True Scary Stories Told to the Sound of Rain | Relax and Fall Asleep Quickly Vol. 115 l Black Screen

hello everyone I am the Storyteller and I am here to help you today I know you use this video to fall asleep so before that like the video and subscribe to the channel also where are you from and what time are you watching now get comfortable and relax I never wanted this house the last thing I needed was a 100-year-old Victorian in the middle of nowhere even if it was free but here here I was 3 months after Grandma Rose's funeral moving boxes into her old place because my apartment's rent had doubled and I couldn't

afford anything else in the city the first week went fine I got my home office set up in what used to be the sitting room arranged my bedroom in Grandma's old sewing room on the second floor and started settling into a routine the house creaked and groaned like any old building but I got used to it the rural silence actually helped me focus on my program in work then things started happening small things at first on a Tuesday Morning in July I came downstairs and found the kitchen window wide open I stood there for a

full minute coffee cup in hand staring at the white curtains moving in the breeze I specifically remembered closing and locking that window the night before because I'd seen a raccoon in the backyard I checked the lock it worked perfectly no signs of forced entry I closed it locked it and double checked it told myself I must have been mistaken about locking it the previous night but I knew I wasn't 3 days later it happened again this time with the back door I'd installed a new deadbolt my first week here no way I'd forgotten to lock

it but at 3:00 a.m. I heard it click open by the time I got downstairs heart pounding the door was standing open 2 in the summer night air pushed in heavy and warm nobody there just darkness and the sound of crickets I started keeping a journal of these incidents not because I believed in ghosts I didn't but because I needed to convince myself I wasn't going crazy within 2 weeks I had a list of 12 unexplainable events kitchen window found open three times back door unlocked two times front door deadbolt unlocked one time attic door

open when I'd left it closed two times strange scratching sounds from the attic ongoing cold spots in the upstairs hallway for instances items moved coffee mug laptop Keys various occasions the cold spots bothered me the most it was the middle of summer hitting 95° most days but walking past Grandma's old bedroom always felt like stepping into a freezer the air conditioning wasn't even that good the rest of the house stayed warm and sticky I called an HV back guy to check it out he found nothing wrong with the system no unusual drafts no leaks in

the duct work he suggested it might be poor insulation but that wouldn't explain why it only happened in that one spot the scratching in the Attic started about a month after I moved in at first I assumed it was squirrels or raccoons I set traps but caught nothing I sealed every possible entry point I could find but the sounds continued they always started around Sunset and lasted until dawn a constant slow scraping like something dragging itself across the wooden floor up there I went up to investigate dozens of times the attic was empty except for

some old furniture covered in sheets and boxes of Grandma's things I hadn't gone through yet the scratching always stopped the moment I opened the attic door as soon as I left it would start again then came the footsteps the first time I heard them I was in bed reading at 11:30 p.m. slow deliberate steps in theall hway outside my room the floorboards creaked in a steady Rhythm step Creek step Creek getting closer to my door I sat Frozen book forgotten in my hands listening the steps stopped right outside my room I could see the shadow

of feet blocking the light under the door nothing happened for five long minutes just silence in that shadow finally I got up my hand shook as I reached for the doorknob I yanked it open the hallway was empty the shadow was gone but the air felt thick and cold like breathing in ice I didn't sleep that night or the next when it happened again same time same slow footsteps same Shadow under the door this time I didn't open it the incidents escalated from there books fell off shelves when I walked past doors slammed shut on

their own one morning I came downstairs to find cabinet in the kitchen standing open the next day all the photos of Grandma Rose were turned face down I started avoiding certain parts of the house the attic was completely off limits now I kept the door to Grandma's old bedroom closed and locked but the activity followed me the cold spots spread to other areas the footsteps started appearing at random times day and night I researched the House's history Grandma Rose and grandpa had bought it in 196 2 before that it belonged to the Morrison family for

three generations no recorded deaths besides expected ones from old age no tragic accidents or crimes nothing that would explain what was happening I called my cousin Sarah who'd spent Summers here as a kid did you ever notice anything strange about Grandma's house I asked trying to sound casual strange how like unexplainable things cold spots weird noises that kind of thing a long pause you're hearing the footsteps aren't you my stomach dropped you knew about them we all did none of us kids would sleep in the upstairs bedrooms grma said it was just the house settling

but she trailed off but what did she ever tell you about her sister great Aunt Margaret no I didn't know she had a sister that's because they never talked about her she died in that house in 1965 found at the bottom of the attic stairs with a broken neck they said she fell but but what grandma was the only other person home that day they'd been fighting about selling the house Margaret wanted to Grandma refused after that Grandma never went in the Attic again said she was too old for stairs but we all knew better

I hung up shortly after my mind racing I spent the rest of the day going through Grandma's old papers in the basement finally in a box of yellowed photos I found it a newspaper clipping from 1965 Local woman dies in home accident Margaret Walsh 54 was pronounced dead at the scene after an apparent fall down attic stairs her sister Rose Walsh discovered the body that night the footsteps came again but this time they started in the attic I lay in bed listening as they crossed the attic floor slow and deliberate then down the attic stairs

step by step along the hallway stopping outside my door the shadow appeared under the door again but this time I saw something else water seeping under the door not much just a few drops I knelt down to look closer not water blood I scrambled back heart hammering the doorknob started to turn I ran down the hall down the stairs out the front door into the warm summer night I didn't stop until I reached my car I slept in a motel that night and the next but I knew I had to go back all my things

were there and I couldn't afford to live anywhere else when I returned 2 Days Later the house was silent no footsteps no scratching no cold spots everything looked normal but taped to the refrigerator was a yellowed piece of paper I'd never seen before a letter written in shaky handwriting dearest Rose I know what you did I know it wasn't an accident you pushed me because I threatened to expose your secret the real reason you wanted this house so badly what's buried in the basement that you don't want anyone to find I'll make sure the truth

comes out one way or another your loving Sister Margaret I stood there reading it over and over my coffee getting cold in my hand then I noticed something else the basement door was open just a crack but enough to let out a thin stream of cold air I'm riding this now from my car parked outside a hardware store I just bought a sledgehammer and some work lights I need to know what's in that basement under the old concrete floor that Grandma had poured the year after Margaret died the floor that according to the county records

was never in the original house plans I don't believe in ghosts but I'm starting to believe in secrets and guilt and Justice the Sun is setting soon it'll be dark but I'm going back in there I have to know the truth even if the footsteps are waiting for me even if they lead me to something I wish I'd never found because some Secrets Don't Stay buried forever sometimes they crawl their way out Scratch by scratch step by step until someone finally listens I think I hear them now even from out here in my car the

scratch in the footsteps they're getting louder they're waiting for me and I'm going in I wasn't going to write this down but I need to get it out of my head maybe someone will believe me maybe someone else has seen it too I don't know anymore what's real and what isn't but I know what I saw and I know what Max saw too dogs don't lie they don't imagine things they just react to what's there it started 3 months ago I'd been pulling extra shifts at the warehouse trying to save up for a down payment

on a house 60h hour weeks sometimes more the overtime was good money but it was wearing me down that's what I told myself when the dreams began just stress just my brain trying to process the exhaustion the first time I saw it I woke up at 3:17 a.m. the red numbers on my alarm clock burned that time into my memory there was something standing at the foot of my bed a dark shape about 6 ft tall completely black not like Shadow black but like a hole in the air I couldn't move my throat closed up

I lay there Frozen staring at it for what felt like hours but was probably only seconds then I blinked and it was gone I switched on my bedside lamp the room looked normal my dirty laundry was still piled in the corner the door was still closed Max my German Shepherd was sleeping peacefully in his bed by the window nothing was out of place just a dream I said out loud my voice sounded weird in the quiet room just stress I got up drank some water took a piss and went back to bed but I left

the light on the next night same thing 3:17 a.m. the shape was there again again this time a little closer to the bed I could see it better or maybe see isn't the right word it was like my eyes couldn't quite focus on it like trying to look at a black hole if black holes could stand in your bedroom and watch you sleep this went on for weeks always 3:17 a.m. always the same shape getting closer each time I started sleeping with all the lights on I bought a nightlight then another one until my bedroom

looked like a Christmas display it didn't matter the shape still came I told myself it wasn't real I got a physical thinking maybe there was something wrong with my brain the doctor found nothing blood pressure normal blood sugar normal no signs of any neurological issues he gave me a prescription for sleeping pills and told me to cut back on caffeine the pills didn't help if anything they made it worse when you're groggy from sleep medication it's harder to convince yourself you're just seeing things then Max started acting weird it was a Tuesday night I remember

because I'd been watching that stupid reality show where people bake cakes that look like other things I was dozing off on the couch when Max suddenly sat up ears forward staring at the corner of the living room his hackles Rose a low growl started in his throat I looked where he was looking nothing there just the corner where I keep my workout equipment that I never use what is it buddy I asked him he kept growling I checked my phone 3:17 a.m. my stomach dropped Max had never reacted to my dreams before he'd always slept

through them but now he was growling at nothing at exactly the same time I usually saw the shape I got up and turned on every light in the apartment Max followed me staying close to my legs his growl hadn't stopped I checked every corner every closet behind every door nothing was different nothing was there but Max wouldn't stop growling at that corner the next night I decided to test something I usually went to bed around 11:00 p.m. but this time I stayed up Max and I sat on the couch watching Bad TV at 3:16 a.m.

