It's fun to run away from home in the night. However, if you have a roommate or don't even know where to start, here are some tips so you don't get caught in the act.
Steps
Step 1. Make a map of all creaking floor sections and creaking objects
They can betray you. Also, walk around keeping yourself close to the walls. This will reduce possible noises. Make a map of the house and mark the squeaky and creaking parts with a letter or number. If you have space, write notes at the bottom of the map. Here is an example; “A: creaking board; to avoid; better to go beyond it.
Step 2. Go to bed and breathe deeply so anyone who approaches you will think they are sleeping
Also, plan and think about what you will do once you get out of bed.
Step 3. Be patient
If you have a squeaky bed, move slowly and patiently. What is five minutes of slow, careful movement compared to an entire night?
Step 4. Walk with a slow, firm step, mentally remembering (without carrying the paper with you) the creaking points
Once you get to the right place, slowly do what you have to do. You should memorize the map you drew in advance so that you can leave it in your room.
Step 5. Keep your ears pricked
If someone wakes up, try to hear the noises they make. If so, hide! Try to choose different places to hide in the house.
Step 6. Walk close to walls if you know the floor or stairs creak
Worn wooden planks generally have more support near the walls.
Step 7. Always act as if someone is looking for you, even if it's not true
This will subconsciously force you to be more careful.
Step 8. Get into a squatting position as you move
Keep your hands at waist level to detect any obstacles you don't see, to keep your balance and to absorb every step you take while crouching. Never squat down to an angle of less than 90º, unless you are lowering yourself towards the floor, to lean on a knee or to lie down; otherwise, this movement is very damaging to the knees.
Step 9. Walk the right way
Getting your feet right is just as important as squatting while walking. You need to absorb the movement. A normal movement involving first placing your heel and then your toes is ideal for moving quickly on the grass and for moving very slowly on hard surfaces. Keep in mind that the slower you walk, the quieter you will be.
- When you walk on fallen leaves or try to remain in absolute silence, shift your weight to your back foot and extend your front foot. It will help you walk comfortably and slowly, absorbing movement in your knees and ankles. Only the toes (which will work as if they were a cushion) should make contact with the ground during this type of movement.
- If you will be moving in an environment that detects noises or the risk of being heard is medium, press the ground with your heel as you shift your weight onto the front foot.
- To remain silent in an enclosed place, breathe and walk to the rhythm of the clock. If someone is awake, they will hear the clock ticking, which they are used to. This way, you will disguise your steps.
- Make your foot flat when walking on gravel or in a place with many small objects that you can step on loudly. Absorb the step as you normally would, but let your entire foot come into contact with the gravel at the same time to evenly distribute the weight. Movement should be particularly slow.
Step 10. Whether you are outdoors or indoors, try to walk barefoot as much as possible to minimize noise
If you walk on grass, you may feel a little ticklish, but it's better than being caught red-handed.
Step 11. Get the supplies
A awake mind is the essential tool, but other articles can help you too.
- A rope or grappling hook always comes in handy if you have to climb trees.
- Leather gloves protect your hands as you climb, so they are useful.
- The choice of clothes depends on the situation. It is always preferable to stay in the shade, so choose olive green or dark blue. Do not use black, which "cuts" your figure in the dark. The mimetic in some cases is better; in the shade it looks black, but if illuminated by a dim light it can disguise itself with trees, bushes or grass. You don't want to wear noisy clothing.
- The type of shoes you wear should reflect your ability to go unnoticed. If you're just starting out, soft shoes with a lightweight rubber sole are best. If you get better, you can wear regular shoes and even soft-soled boots.
Step 12. Be careful
One of your worst enemies is the surprise factor. Being caught unexpectedly red-handed will not only scare you, it will cause you to make noises or lose control of the situation. The best way to know if someone is coming is to see this person. If you can't, feeling it is the second best method. Most people don't walk silently, so you can hear them coming. If you are careful, you may have a better opportunity to hide. You can move slowly when a person is approaching and you are in their field of vision. If you are at a good distance and cannot see you for now, lie down on the ground, provided the environment permits. This minimizes your size and makes it harder to see you. The best places to lie down are dark areas or areas covered with leaves. If you are wearing camouflage or dark clothing, this will further help you hide in the dark. Once this person gets to a point where they can hear you, you shouldn't keep moving, but stand still. If the person walking towards you can touch you, stay still. In case you are not perfectly hidden, not moving will usually remedy the problem. However, if you can, squat down hiding your shoulders and head. This will hide the human outline. Another possibility is to slip into the shadows and breathe slowly. If you wear dark colors, it will work very well.
