A late-night burger run turned into a chilling mystery for one Florida couple, and social media users have been left captivated.
Going out for fast food is meant to be exactly as it says on the tin - fast, affordable, and delicious.
The last thing you expect to get involved with while grabbing a burger is something akin to a scene from a thriller movie.
But this is exactly what one couple found themselves involved with.
A customer at a Freddy’s in Lake Wales, Florida, shared a jaw-dropping experience online after receiving a terrifying one-word message with their takeout order.
The note? Just one word: “HELP.”
And it wasn’t just scribbled in marker on the burger box — it was also printed directly on their receipt.
The concerned customer posted the eerie encounter to Reddit’s r/Weird subreddit under the headline: “Should I call the cops? My bf thinks they were just trying to be funny but I truly don’t know…”
Alongside the post, they included a photo of the burger in its takeout container with “help” boldly written in black marker, plus the receipt that showed the same chilling word typed right on it.
The post exploded, racking up more than 10,000 comments in under 24 hours. And while the couple debated whether it was just an offbeat joke from a fast-food worker, Reddit wasn’t taking any chances.
“Seriously, this seems legit. I’d rather call it in and be wrong, if they are playing, putting it on the receipt is too far,” one user urged.
Another added: “Call 911. I wouldn’t risk this being a joke. Seriously.”
Emergency personnel even weighed in.
“I work in emergency communications. Most 911 services can do welfare checks and other things if you have any questions about someone’s safety,” one commenter explained.
“Most will also let you stay anonymous if you tell them. If it’s no problem then they will walk away with absolutely no backlash. Better to be safe than sorry.”
And then came a comment from someone claiming to be law enforcement: “I’m a police officer. Doesn’t hurt to call. We’d show up 2-3 officers and investigate what’s going on. Best case, it’s a joke.
"Worst case, they’re being held up. I personally wouldn’t arrest anyone involved but would ask that they not do this again if it were a joke.”
After some back and forth — and a bit of pressure from fellow Redditors — the original poster made the call.
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“I called them [the police] about ten minutes ago! They said they’re sending someone there. I was hesitant because my boyfriend was so persistent it was just a joke because the guys in the drive-through were making a lot of jokes, but I never saw a woman once and a woman’s name is on the receipt so yeah… I just wanted to call them to be safe.”
And as it turns out, the “distress call” was indeed a prank.
The final update from the original poster gave closure — though not without some frustration.
“Yes, it was an employee playing a prank. A million people called to find out what happened, and that is the conclusion. There will be no further update unless I receive a call from the police, which I do not see happening.”