he suddenly went rigid his ears perked up and he stared at the same Corner the growl started again low and threatening I watched the seconds tick by on my phone 3:17 a.m. the shape appeared in the corner right where Max was looking I wasn't dreaming I wasn't in bed I was wide awake sitting on my couch and my dog and I were both seeing the same thing Max's growl got louder the shape didn't move it just stood there darker than the darkness around it like someone had cut a person shaped hole in reality I couldn't

move my whole body felt cold Max pressed against my leg still growling his body trembling I wanted to run but my legs wouldn't work I wanted to scream but my throat was frozen we sat there Max and I staring at the shape for exactly 1 minute then it vanished just blinked out of existence like someone had flipped a switch Max stopped growling he whined and jumped up on the couch pressing himself against me his whole body was shaking I didn't sleep that night or the next night I drank energy drinks and coffee trying to stay

awake it didn't matter every night at 3:17 a.m. whether I was awake or asleep the shape appeared and every night Mac saw it too I started documenting everything I set up my phone to record the corner where the shape appeared the video showed nothing just an empty corner but you could hear Max growling see him reacting to something that didn't show up on camera I tried talking to it once stood right in front of the corner at 3:16 a.m. waiting Max was behind me growling when the shape appeared I forced words out of my throat

what do you want no response it just stood there that void black shape not moving not making a sound why are you here nothing get out of my house the shape didn't react after a minute it disappeared like it always did I started sleeping at friends houses but it didn't help the shape found me wherever I went 3:17 a.m. every night it would appear in whatever room I was in my friends thought I was losing it they couldn't see it but they could see Max's reaction they watched him growl at empty Corners watched him shake

and whine maybe you should see someone my best friend Tom suggested after I'd crashed on his couch for the third night in a row like professionally I did the therapist listened to to my story and prescribed anti-anxiety medication I took it the shape still came I moved Apartments didn't help changed jobs thinking maybe it was work stress the shape followed me last week something changed I was sitting on my new couch in my new apartment Watching Max stare at the corner where I knew the shape would appear 3:17 a.m. came the shape appeared but this

time it moved it took a step toward us Max's growl turned into a snarl he backed up pushing against my legs so hard I almost fell over the shape took another step I could see it better now it wasn't just person-shaped anymore it had features or rather it had spaces where features should be darker patches in the Blackness arranged like eyes and a mouth my chest felt tight I couldn't breathe Max was barking now deep terrified barks that I'd never heard from him before the shape kept coming step by step moving closer its movement was

wrong not like walking more like sliding like someone had taken a cut out of darkness and was dragging it across the room I ran grabbed my keys grabbed Max's leash and ran out of the apartment we spent the night in my car in a Walmart parking lot but I know it doesn't matter where I go it's 3:16 a.m. now as I'm writing this Max is in the passenger seat staring at the rear view mirror growling I'm parked under a bright security light but I know that won't help I can see the shape forming in the

back seat it's 3:17 a.m. it's reaching for me Max is barking I should run but what's the point it's just going to keep finding me keep coming closer keep reaching maybe someone will find this maybe someone else has seen it too maybe someone knows what it wants if you're reading this and you wake up at 3:17 a.m. and see a shape standing in your room don't tell yourself it's just stress don't tell yourself it's not real run and if you have a dog watch their reaction they see it too they've always seen it it's getting

closer now the darkness is spreading across the front seat Max is going crazy barking and scratching at the window I can feel it reaching for my shoulder the cold is spreading through my body I can't move I can't breathe breathe this is the last thing I'm going to write I don't know what happens next just remember 37 a.m. they see it too the scratching of my Fork against the empty plate echoed through the kitchen at 2 a.m. I hadn't eaten since lunch and my stomach wouldn't let me sleep my wife Sarah was awake at her

sister's for the weekend and I'd fallen into my old Bachelor habits of irregular meals and staying up late watching TV the house felt different at night The Familiar rooms took on strange shapes in the darkness lit only by the dim glow of the microwave clock and the Street Lamp filtering through the kitchen window the silence pressed in broken only by the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the occasional Creek of the old wooden floors settling I stood at the counter making a sandwich with the last of the turkey from the deli drawer Mayo mustard lettuce

tomato building it mechanically while my tired brain wandered the bread knife scraped Against The Cutting Board as I sliced it diagonally force of habit Sarah always insisted sandwiches taste better cut that way that's when I heard it the first step a distinct Creek from the staircase that led to our second floor I froze sandwich halfway way to my mouth another Creek followed then another slow deliberate steps descending the stairs Max I called out assuming it was our golden retriever coming down for a midnight snack of his own Max always seemed to know when someone was

in the kitchen no matter the hour the footsteps continued fourth step from the top fifth step sixth a cold wet nose pressed against my bare calf making me jump I looked down to find Max sitting next to me tail wagging eyes fixed on my sandwich he'd come in through the dog door in the kitchen I could still feel the cool night air drifting in from the flap the footsteps stopped halfway down the stairs my heart began to pound against my ribs the sandwich fell from my nerveless fingers onto the counter Max's ears perked up his

head turning toward the hallway that led to the staircase a low growl rumbled in his throat I stood perfectly still barely breathing the silence stretched out broken only by the steady ticking of the kitchen clock 10 seconds 20 30 hello I called out my voice sounding strange and thin in the darkness no response Max's growl grew louder the hair along his spine stood up and his tail went rigid I'd never seen him act like this before he was usually the friendliest dog in imaginable approaching strangers with endless enthusiasm I reached for my phone on the

counter cursing silently when I realized I'd left it charging upstairs in the bedroom the landline was in the living room on the other side of that hallway the kitchen knife block sat on the counter about 3 ft away moving as quietly as possible I edged toward the knives the floorboard under my foot creeped impossibly loud in the silence I froze again listening nothing from the stairs my fingers closed around the handle of the biggest chef's knife the weight of it felt reassuring in my hand though I had no idea what I'd actually do with it

if confronted by an intruder I'm armed I announced trying to make my voice sound strong and confident I've called the police they're on their way the LIE hung in the air still no response from the stairs Max hadn't moved from his spot by the counter still growling steadily his eyes remained fixed on the hallway entrance I reached down with my free hand and gripped his collar drawing comfort from his solid presence I had to look had to know what was out there the hallway light switch was just inside the entrance about 5 ft Away From

Where I Stood 5 ft might as well have been 5 miles I took a deep breath and stepped forward knife held out in front of me Max moved with me staying close to my leg 4 ft to the switch 3 ft two a board creaked overhead not from the stairs but from the second floor hallway as if something had stepped off the stairs and was now moving above us my fingers found the switch and flipped it up light flooded the hallway harsh and sudden I squinted against the glare eyes fixed on the stairs empty the

wooden steps stretched up into darkness past where the hallway light reached the runner carpet that Sarah had insisted on installing lay undisturbed its pattern of burgundy flowers climbing into the Shadows Max's growl changed pitch becoming higher more urgent he pulled against my grip on his collar trying to back away from the hallway another Creek from above closer to the top of the stairs now I could hear something moving across the floor of the spare bedroom the one we'd been planning to turn into a nursery before we found out Sarah couldn't have children my phone was

up there so was the baseball bat kept under the bed but there was no way I was going up those stairs I backed away slowly pulling Max with me we reached the kitchen and I fumbled behind me for the car keys I'd left on the counter my fingers knocked against them sending them clattering to the floor the sound echoed through the house the footsteps above stopped I snatched up the keys my hand shaking so badly I could barely grip them Max whined pressing against my legs the steps started again faster now moving toward the stairs