Step 13. Learn to walk through doors the right way
Typically, when you walk through a door (with your shoulders very close to the jambs), this can cause a rustle (like an air conditioning on), letting people know that someone is moving. The same is true when you try to sneak away; you can hear where people are based on the manipulation of ambient noise. Go with your back on the door jamb and perpendicular to the door. This will minimize the effect.
Step 14. Know how to escape
If you get caught in the act while fleeing, run quickly to hide or get out. Ignore discretion and create a distance between you and the person who discovered you. This way, you can hide again and escape. If you don't think you've been caught, try to get away as discreetly as possible. Then you can hide, wait for the threat to stop and resume what you were doing.
Step 15. Make a street map
Identify where you can hide. Observe what time everyone goes to bed. Be especially quiet when there are many people who might catch you red-handed.
Step 16. If you are at home and someone approaches and sees you, pretend to be sleepy and yawn
Then, you say "I came to drink a glass of water". It usually works, but don't overdo it, or you will arouse suspicion.
Advice
- Monitor the breathing of a sleeping person. If she is breathing normally, that means she is awake, or nearly so! A deep breath means he is sleeping lightly, so you should still be careful! If you snore, your sleep is deeper, but that doesn't mean you don't have to take precautions.
- If you have to jump on something, make sure you land with your knees slightly bent. Once you hit the ground, bend your knees, assuming a position similar to what you would have on a skateboard. But avoid making noise.
- Make sure you don't sneeze. If you suffer from allergies, take your medications before going out, but make sure they don't make you drowsy! If you feel like you're on the verge of sneezing, plug your nose, squint and control yourself as much as possible. Also, for some people, repeatedly saying the word "watermelon" suppresses a sneeze. Read this article for more tips.
- When walking down the garden path, be careful not to let the security lights turn on, otherwise you will be caught in the act.
- Before trying to move too much, find a place to stop to give your eyes time to get used to the dark. This will give you an edge over the people who are possibly looking for you and allows you not to get hurt. You can also make an eye patch and put it on one eye before you go. This will allow the eye to get used to the dark. Remove the blindfold once you enter the dark area. It takes the human eye 30 minutes to fully adjust to night vision, and with a glare of light it can take another 30 minutes to get used to.
- Learning to make animal noises will arouse less suspicion in people who hear you, but they don't always work. If you're going to give it a try, be sure to mimic the local wildlife. For example, don't sound like a turkey on a snowy peak or a robin in a tropical place. Also, make sure your verse is realistic, otherwise it will only make the situation worse. In fact, the sound of a duck that resembles the horn of a car of yesteryear will not be of any help to you. If you have a tape recorder, use it for the sounds to be realistic and convincing. However, it only records the sound of the animal, without hearing the waves crashing on the rocks or children playing in the background.
- If you are going to an area that you are not 100% sure about, find out first. Doesn't it convince you? Forget it. If an area makes you unsafe, don't go there. Also, carrying items around to defend yourself can worsen the punishment if they catch you. In particular, no hidden weapons. It is important to remember that you do this for fun. If you are scared enough that you need a weapon, you should do something else or hide elsewhere.
- If you need to hide, try climbing: on a tree, on a roof, wherever you cannot be seen by a person. If they are looking for you, they will probably look at the ground or front.
- When in a room, don't light a torch or candle. Rather, let your eyes get used to it (you can do this very easily by closing them for five or 10 seconds).
- If possible, be sure to stretch before you run away. It allows you to avoid hurting yourself, getting tired and making noises through your joints (which can creak or make other sounds).
- Do not wear clothing that has buttons or noisy elements. Also, don't take your keys with you!
- Keep away from lights as much as possible.
- Found a good hiding place, don't move from there.
- Staying in the dark by positioning yourself behind a light source (such as a fire or spotlight) is a good way to hide. In fact, the eyes of the person looking for you will get used to seeing the light, not the darkness behind it.
- When doing reconnaissance work, pay attention to the details. If a person jogs at four in the morning, they probably do it every day, so you need to explore the area more than once.
- You won't see well in the dark, so make sure you move calmly, without making sudden or abrupt movements.
- To get away quickly, learn some basic parkour moves, such as jumping on walls, doing vaulting that allows you to cross a barrier and performing the kong jump. Knowing these moves will help you run away.
- If you are going to use a flashlight, be careful where and when you turn it on. Directing the light towards someone's house is not the best idea! You don't even have to use it when you're trying not to be found by someone.
- If you and your friend want to sneak into another person's room, agree to use a code in case of a mistake. You will need it if you accidentally enter through another window, which causes you to end up in his parents' room (or worse, you end up in the wrong house). For example, if you walk into the wrong house and the owners get up or move as if they have woken up, you can yell "Hey, this isn't Michael's house." And run away. This way, the bosses will think that you are going to prank a friend and they will not know your identity. Do the same (saying the same sentence) if you enter the wrong room.
