man was holding her hand, pulling her away and the kids were standing off to the side, obviously distraught. I drove away and it really shook me up because I realised that the man must have dragged this woman and her children into the toilet with them and the kids were probably scared, and he must have been doing something to her in that bathroom. I became really sick in my car and was then terrified because I realised that I had just left a woman and her two kids in the hands of what was potentially a very sinister man. <br><br>I called the police, not knowing what to say but I was just trying to get them to go to that service station and check on the family, and I was told it wasn’t really an actual crime, I didn’t have any proof of anything, but the lady took this jist of what I was saying and said she would send someone, but it was a long way and that it would take a while. I drove to the nearest town to wait and I called my mum. <br><br>I said that I would be late because I was going to wait for the police to arrive and go back and make sure that everything was okay. I don’t know why, I just felt like something bad was going to happen if I didn’t go back. The police came and I told them what had happened and my mum and I were telling the officer what was going on when a car pulled up behind me, and I knew that it was them. <br><br>The woman got out and came running towards me, hugging me and then the kids hugging me and the man was standing at the back of the car when the police went towards him and arrested him. And then I found out, that I had probably saved the life of the woman and her children, who were not family to the man, but hostages who he had taken and was driving them towards the middle of nowhere. He had been arrested before for this crime, where the police got there too late and he had killed a woman and her children, just because he wanted to. <br><br>I don’t know what would have happened if I wasn’t there, if I hadn’t been in the bathroom at that time and if I had left, because I probably would have. I feel sick to my stomach every time I think about it and I don’t know how I managed to get through the situation. I said it to the police and they told me not to contact the family, it’s been a few weeks now and I still can’t stop thinking about that day, and I still feel scared walking alone and I don’t know how to stop that feeling. <br><br>My mum is having some therapy with me and I’ve spoken to a psychologist, I’ve got my sister, dad and friends trying to look out for me, but I’m just so scared to walk alone at night now, to get gas alone and to just leave my house, even though I know that I’ve potentially stopped something terrible from happening. <br><br>I don’t know who to turn to anymore and I just needed to talk about it I think, I’m sorry it’s so long, but it’s a lot to put into words. <br><br>I’ve looked it up and the man is in jail and the police are trying to find other people he has taken, so there is definitely hope that he won’t be able to take anymore people. <br><br>Thank you.