Reaper or Guardian Angel?

I believe in the supernatural. I believe that things happen for a reason. There are things that happen in my life that I see and feel, things that science can't explain. It has been more than 4 years since the incident and I can't help but think about that day. It replays over and over. I've dealt with many unusual things but this one stands out from the rest.

It was one incident that caught me off guard. I was in college at the time and my classmate, who was a close friend of mine, decided that we would walk over to my aunts apartment after school, which was 5 blocks away. We had someone pick us up everyday, but today it was going to be different, just us two on our own. Let me give you a little history. You see my aunt lived in an apartment building across from a salon adjacent to an apartment and beside the apartment was a funeral home... For two years straight the apartment had people trying to commit suicide by fire on the date November 13( weird coincidence). However within those two years the occupants in the building made it out alive but the people attempting to commit suicide did not.

By the time class was over it was around 3:30. We stayed there late to finish up an assignment and it was about 5:00. It was fall and it got dark early. We set off and walked quickly enjoying the air and conversation. It was pretty dreary and we made the most out of it trying to cheer each other up. So we took our time. The sun was going down quickly and we were so into our conversation we didn't notice it was dark out. By the time we reached the third block it was pitch dark. So we quickened our pace. It was very quiet there was no one in sight and no cars passed us at all. We were walking alongside the sidewalk and there was a road beside us. We were not even half a block away when we noticed headlights glowing behind us. But somehow we felt a bit uneasy because the vehicle was going very slow but we knew it was a couple meters behind us. We felt as though it was following us and started speed walking and the car quicken its pace. It was getting closer and closer so we decided to make a run for it. We ran and turned the corner and so did the car.

About 5 meters away we had seen light coming from a building and ran for safety, before we reached our sanctuary, I looked back and saw the vehicle, it was very old and beat up van and we couldn't see anyone inside because it was tinted and the headlights were shining in our eyes. We ran into the next building for shelter, it was a hair salon. They were closing up and they looked up as we banged on the door and they quickly opened it for us. We told them what happened and they believed us they seemed bewildered by the chain of events. By the time we finished our story and they looked out to investigate the van was gone. They told us that they were closed and would let us into the apartment lobby since it was attached to the hair salon. So we ended up in the apartment building.

Panicking I made a call to my sister and told her to pick us up. I gave her the name of the hair salon and she knew exactly where we were. She found it quite sinister that I would want to be picked up there but she didn't argue. I told her I would let her in on the details as soon as she picked us up. The lobby of the apartment has a huge window to look outside without any curtains and four chairs facing each other 2 on either sides. Behind were two elevators side by side. My friend and I sat on one chair together frightened to death looking around all paranoid. We couldn't see anything outside so we sat in silence.

We noticed a red light in the corner of our eye it was coming from the elevator. It was the dial for the elevator stating what floor the people in the elevator were on. The apartment had 10 floors and it was counting down the floors. It reached 1 and the elevator dinged, it frightened both of us so bad. It opened and to our horror nobody came out of it. We were both frozen with fear. There was dead silence so we looked out the window until out of nowhere, the other door to the elevator dinged, we looked at one another shocked and in fear. The door opened and we heard thumping. Our hearts stopped that very moment. This man over 6 feet tall heavyset and a very dark complexion came out with a large black fedora hat on which covered his eyes. He was in a black suite and was walking with a cane. I've never seen one that fancy it was unique. Very glossy and black, it had a snake head on the top with jeweled eyes. He was not limping at all he didn't seem to use it for support. He sat right across my friend and I. He started tapping his foot methodically and his cane at the same time. We couldn't see his eyes only his face and the hat covered everything else. The man decided to lift his head a bit and I seen his eyes they were white no pupils or anything and grinned. We were paralyzed with fear it felt like time stopped somehow.

In the distance somewhere I heard a car beeping and came out of the state I was in. I grabbed my friends hand and ran to my sister as fast as possible. We got into the car and drove away. I looked back at the apartment building window and no one was there, it was empty. I asked my sister when she was pulling up if she had seen anyone and her reply was "NO". While we were in the car my sister found it very strange that we were across the street from my aunt's apartment. At the time of the situation I couldn't see anything only the light in the salon and didn't even realize the apartment was so close in proximity. I've been in the neighborhood late at night and the lamps would always be on except this particular day. I know that around that area it is quite haunted whether the apartment itself and the funeral home being there has something to do with my situation I am unsure.

It has plagued me for many years. To this day I wonder who was in the van that was following us? If they caught up to us what would have happened? Who was that man in the apartment building, was he the REAPER? If it was the REAPER why did he spare our lives? Has anybody had a similar experience?