I didn't wait to hear more still gripping Max's collar I yanked open the back door and we burst out into the night the motion sensor light clicked on Illuminating the backyard and harsh white light we ran to my car parked in the driveway I fumbled with the keys dropping them twice before managing to unlock the door Max jumped into the passenger seat and I threw myself behind the wheel stabbing the key into the ignition the engine roared to life I threw the car into reverse and peeled out of the driveway tires squealing against the asphalt

in the rear view mirror I could see the house growing smaller all its Windows dark except for the kitchen and hallway lights I'd left on something moved past one of the upstairs Windows just a shadow there and gone so quickly I couldn't be sure I'd really seen it I drove aimlessly through the empty streets hands clenched on the steering wheel heart still racing m had settled down in the passenger seat but his ears remained alert swiveling at every sound after about 20 minutes I pulled into the parking lot of the 24-hour Walmart on the edge

of town the lot was nearly empty just a few cars scattered across the vast expansive asphalt the fluorescent lights cast everything in a sickly yellow glow I pulled out my old flip phone from the glove compartment the emergency phone I kept charged for breakdowns my hands had stuck stopped shaking enough to dial Sarah's number it rang four times before she answered her voice thick with sleep hello Sarah thank God the relief at hearing her voice made me sag against the seat John what's wrong it's a pause it's almost 3: in the morning I need you

to come home now what why what happened I tried to find words to explain what had happened how to make it sound real and not like the product of an overactive imagination or too many late night horror movies someone's in the house I said finally or something I don't know but I heard footsteps on the stairs and Max was with me the whole time and slow down she said I could hear her sitting up covers rustling start from the beginning so I told her everything trying to stick to the facts to what I'd actually seen

and heard it sounded crazy even to my own ears did you call the police she asked when I finished not yet I I just needed to hear your voice first to know you were okay call them right now she said I'm getting dressed I'll be home in an hour no wait until morning please whatever's in there John her voice was firm call the police wait for them in the parking lot I'm coming home she hung up before I could argue further I stared at the phone for a long moment then dialed 911 the dispatcher took

my information calmly promised to send officers to check the house asked if I wanted to meet them there I said yes though everything in me screamed to drive in the opposite direction 20 minutes later I pulled up to our house again parking across the street two police cruisers sat in the driveway their lights off four officers stood on the front lawn talking in low voices I got out of the car leaving Max inside one of the officers approached me officer Chen according to her name plate Mr Thompson she asked I nodded we've done a complete

sweep of the house all doors and windows are secure no signs of forced entry no one inside did you check the attic I asked the crawl spaces everywhere she assured me the house is clear I looked up at the dark Windows of our home you're sure positive we found some open Windows upstairs probably the source of the noises you heard wind can do strange things in old houses I wanted to argue to tell her about Max's reaction about the deliberate sound of those footsteps but I knew how it would sound thank you I said instead

sorry to waste your time no waste officer Chen said better safe than sorry do you want one of us to stay while you go back in I shook my head no I'll wait for my wife she's on her way the officers left shortly after their Cruisers pulling away into the night I sat in my car with Max watching the house Sarah arrived 45 minutes later parking her car behind mine she got out and came to my window her face tight with concern the police found found nothing I told her before she could ask said it

was just the wind she looked at the house then back at me come on she said let's go in together I followed her up the front walk Max padding between us Sarah unlocked the door and stepped inside flipping on lights as she went I trailed behind her as she moved through the house checking every room every closet every corner everything was exactly as it should be no signs of disturbance no evidence that anything unusual had happened we ended up in the kitchen my half-eaten sandwich still sat on the counter where i' dropped it Sarah picked

up the chef's knife I'd abandoned and put it back in the knife block well she said trying to smile at least you didn't burn the house down trying to make a midnight snack I couldn't match her attempt at lightness I know what I heard Sarah she put her hand on my arm I believe you heard something but look nothing's missing nothing's damaged maybe it was just the house settling or maybe she trailed off but I knew what she wasn't saying maybe I'd imagined it maybe the stress of work of our failed attempts at having a

child of everything else had finally gotten to Me Maybe I said not believing it for a second we went to bed but I didn't sleep I lay awake listening to Sarah's steady breathing beside IDE me to Max's occasional snuffling from his bed in the corner listening for footsteps that didn't come the next day I installed security cameras throughout the house in the hallways pointing at the stairs covering every entrance and exit Sarah didn't object though I caught her exchanging worried looks with her sister when she came to pick up some clothes she'd left behind that

was 3 weeks ago the cameras haven't picked up anything unusual no more Footsteps in the night no unexplained noises everything normal but sometimes when I'm alone in the house I'll catch movement out of the corner of my eye a shadow passing just out of sight and sometimes late at night I'll wake up to the sound of Max growling softly in his sleep I lie there in the darkness listening to the house creek and settle around us and I wonder about those footsteps on the stairs wonder what would have happened if I'd gone up to investigate

instead of running wonder what was waiting in the Darkness at the top of those stairs and sometimes in the space between sleeping and waking I think I hear them again slow deliberate steps descending the stairs but I keep my eyes closed and pull the covers tighter because I know now some questions are better left unanswered the security cameras keep watching their red lights blinking steadily through the night Sarah says I should take them down that they're not necessary anymore that whatever I heard that night was just my imagination playing tricks on me but I leave

them up because I know what I heard and because sometimes when I review the footage late at night while Sarah's sleeping I see something just for a frame or two too quick to be sure a shadow where there shouldn't be one a movement that doesn't quite match the wind a figure that's almost but not quite human and I wait knowing that sooner or later those footsteps will come again and next time I'll have proof but part of me hopes they never do because deep down I'm afraid of what the cameras might show afraid that some

Mysteries should remain unsolved afraid that knowing the truth might be worse than wondering so I keep the cameras running and I avoid the stairs at night and I pretend not to notice when Max stares into empty Corners hackles raised watching something I can't see and every night before I go to bed I check all the doors and windows even though I know it won't make a difference because whatever came down those stairs that night didn't need doors or Windows it was already inside I never should have opened that Dusty box in Marco's attic 3 weeks

later I still wake up at 3:00 a.m. my sheets soaked with sweat their voices echoing in my head but I need to write this down maybe someone else will find this story and know better than to make the same mistake I did it started when Marco got that job offer in Singapore he'd been my best friend since college and suddenly he had two weeks to pack up his entire life and move across the world of course I offered to help clean out his house that's what friends do right the attic was the worst part 20

years of accumulated stuff crammed into a space barely tall enough to stand in the August heat made it feel like an oven and dust coated everything I'd been up there for hours sorting through old magazines and college textbooks when I found the game box shoved behind a stack of cardboard moving boxes it didn't look like anything special just a plain wooden box about the size of a pizza box with No Label or brand name the wood felt smooth under my fingers worn from handling when I opened it I found a handdrawn game board inside along

with six carved wooden playing pieces and three dice the board showed a spiral path leading to the center kind of like Candyland but darker each space had different symbols drawn on it some I recognized like Moons and stars others I'd never seen before the wooden pieces were carved to look like different animals a rabbit a fox an owl a deer a wolf and what might have been a crow I took a picture and texted Marco found this in your attic looks homemade want me to pack it he replied almost immediately never seen it before previous

owners must have left it you can throw it out but something about the game intrigued me the craftsmanship was incredible each animal piece had tiny detailed features carved into the wood and the board's artwork while simple had this magnetic quality to it instead of throwing it away I took it home that weekend I invited some friends over for drinks and board games after a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity I brought out the the mystery game check this out I said setting it on the coffee table found it cleaning out Marco's attic Sarah picked up

the fox piece turning it over in her hands this is gorgeous but how do you play we found a folded paper inside with basic rules roll the dice move your piece along the spiral and follow the instructions on whatever space you land on first one to reach the center winds simple enough let's try it Tom said grabbing the wolf piece better than another round of cards Sarah chose the fox Lisa took the owl and I picked the rabbit we rolled to see who'd go first the first few turns were uneventful the spaces had instructions like

move back two spaces or roll again but as we got closer to the middle things got weird Lisa landed on a space with a crescent moon and suddenly couldn't speak for three turns not because of the rules but because she phys physically couldn't make her voice work she wrote on her phone that it felt like her throat was frozen Tom landed on a star symbol and started shivering uncontrollably even though my apartment was warm When Sarah's piece hit a space with some kind of Twisted symbol I didn't recognize all the lights in my apartment flickered

maybe we should stop Lisa said when she could finally talk again her voice was horar come on we're almost finished Tom said but I could see his hands shaking as he reached for the dice that's when the power went out completely in the darkness I heard something that sounded like Whispers coming from the game board when I pulled out my phone for light the board looked different the spiral path seemed to be moving twisting like a living thing nope we're done I said slamming the Box shut nobody argued that night I had the first dream