- Do you need to take something from a container that is near someone? Grab the container and move it away from this person. Open it slowly and carefully take what you need. If the lid makes a noise, close it under a blanket or pillow. Put it back where it was.
- Practice staying absolutely silent when you hear suspicious noises.
- If you have to jump over an object, such as a table or sofa, remember to land on your toes. By doing it right, you won't make any noise.
- To stay hidden, you should follow paths not taken by everyone.
- If someone tells you they know you are there, don't give up. He's not really seeing you, he's probably just lying. Try to remain silent and walk away quietly when this person gets distracted.
- If you wear glasses, hide them somewhere. If you only went to drink a glass of water or to the bathroom, why on earth would you need it?
- One of the best tricks to play is to hit your friend's window, but don't scare him. Make sure it's the right window, especially if your friend lives in an apartment or dorm. Hitting the wrong window could wake up the grumpy elderly neighbor or, even worse, someone who has a gun and isn't afraid to use it.
- When trying to escape from someone, try to walk when this person does, do not breathe loudly. Also, if he's talking to a friend by his side, make sure you're on the opposite side. In fact, he may turn to his friend and see you (if this person is walking on the left and his friend is on the right, keep left).
- Try not to use the flashlight, otherwise it will be easier to catch you red-handed. But if you really need it or think you can't pay enough attention without it, always use one with a red light bulb, or one with a red filter on the front. If you have access to an infrared filter, such as the one used in photography, try attaching it to the flashlight. This will protect you in two ways: 1) normal light will prevent your eyes from getting used to the dark. If you are in a dark place, your eyes will adjust to the light after a while, and you will be able to see more easily. A red light is on a lower spectrum than the light we are used to during the day or that emitted by light bulbs, so it is not that aggressive; 2) as stated before, the red light is softer than the others, therefore it is more difficult to detect.
- If someone is approaching and you don't want to get caught, throw something to distract them, like a coin or a stone.
- Wear dark, but not black, clothes. Dark blue and green camouflage themselves better than black.
- Another great joke is to point flashlights at your friend's window, especially if you have two red ones and are some distance away. Again, however, make sure it is the correct window!
- Sometimes it's best to go barefoot or just wear socks so you'll make less noise.
- Always lean your back against the wall. When you go up wooden stairs, walk sideways, close to the wall, so that they don't creak.
- Don't hide in other people's backyard unless you know them well or are in an emergency.
- If you have to carry keys with you, wrap the ones you don't need with a cloth and separate them.
- If you see someone, try to leave as soon as possible, as people are usually more suspicious at night.
- Do not wear clothes that will rub loudly together.
- If you get caught in the act by your parents or someone else, find an excuse. Your parents will be more alert and suspicious at that point, so wait for a while before trying again.
- Do not walk on a street where cars pass, otherwise it will be easier to find you.
- If you're going to prank a friend, it would be more fun to have someone accompany you. This person, however, must be aware of what is happening and know how to get back to his home if you ever split up. The person who is best at hiding should stand in front of the front door, in order to detect suspicious activity before their partner.
- In general, remember that the people who live with you have no reason to suspect your intentions, so don't give them reason to do so.
- Make sure you hide somewhere lower or higher, as people usually look straight ahead.
- Do not step on the middle part of a wooden step, as it is more likely to creak at that point. Better move close to the wall.
- If you run away on a dark street while someone is chasing you (because they saw or heard you) and you notice a fence near you, crouch down to where this structure meets the ground.
- A good distraction is to throw a coin on the ground if the area has stones or if you are on a sidewalk, or near it. It is ideal for distracting someone who has become suspicious.
- Do not wear black, otherwise your figure will be visible on a background. In addition to the outline of the person, it is possible to see his movements.
- If a person is looking in the wrong direction and could see you, then roll or pull a small object to distract them and make your move. Don't use a distraction if he suspects you are nearby.
- Knowing the environment before escaping increases your chances of hiding properly. If you are in your home, try to figure out which stairs creak and so on. In general, stepping on the ends of a wooden staircase instead of the center can reduce the noise.
- Cameras can guarantee you undeniable proof of your friend's funny expression after being scared, but they can also incriminate you at a later time.
Warnings
- Do not enter private property, unless you know the residents personally. Not only is it illegal, the owner may have a firearm or a dog (like a German Shepherd), ready to attack you if you go trespassing.
- Analyze the neighborhood. In a very dangerous area, sneaking around can get you into trouble. People immediately expect the worst, and they can seriously injure you.
- If you try to escape, do not make movements that you are unable to, such as jumping from a high window. You could get hurt or be caught red-handed.
- Don't go to places where you might be attacked by a wild animal.
- Don't wear sandals, they make too much noise.
- Before you sneak out of the house, let someone know, they will know where to find you if something happens to you.
