Hi, I Survived listeners.

I'm Marissa Pinson.

And if you're enjoying this show, I just want to remind you that episodes of I Survived,

as well as the A&E Classic Podcast, Cold Case Files, City Confidential, and American Justice,

are all available ad-free on the new A&E Crime and Investigation Channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple Plus

for just $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. And now onto the show.

This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners.

Listener discretion is advised.

A little voice in my head said, he's going to kill you. He's going to kill us both.

Real people.

There's a man-sized pit, Doug, which at this point I'm assuming is my grave.

Who faced death?

He let his AK-47 dangled around his neck, and he pulled out a 9-millimeter and chambered around

and pointed at my face.

And lived to tell how.

He saw across my throat three times and I laid there and I waited to die.

I figured, you know, once somebody cuts your throat, you're not going to survive that.

This is I Survived.

It's September 1977 in Spring Lake, North Carolina.

For 16-year-old Barbara and her best friend Nancy,

it is the second day of high school.

After school, the two girls take a shortcut home

...