I was walking through a dark Forest but the trees weren't made of wood they were made of made of that same smooth material as the game box the path under my feet Twisted in a spiral and there were voices so many voices all Calling My Name David they whispered David you have to listen the game isn't finished a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees it looked human but wrong somehow Too Tall too thin with fingers that were too long its face was hidden in Shadow you must never finish the game David it

said no matter what happens no matter who asks you to play again you must never reach the center I woke up drenched in sweat my heart pounding the digital clock on my nightstand read 3:33 a.m. the next day I tried to convince myself it was just a nightmare brought on by too much beer and a creepy game but when I walked into my living room the game box had moved from the Shelf where I'd put it to the middle of my coffee table I shoved it into the back of my closet and went to work

that evening it was back on the coffee table Sarah called around noon hey did you have any weird dreams last night my stomach dropped why I was in this forest and there were these things that looked like people but weren't and they kept saying my name and telling you not to finish the game silence on the other end then we need to talk in person we met at a coffee shop down downtown Tom and Lisa were already there none of them had slept well they'd all had the same dream it's just a game Tom said

but his voice cracked just a weird coincidence then why do I keep finding it on my coffee table every time I try to put it away I asked Lisa wrapped her hands around her coffee cup like she was trying to absorb its warmth I tried to take a picture of it this morning to show my sister the picture wouldn't say save keep getting an error message we should destroy it Sarah said how Tom asked burn it I shook my head I tried cutting up the board yesterday the knife wouldn't even scratch it that night I

had the dream again this time the figure showed me something a glimpse of what would happen if someone ever finished the game I woke up screaming the next week was a blur of sleepless nights and increasingly desper attempts to get rid of the game I threw it in a dumpster it showed up in my bathtub I buried it in the park found it under my bed I even drove 2 hours to throw it off a cliff into the ocean walked into my apartment to find it sitting on my kitchen counter completely dry the dreams got

worse more figures joined the first one their voices overlapping as they showed me more visions of what was at stake I saw cities crumbling reality tearing apart heart like wet paper things crawling through the gaps from somewhere else they showed me the center of the Spiral showed me what was waiting there desperate to be released the game wants to be finished one of the figures told me it hungers for completion but it must never be allowed to end my friends weren't doing any better Lisa moved in with her sister after she started seeing shadows moving

in her apartment Tom quit his job because he couldn't stop hearing whispers at his desk Sarah stopped sleeping entirely surviving on coffee and energy drinks we tried researching The Game's Origins I went back to Marco's old house now occupied by a young couple and asked about the previous owners dead end I spent hours online looking for similar games or symbols like the ones on the board nothing finally I called Marco in Singapore are you sure you never saw this game before I asked never heard anything about about it long pause on the other end then

I didn't want to say anything because I thought I was crazy the night before I found that job listing I had this dream about a game in the dream someone told me I had to leave had to get far away from that house the next morning the Singapore offer appeared in my inbox why didn't you tell me would you have believed me he had a point 2 weeks after after we first played Tom disappeared just vanished from his apartment leaving his phone wallet and keys behind the only thing missing was his car the police found

it 3 Days Later parked at a rest stop two states away no sign of Tom the night he disappeared I had a different dream I saw Tom in the forest but he wasn't alone the figures surrounded him their two long fingers reaching for him he was holding the game box I can finish it he was saying I can end this for all of us you must not the figures screamed in unison then everything went dark Sarah was the next to crack she showed up at my apartment at midnight her eyes wild holding the wolf piece

from the game I figured it out she said pushing past me into the living room we have to finish it that's the only way to make it stop Sarah no I grabbed her arm you've seen what they showed us you know what happens if someone wins but what if they're lying she pulled away from me what if finishing the game fixes everything makes it all go back to normal you don't believe that she started crying I can't keep doing this David I can't keep having these dreams I can't keep seeing them everywhere I go I

just want it to stop I held her while she cried and eventually she fell asleep on my couch when I woke up the next morning she was gone so was the game I found her in the park where we used to have lunch together she had the board set up on a picnic table all the pieces arranged at the start the wolf piece was already several spaces ahead Sarah please I said approaching slowly remember what they showed us remember what comes through if someone reaches the center maybe that's what needs to happen her voice was

eerily calm maybe this world needs to end maybe that's why the game exists I lunged for the board but some invisible force held me back I could only watch as she rolled the dice again and again moving the wolf piece closer to the center the sky darkened the air grew thick and heavy I heard those Whispers again but this time they weren't coming from the board they were coming from everywhere from the trees and the grass and the Earth itself Sarah was two spaces from the center when Lisa appeared running across the park she tackled

Sarah Off the Bench just as she was reaching for the dice the board went flying pieces scattering across the grass The Whispers turned to screams the darkness pressed in around us for a moment I saw something reaching through a tear in the air above the picnic table something with too many Limbs and too many eyes and too many mouths then Lisa threw something Tom's car keys which she'd found in her mailbox that morning they hit the board just as the thing was pushing through and everything exploded in a flash of light when my vision cleared

the board was gone so were the pieces the dice everything even the Box I'd left at my apartment disappeared Sarah was unconscious but breathing when she woke up in the hospital the next day she didn't remember anything after our first game night Tom showed up on his sister's doorstep in Colorado a week later with no memory of how he got there Lisa's Shadows went away the dream stopped but sometimes late at night I still hear Whispers sometimes I see movement out of the corner of my eye catch glimpses of two tall figures with two long

fingers sometimes I wonder if the game is really gone or if it's out there somewhere waiting for someone else to find it in another Dusty Attic or forgotten closet and sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we finished it what was really waiting at the center of that spiral were the figures trying to protect us or themselves was Sarah right does this world need to end I don't know I don't want to know all I know is that if you ever find a plain wooden box with No Label containing a handdrawn spiral board and

wooden playing pieces carved like animals don't open it don't play it don't even touch it because the game wants to be finished and maybe somewhere out there some someone will finish it I just pray I'm not around when they do when the lawyer called about my great-grandfather's inheritance I expected maybe some old furniture or worthless keepsakes what I got instead were 12 oil paintings that changed my life they arrived on a Tuesday Morning in October each wrapped carefully in brown paper and bubble wrap the delivery guy wouldn't even step inside my house to help move

them he just dumped them in my garage and left quickly wiping his hands on his pants like he touched something dirty I spent that afternoon hanging them throughout the house Sarah my wife helped at first but after the third painting she complained of a headache and went to lie down the paintings weren't anything special just Landscapes and portraits from what looked like the late 1800s dark colors heavy frames the kind of stuff you'd find in any antique shop but they were free and they filled the empty walls of our new house the first night I

woke up at 3:00 a.m. to use the bathroom as I walked down the hallway past the largest painting a portrait of a Woman in a Black Dress I heard something that made me stop cold a whisper just at the edge of hearing like someone letting out a slow breath I turned around but there was nothing there except the painting the woman's eyes seeming to follow me in the Darkness just the house settling I told myself hurrying back to bed but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been standing right behind me the next morning

Sarah's headache hadn't improved it's like a vice grip around my temples she said popping two more aspirin maybe I'm coming down with something she called in sick to work and spent the day in our bedroom with the curtains drawn I noticed something else that morning our cat Oscar usually roamed the whole house but now he wouldn't go near any room with the paintings he'd stop at the doorway fur bristling and then turn around and walk away when I tried to carry him into the living room he scratched my arm and ran upstairs that night The

Whispers came again I was working late in my home office when I heard them multiple voices this time speaking in words I couldn't quite make out they seemed to be coming from the painting above my desk a dark forest scene with a barely visible path winding through the trees I got up and examined it closely pressing my ear against the canvas The Whisper stopped immediately but the air felt colder like someone had opened a window I started researching my great-grandfather Thomas Wheeler he died in 1943 long before I was born and the family rarely talked

about him online records showed he'd been an art dealer in Boston specializing in European Imports nothing unusual there but then I found an old newspaper article article from 1942 local art dealer under investigation after client deaths the article was brief mentioning three separate incidents where people who' bought paintings from him had died under mysterious circumstances the investigation was dropped after wheeler himself died of a stroke the following year Sarah's headaches got worse she couldn't work couldn't eat could barely get out of bed the doctors found nothing wrong no tumor no infection nothing they prescribed migraine

medication but it didn't help I started to notice dark circles under her eyes and her skin took on a grayish tinge it's the paintings she said one morning her voice barely a whisper they're watching us James I can feel them watching us all the time I wanted to dismiss it as the pain making her paranoid but I couldn't because I'd started seeing things too movement in the paintings when I walked past them figures shifting positions between one glance and the next the woman in the black dress was the worst sometimes her head would be turned

slightly different or her hands would be in new positions once I swore I saw her smile The Whispers grew louder more frequent they came at all hours now not just at night sometimes they spoke in English fragments of conversations bits of laughter occasional screams other times it was in languages I didn't recognize guttural sounds sounds that made my skin crawl I tried to take the paintings down the first one a Seascape with dark waves and a distant Lighthouse wouldn't budge the nail hadn't moved but it felt like the painting itself was stuck to the wall

when I pulled harder my hand started burning like I'd grabbed a hot stove red welts appeared on my Palms shaped like fingerprints that night I heard Footsteps in the hallway heavy deliberate steps that stopped outside our bedroom door Sarah heard them too she grabbed my arm so tight it left bruises we lay there in the dark barely breathing as the door knob slowly turned the door creaked open but there was nobody there just darkness and the sound of breathing that wasn't ours I called the lawyer the next morning demanding information about the paintings history he

was reluctant to talk at first but finally admitted that they'd been in storage since my great grandfather's death because no one in the family would take them there were stories he said hesitantly bad things happen to people who own them but that's all superstitious nonsense of course I started sleeping in the living room to keep watch The Whispers were constant now like a radio playing just too quiet to understand the figures in the paintings moved freely when they thought I wasn't looking I set up my phone to record overnight but the videos always came out

distorted and unwatchable full of static and strange Shadows Sarah got worse she lost weight rapidly her skin hanging loose on her bones her headaches were so bad she could barely speak the doctors wanted to hospitalize her but she refused they're feeding on me she told me I can feel them pulling something out of me every time I sleep I tried calling Specialists art historians paranormal investigators even a Catholic priest most wouldn't take my calls the few who did listen told me to burn the paintings immediately but they wouldn't burn I tried God help me I

tried the Flames wouldn't touch them the paint didn't even bubble then Sarah started sleepwalking I'd wake up to find her standing in front of different paintings her eyes wide open but empty having conversations with people who weren't there when I tried to lead her back to bed she'd fight me screaming in voices that weren't her own the cat disappeared appeared on a Wednesday we found him 2 Days Later inside the forest painting just a small dark shape among the trees but I recognized his collor Sarah saw it too that was when she tried to kill

herself I found her in the bathroom with my Razor but the cuts weren't deep enough she fought me as I wrapped her wrists begging me to let her die I couldn't take it anymore I called a moving company offering triple their normal rate to come immediately they arrived within an hour but refused to touch the paintings as soon as they saw them one man crossed himself and walked out his partner followed leaving their truck running in the driveway that night everything went to hell it started with the Whispers turning into screams not just from the

paintings but from every corner of the house the temperature dropped so low we could see our breath all 12 paintings began to bleed dark liquid running down the Walls it smelled like copper and rot Sarah stood up from the couch where she'd been lying and walked to the center of the living room her movements were wrong Jerky like a puppet when she turned to look at me her eyes were completely black your grandfather made a deal she said but it wasn't her voice it was deep ancient speaking English with an accent I couldn't place the

paintings were only part of the payment we've been waiting for the rest she collapsed then shaking violently I tried to reach her but something held me back invisible hands gripping my arms and Throat the figures in all the paintings were moving now pressing against their canvas prisons like they were made of plastic wrap I saw faces bulging through hands reaching out the woman in the black dress stepped completely out of her frame she moved like smoke flowing across the room to where Sarah lay I fought against whatever held me screaming until my throat was raw

the woman bent over Sarah reaching toward her face with hands that ended in long dark claws that's when I remembered the last thing the priest had told me if you can't destroy them bind them but it'll cost you something precious I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood and started reciting the words he'd made me memorize Latin I think though I didn't understand them the woman's head snapped toward me her face no longer human but something that hurt my my eyes to look at the other Figures were emerging too Twisted shapes that shouldn't exist

I kept reciting even as my vision started to darken something was pulling at me trying to draw something out through my mouth I could feel parts of myself starting to tear away the woman screamed a sound like metal grinding on metal and lunged at me I spoke the last word just as her claws reached my chest there was a sound like thunder then silence so complete it felt solid when my vision cleared the paintings were gone all 12 frames hung empty the canvases now blank and white as snow the walls were clean no trace of

the dark liquid that had run down them Sarah was breathing her color already better when she opened her eyes they were her own again she didn't remember anything after the paintings arrived which was probably Mercy I remember everything I have to it's part of the price I paid I can feel the empty spaces inside me where pieces of my soul used to be the priest warned me it would happen that binding 12 ancient Spirits would require 12 pieces of myself I can't dream anymore can't taste food can't feel temperature nine other senses or abilities gone

forever we moved out the next day leaving everything behind except what we could fit in our car I heard the house sold months later for well below mark value sometimes I think about warning the new owners about the empty frames but I know it wouldn't do any good the frames themselves aren't dangerous anymore I keep track of the blank spaces inside me counting them like missing teeth 12 gaps where pieces of my soul used to be most days I think it was worth it Sarah is herself again the cat is still gone but we have

a new one that actually sleeps through the night but sometimes usually around 3:00 a.m. I wonder about those 12 pieces of me I wonder if they're trapped in some dark space with those ancient things experiencing an eternity of whatever lived in those paintings I wonder if they're conscious if they're screaming I don't have the nightmare anymore that was one of the things I lost but I know what it would be if I could dream 12 blank frames slowly filling with fresh paint showing new scenes and in each one a small piece piece of me pounding

against the canvas trying to get out the first time I saw the doll I thought nothing of it just another piece of junk in my overcrowded shed I wish I'd thrown it away right then maybe things would be different if I had but I didn't and now I'm writing this down because I need someone to know what happened I need someone to believe me it started 3 weeks ago my wife Sarah had been nagging me to clean out the shed behind our house we'd bought the place last year and the previous owners had left behind

piles of old boxes and Equipment I'd kept putting it off who wants to spend their weekends sorting through someone else's trash but Sarah was right we needed the storage space and the whole thing had started to smell musty the morning was cold and damp I pulled on my old work glob and grabbed a stack of garbage bags from the kitchen the shed door creaked when I yanked it open dust particles floated in the beam of sunlight that cut through the Gloom the smell hit me first that deep wet cardboard smell of things left too long

in the dark I started with the easy stuff broken garden tools rotting wooden crates old paint cans 2 hours in my back was aching and I had a decent pile of trash by the door that's when I found the box it was wedged behind a rusted lawn mower half hidden under a torn tarp the cardboard was so deteriorated it was practically turning to Mush but the thing inside was pristine the doll sat in what remained of the Box completely Untouched by time or Decay it was a life-sized porcelain figure dressed in an old Victorian style

gown perfect blonde curls framed its face the dress was cream colored silk yellowed with age but otherwise intact it Blu glass eyes caught the light when I lifted it out well aren't you fancy I said out loud my voice echoed in the dusty space the doll's head tilted slightly in my hands and I noticed a small maker mark on the back of its neck the text was too worn to read I set it aside thinking Sarah might want to clean it up maybe sell it online those vintage dolls can be worth something to collectors I

finished up for the day hauling three bags of trash to the curb the doll ended up on a shelf near the door I forgot about it completely until the next morning my socket wrench was missing I always keep my tools organized it's a habit from my day work in construction but the wrench wasn't in its usual spot in my toolbox I figured I'd just misplaced it while cleaning though I could have sworn I hadn't used it that night the lights in the kitchen started flickering Sarah called an electrician but he couldn't find anything wrong with

the wiring sometimes these old houses just do that he said probably just need to replace some bulbs we replaced every bulb in the house the flickering got worse 3 days after finding the doll my hammer disappeared then my screwdriver set each time I searched the shed top to bottom nothing Sarah started joking that I was getting forgetful in my old age I'm only 35 the first time I heard the footsteps I was in bed reading heavy deliberate steps moving across the wooden floor of the shed click click click like high heels on hardwood Sarah was

already asleep beside me I got up and looked out the window the shed was dark and still when I opened the door to check the motion sensor light clicked on nothing moved but the doll had changed position on the Shelf I told myself I was a imagining things the doll was exactly where I'd left it had to be but doubt noed at me I started taking pictures with my phone documenting the doll's position each time I left the shed looking at them now I can see how it moved subtle changes a turned head an arm

slightly raised a shift in posture the footsteps came more frequently always at night always when I was alone Sarah never heard heard them you're working too hard she said the cleanup is stressing you out last Tuesday I went into the shed to get my leaf blower the doll was gone from its shelf I found it sitting in the corner surrounded by my missing tools arranged in A Perfect Circle its head was turned all the way around facing the wall when I touched it the porcelain was warm I should have destroyed it then instead I put

it back on the shelf and tried to convince myself there was a logical explanation maybe someone was playing pranks maybe Sarah was moving things around and forgot to tell me maybe I was losing my mind yesterday everything changed I was in the shed late fixing a broken sprinkler head the sun had set and I was working by the light of my phone the power had gone out again the third time that week the beam from my phone caught something moving in the shadows the doll stood in the center of the floor not sat stood its

head tilted up to look at me porcelain joints creaking the Blu glass eyes had turned black I dropped my phone in the darkness I heard it move slow calculated steps on the wooden floor a low grinding laugh that sounded like breaking glass something cold brushed against my face when I finally found my phone and turned the light back on the doll was inches from my face standing on the workbench its mouth had opened revealing rows of jagged porcelain shards the perfect blonde curls had become writhing tentacles of hair the cream colored dress was stained with

what looked like old blood I ran slammed the shed door and locked it spent the night watching from the kitchen window gun in my lap Sarah thought I was crazy maybe I am but I know what I saw this morning the shed was empty the doll was gone so were all my tools the only thing left was a strange Mark burned into the floor a symbol I'd never seen before like a spiral made of teeth Sarah doesn't believe me no one does but I know it's still out there sometimes at night I hear those steps

in our walls click click click moving around the house searching waiting the police came today three people have vanished from our neighborhood in the past week they found similar symbols burned into their homes the families all reported the same thing flickering lights missing objects the sound of breaking glass in the dark I'm writing this down because people need to know that thing in my shed wasn't a doll it never was it just wore that shape until it found what it was looking for and now it's free last night I heard Sarah talking in her sleep

she was speaking in a language I've never heard before harsh and guttural like Stones grinding together when I shook her awake she had no memory of it but this morning I found a piece of porcelain on her pillow it was warm to the touch and seemed to pulse like a heartbeat I don't know what to do I don't know how to stop it all I know is that it's spreading three more people disappeared today the symbols are getting larger the sounds are getting louder and every night more dolls are being found in abandoned places perfect

porcelain faces with glass eyes that follow you when you walk past if you find a doll like that don't touch it don't keep it destroy it immediately because what's inside isn't a doll at all it's something ancient something hungry something that knows how to wait I hear those steps again now coming through the walls Sarah is still asleep beside me but her skin feels cold hard like porcelain the bedroom door is opening click click click I should have known something was wrong when I saw the rent price $800 for a one-bedroom in downtown Boston in

this market but I was desperate after losing my tech job and my savings were draining fast the landlord Mr Peterson barely looked at my application before handing me the keys his eyes darted around as he spoke never meeting mine it's a decent place he muttered just keep to yourself and don't make trouble he hurried away before I could ask any questions the apartment was on the third floor of a narrow Brownstone the stairs creaked under my feet as I carried up my boxes the hallway smelled like old cigarettes and something else I couldn't identify maybe

mold my door 3C had deep scratches near the handle inside the place was small but clean enough White Walls hardwood floors with some water stains a kitchen barely big enough for a mini fridge and stove the bedroom could fit my queen mattress with about 2 ft of space on each side the bathroom had those old pink tiles from the ' 50s nothing special but it would do the first week was normal I spent my days sending out job applications and making sad microwave meals at night I'd watch Netflix on my laptop until I fell asleep

the only weird thing was the cold spots certain areas of the apartment were always freezing even with the heat on full blast but old buildings are like that right then things started moving it was small stuff at first I'd put my coffee mug on the kitchen counter and find it by the sink an hour later my keys would migrate from The Hook by the door to the middle of the living room floor I figured I was just stressed and forgetful but then one morning I woke up to find all my kitchen cabinets wide open every

single one I know I'd closed them the night before I'm compulsive about that stuff my heart pounded as I walked around shutting them trying to come up with a rational explanation maybe the building had settled during the night making them swing open that's when I heard it a quiet giggle like a child trying not to laugh during hide and seek it came from the empty corner of my living room the sound was distant muffled like it was coming through a wall but it was definitely there I spun around but the corner was empty just my

secondhand IKEA lamp and some moving boxes I still hadn't unpacked the giggling faded away hello my voice cracked no response I ran downstairs to talk to Mr Peterson he lived in the basement unit but never seemed to be around I knocked on his door for 5 minutes before he finally answered wearing a stained back bathrobe the apartment I said there's something wrong I keep hearing no refunds he snapped you signed a six-month lease I'm not asking for a refund I'm hearing noises and things are moving by themselves is there some kind of pest problem or

maybe kids breaking in somehow he started to close the door old building Pipes make noise don't bother me unless something's actually broken I put my foot in the doorway please I just need to know if anyone else has reported similar issues his face changed then something flickered behind his eyes fear guilt listen he said quietly just try to ignore it that's what I do he shoved my foot back and slammed the door that night I couldn't sleep every Creek and settling noise made me jump around 3:00 a.m. I heard what sounded like Footsteps in the

living room light quick steps like someone dancing I pulled my blanket up to my chin and stayed perfectly still the steps got closer to my bedroom door they stopped just outside I held my breath the doorknob slowly turned I watched paralyzed as the door began to open but there was nobody there just darkness the giggling started again louder this time multiple voices all laughing together I snapped jumping out of bed I flipped on the lights and grabbed my baseball bat from the closet who's there I shouted this isn't funny the laughter stopped abruptly the temperature

dropped so fast I could see my breath then every light in the apartment went out at once in the darkness I heard Whispers not English something older with harsh consonants that hurt my ears the voices seemed to be having a conversation discussing something in Urgent tones I stood Frozen gri gripping my bat as Goosebumps spread across my arms a hand touched my shoulder I screamed and swung the bat wildly hitting nothing but air the lights flickered back on I was alone in my bedroom but all my clothes had been pulled out of the dresser and

arranged in a spiral pattern on the floor I spent the rest of the night in my car the next morning I started asking the other tenants about the building's history most avoided eye contact and hurried past but Mrs ch and 2B finally talked to me you're in the cursed apartment she said shaking her head I told Peterson he should stop renting it out cursed I tried to laugh but it came out shaky three tenants in the past year all left suddenly the last ones nice young couple they seemed normal at first then they started talking

about voices about things moving the woman would scream at night one day they just disappeared left all their Furniture behind Peterson had to hire people to clear it out did they say what the voices were saying Mrs Chen crossed herself they said the voices were speaking in Latin old Latin religious things backwards but that's just what I heard I keep my door locked at night and mind my own business I spent the next few days researching the building's history it was built in 1890 as a single family home in 1923 a wealthy businessman named Frederick

Winters lived there with his wife and three children according to old newspaper articles the entire family vanished without a trace the police found ult symbols carved into the walls and floors and a journal written in Latin describing rituals to contact those who dwell between spaces the more I dug the worse things got in the apartment objects didn't just move anymore they flew across the room the laughter turned to screams dark shapes darted at the edge of my vision every mirror showed distorted Reflections faces that weren't mine grinning back at me I stopped sleeping more than

an hour at a time when I did sleep I had nightmares about hands reaching through walls about children with black eyes playing games with my organs I lost my appetite my job interviews went terribly because I couldn't focus couldn't stop jumping at every sound after 2 weeks I confronted Peterson again this time I caught him getting his Ma you knew I said you knew about the apartment and you rented it anyway he slumped against the wall what was I supposed to do the building's underwater on the mortgage I need every unit rented and they they

don't let me leave it empty they the children his voice cracked they need Playmates if no one lives in 3C they come down here they he pulled up his his sleeve revealing deep scratches on his arm just stay please they're calmer when someone's up there I ran upstairs and started packing to hell with the deposit to hell with the lease I'd sleep in my car crash on couches anything to get out but when I tried to leave the door wouldn't open the windows sealed themselves shut the children's laughter echoed through every room growing louder and

louder until it felt like my skull would crack the temperature plummeted ice C formed on the walls in the bathroom mirror I saw them clearly for the first time three small figures in old-fashioned clothes their skin gray and withered their eyes completely black they smiled at me with too many teeth play with us they said in unison their voices hurt my ears like feedback from a microphone stay and play Forever the Lights Went Out in the darkness I felt small hands grabbing my arms my legs my throat they were so cold they burned I tried

to scream but no sound came out I don't remember what happened next I woke up in the hospital 3 days later the doctor said I was found wandering downtown in my underwear severely dehydrated and hypothermic muttering in Latin there were scratches and bruises all over my body Peterson visited me once he looked even worse than before his eyes sunken and haunted I'm sorry he said but better you than me he left an envelope with my security deposit and first month's rent refund I moved in with my sister in Chicago after I got out of the

hospital I still have nightmares about those black eyes those small cold hands sometimes I hear distant giggling in empty rooms and every now and then I find my possessions arranged in spiral patterns while I sleep I check apartment listing sometimes 3C is available again now for just $600 a month such a steal in this market I wonder who'll be desperate enough to take it next I should call and warn them but I won't better them than me that silhouette in the Barnes ha Loft wasn't supposed to be there nobody goes up there at night nobody

should be up there at all I know because I've worked this farm for 15 years and I'm the only one who handles the night shift but there it was a dark shape moving against the Moonlight coming through the roof slats I stood Frozen in the doorway my flashlight beam catching only empty air where the figure had been seconds before the usual nighttime sounds of the farm continued around me crickets chirping cattle shifting in their stalls the distant hum of the generator but something felt wrong the air felt different heavier somehow my name's Dan Mitchell and

I've been the night manager at Riverside Farm since 2009 I know every inch of this place every creaking board every loose nail the owner Mr Henderson trusts me to keep things running smooth while everyone else sleeps usually that means checking on the animals making sure the equipment's secure and walking the perimeter a few times during my shift nothing exciting ever happens here after dark at least nothing used to happen it started on a Tuesday night in October the temperature had dropped into the low 40s and I was doing my usual 2 a.m. rounds the main

Barn is always my first stop it's the biggest building on the property housing most of our dairy cows and storage I just finished checking the milk Tank's temperature when I heard it the soft scrape of something moving across the wooden floor above me I pointed my flashlight at the ceiling the beam caught dust particles floating in the air but nothing else seemed out of place then I heard it again a definite shuffling sound coming from the ha Loft my first thought was raccoons we get them sometimes especially in the colder months when they're looking for

shelter but this sound was too heavy too deliberate for a raccoon the ladder to the ha Loft creaked under my weight as I climbed up each step made my heartbeat faster I'm not usually jumpy but something about this felt different from the usual nighttime time disturbances when I reached the top I swept my flashlight across the space bales of hay were stacked nearly to the ceiling on my right creating narrow corridors between them to my left empty space stretched to the far wall where we store the loose hay that's when I saw it a human-shaped

shadow moving between the Bales it was tall maybe 6 ft or more and it moved in a way that made my skin crawl not running not walking but gliding somehow the beam of my flashlight passed right through where it had been Illuminating nothing but hay and old wood hey I shouted my voice echoing in the empty space this is private property no response just the settling sounds of the barn and my own breathing which had gotten faster without me noticing I moved forward checking between each row of Bales nothing no footprints in the dust no

displaced hay no sign anyone had been there at all I spent another 20 minutes searching the entire Loft every corner every possible hiding spot found nothing eventually I convinced myself I'd imagined it too many late nights too much coffee my eyes playing tricks in the darkness I climbed back down and finish my rounds the next morning I stopped by the barn before heading home like I always do everything looked normal at first then I noticed the hay fresh hay was scattered across the floor of the Loft forming a rough Circle about 10 ft wide the

Bales nearby were undisturbed their twine still tight and unbroken but this hay was definitely fresh I could smell it that sweet grass smell that Fades after a few days in storage I know every delivery that comes to this Farm we hadn't gotten any new hay in weeks and nobody absolutely nobody had been in that Loft between my night shift and morning the doors stay locked and I have the only key during the night shift I took pictures with my phone and sent them to Mr Henderson he came out to look himself but he didn't have

any explanation either we checked the security cameras nothing just empty frames of the Barn's exterior all night long no one entering no one leaving that was 3 weeks ago since then it's happened six more times always the same pattern I see the shadow figure in the Loft it disappears when I investigate and the next morning there's fresh hay scattered in different patterns circles squares once even what looked like an arrow pointing toward the Barn's north wall I've started keeping a log of every incident October 15th first sighting circle pattern of hay October 18th Shadow appeared

briefly Square pattern next morning October 23rd longer sighting figure seemed to watch me for several seconds triangle pattern October 27th two Shadows this time Arrow pattern pointing North November 1st Shadow moved differently more jerky movements spiral pattern November 5th heard Whispering sounds with the shadow star pattern November 8th last night Shadow reached toward me haven't checked the Loft yet the other workers think I'm losing it they joke about Dan's ghost during shift changes but they don't have to be here at night they don't have to feel that weight in the air when the shadow appears

or hear The Whispers that sound almost like words but not quite Mr Henderson suggested setting up cameras in the Loft we installed four of them last week covering every angle they record everything to a hard drive in the office but every time there's an incident the footage shows nothing but empty space where I saw the Shadow the hay still appears scattered in those strange patterns but there's no recording of how it gets there the cameras don't even glitch or static out like in those ghost hunting shows they just show empty air I've started bringing a

better flashlight one of those tactical ones that could probably signal planes it doesn't make any difference the shadow still appears and the Beam still passes right through it I've tried setting up trip wires spreading flower on the floor to catch footprints even bringing in my German Shepherd Rexx one night the dog just whined and refused to climb the ladder last night was different though last night it changed everything I was doing my usual 2 a.m. check when I heard something new from The Loft singing not words exactly but a Melody that made my teeth hurt

and my head spin I almost didn't climb up almost called Mr Henderson and quit right there but I've never been one to leave a job unfinished the singing stopped as soon as my head cleared the ladder opening the shadow was there in the middle of the Loft more solid looking than ever before it turned toward me and for the first time I saw something like a face dark holes where eyes should be a slash of deeper black for a mouth it raised one arm pointing at me the air got so cold my breath came out

in clouds my flashlight flickered and died in the darkness I heard movement lots of movement like dozens of people shuffling through hay but I couldn't see anything except that shadow now somehow visible even in the pitch black I scrambled down the ladder so fast I missed the last three rungs and fell hard on my back the wind got knocked out of me but I didn't stop I ran all the way to the office and locked myself in called Mr Henderson right then at 2:30 in the morning he wasn't happy but he listened damn an he

said after I finished telling him everything my grandfather used to tell stories about that Barn about things he saw up in that Loft when he was young I always thought he was just trying to scare us kids but now he went quiet for a long time I could hear him moving papers around on his end of the line there was an accident he finally continued back in 1947 a worker got trapped up there during a hayf fire they never found his body the whole top of the barn burned but they rebuilt it Grandfather said sometimes

he'd find fresh hay scattered around even when they hadn't brought any in for weeks that was 5 hours ago the sun's coming up now I'm still in the office writing this down while I wait for Mr Henderson to arrive he's bringing someone with him said she's an expert in agricultural hauntings whatever that means I didn't even know that was a thing I can see the barn from the office window everything looks normal in the morning light but I know I have to go check the Loft have to see what pattern the hay makes this time

because there will be a pattern there always is my hands are shaking as I write this last part I just got a text from Tommy one of the morning shift workers who came in early he went up to the loft the hay this time isn't scattered in a pattern it's piled in the center of the floor fresh and sweet smelling and pressed into it like something heavy laid down to rest is the shape of a body I don't know what's going to happen when the expert gets here I don't know if I'll keep working the

night shift after this but I do know one thing whatever that shadow is whatever's been up in that Loft all these weeks it's trying to tell us something and I'm starting to think we need to listen the Farm's driveway is crunching with tires now Mr Henderson's truck pulling up with a woman in the passenger seat she's carrying what looks like old books and some kind of electronic equip equipment time to go see what she has to say about our Uninvited Guest in the hoft but even as I walk out to meet them I can feel

it up there watching through the Barn's Windows waiting for night to fall again waiting to show us more I just hope we're ready for what it wants to show us next the clock on my phone showed 3:17 a.m. when the portrait moved I know because I checked the time right after I jerked awake heart pounding against my ribs the old woman in the black dress stared straight at me from her golden frame her head tilted at an angle that hadn't existed when I'd gone to bed I'd chosen room 412 at the Blackwood Hotel specifically for

its historical charm the front desk clerk had mentioned it was one of their Heritage rooms preserved to look exactly as it had in 1922 when the hotel first first opened the dark wooden furniture brass fixtures and vintage photographs lining the walls appealed to my interest in history but now lying in the antique four poster bed with sweat beating on my forehead that charm felt more like a trap I first noticed something was off about the portrait when I was unpacking earlier that evening the woman looked to be in her 60s wearing a high necked black

dress typical of the Victorian era her gray hair was pulled back severely from her face and her thin lips were set in a Stern line but it was her eyes that caught my attention dark brown and unnaturally sharp as I moved around the room those eyes seemed to follow me I told myself it was just a common optical illusion many portraits appear to follow viewers with their eyes it's all about perspective and how the artist painted them I'd encountered the same effect in museums plenty of times still I couldn't shake the feeling that this was

different more deliberate more aware at first I tried to ignore it I hung up my suits in the ancient wardrobe arranged my toiletries in the bathroom and answered some work emails on my laptop but every time I glanced up those eyes were fixed on me I even tried an experiment walking slowly from one side of the room to the other while watching the portrait the woman's gaze tracked my movement perfectly my neck muscles tightened I walked closer to examine the in the portrait fighting the urge to look away from that penetrating stair the small brass

plaque beneath the frame read Margaret Blackwood 1849 1922 the hotel's original owner I assumed her face was painted with remarkable detail I could see individual strands of gray hair escaping her severe bun and Tiny crows feet at the corners of her eyes the artist had captured an unsettling intensity in her expression like she was sizing up everyone who dared enter her domain I reached up to adjust the frame which hung slightly crooked the moment my fingers touched the metal a sharp cold sensation shot through my hand I jerked back stumbling away from the wall the

cold lingered in my fingertips for several minutes afterward despite my unease exhaustion from a long day of travel eventually one out I got ready for bed deliberately keeping my back to the portrait as I changed into to sleep clothes the mattress was surprisingly comfortable for its age and the sheet smelled fresh and clean I turned off the lights leaving only the faint glow of the city filtering through the heavy curtains the noise woke me first a soft scraping sound like metal dragging against plaster then came the creek of old wood under strain my eyes snapped

open but I didn't move didn't even breathe in the dim light I could see the portrait had shifted the frame now tilted at a sharple angle and Margaret blackwood's face was turned fully toward my bed her eyes gleamed with an impossible brightness in the darkness I lay paralyzed my muscles locked rigid with fear my throat felt too tight to scream the only sound was my own pulse thundering in my ears and the soft tick of the antique clock on the mantle the portrait hadn't just slipped it had rotated on the wall the bottom Edge still

firmly against the plaster while the top leaned out at an angle that defied gravity a car passed on the street outside its headlights sweeping across the room in that brief illumination I swear I saw Margaret blackwood's lips twitch into a smile my body finally responded to my brain's frantic signals I launched myself out of bed stumbling as my feet Tangled in the sheets I slapped at the wall until I found the light switch warm light flooded the room and I spun to face the portrait it hung perfectly straight exactly as it had when I'd first

arrived I stood there panting the carpet rough against my bare feet sweat had soaked through my t-shirt and my hands wouldn't stop shaking I forced myself to walk closer to the portrait fighting every Instinct screaming at me to run Margaret Blackwood stared ahead her expression as Stern and unchanging as painted oil should be I touched the frame again ignoring the icy bite of the metal it was solidly mounted to the wall with heavy hooks there was no way it could have moved moved on its own I was just having a nightmare I told myself stress

and an unfamiliar bed playing tricks on my mind the bedside clock read 3:22 a.m. I had an important meeting at 9: and desperately needed sleep but the thought of turning off the lights again made my stomach clench I paced the room running my hands through my sweat damp hair as I tried to think rationally I could request a different room but I'd have to pack up all my things and go down to the front desk I'd sound like a crazy person complaining about a portrait that moved in the night and what if all the other

rooms were booked it was Peak tourist season after all a sound like fingernail scratching against wood made me whirl around nothing had changed but the portrait seemed to loom larger than before drawing my eyes against my will Margaret blackwood's gaze bored into me with tangible weight the temperature in the room dropped several degrees that settled I grabbed my phone and wallet shoved my feet into shoes and yanked open the door I'd sleep in the lobby if I had to the hallway was deserted lit by dim wall sconces that cast more Shadows than light the red

carpet Runner muffled my footsteps as I hurried toward the elevator behind me I heard the soft click of a door closing but when I looked back room 41 tw's door hadn't moved the elevator dinged and I practically Dove inside my finger jabbed the lobby button repeatedly until the doors finally slid shut as they closed I caught a glimpse of something dark moving in the hallway I pressed myself against the back wall of the elevator heart racing the lobby was empty except for a young man behind the front desk scrolling on his phone with a bored

expression he looked up as I approached taking in my disheveled appearance with raised eyebrows everything all right sir he asked I opened my mouth to explain then stopped how could I possibly describe what I'd experienced without sounding insane I ran my hands over my face buying time to think I uh I'm having some trouble with my room I said finally for on 12 is there any chance I could switch to a different one the clerk's expression changed subtly is there a specific problem with the room the the portrait the one of Margaret Blackwood I forced

myself to meet his eyes have other guests ever complained about it he was quiet for a long moment fingers hovering over his keyboard Mrs blackwood's portrait is a valuable piece of the hotel's history he said carefully we've had some guests mentioned feeling uncomfortable with it but I assure you there's nothing to worry about it moved I blurted out I saw it move and the eyes follow you he finished yes that's a common observation it's just the style of painting sir a trick of perspective no you don't understand it physically moved on the wall I was

asleep and it he held up a hand to stop me sir I apologize but we're fully booked tonight I can't move you to a different room if you'd like I can have maintenance check the portraits mounting in the morning to ensure it secure my shoulders slumped I could tell from his expression that pursuing this would get me nowhere fine thanks anyway I turned toward the elevator then stopped the thought of going back up there made my skin crawl actually is it all right if I sit down here for a while I'm having trouble sleeping of

course sir would you like some coffee I nodded gratefully and sank into one of the Lobby's plush armchairs the clerk brought me a cup of De coffee and I spent the next hour trying to convince myself I had imagined everything but every time I closed my eyes I saw Margaret blackwood's face turned toward my bed her painted lips curved in that impossible smile around 4:30 a.m. exhaustion finally overcame fear I couldn't spend the rest of the night in the lobby I had to at least get my laptop and change of clothes for tomorrow's meeting maybe

I could find a different hotel with vacancies the elev elevator ride back up felt longer than before the hallway was silent and empty but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched my hands shook as I inserted the key card into room 411's door everything looked normal inside the portrait hung straight on the wall Margaret blackwood's eyes fixed ahead I grabbed my laptop bag and started shoving clothes into my suitcase keeping my back to the painting a floorboard creaked behind me I froze a handful of shirts clutched to my chest the temperature plummeted until I

could see my breath misting in the air slowly so slowly I turned around the portrait was gone just an empty frame hanging on the wall the canvas completely blank except for a dark background before I could process what I was seeing movement caught my eye a figure stood in the corner of the room barely visible in the shadows she wore a high necked black dress her gray hair pulled back severely from her face her skin was the color of old paper and her eyes those terrible aware eyes fixed on me with predatory Focus Margaret Blackwood

took a step forward her movements jerky and unnatural like a puppet being pulled by strings I ran I don't remember dropping my clothes or opening the door one moment I was staring at the horror in the corner the next I was sprinting down the hallway toward the stairs I couldn't wait for the elevator couldn't risk being trapped in that small space behind me I heard the click of shoes on carpet moving at an unhurried Pace I slammed through the stairwell door and took the steps three at a time my feet barely touching each Landing before

I launched myself down the next flight I burst into the lobby at full speed startling the desk clerk so badly he dropped his phone I didn't stop didn't explain I ran straight out the front doors into the pre-dawn darkness and didn't slow down until I was two blocks away when I finally stopped gasping for breath with a stitch in my side I realized I'd left everything behind my suitcase laptop wallet even my shoes I had nothing but my phone and the clothes I'd slept in I called my boss and made up a story about food

poisoning to explain missing the meeting then I found a 24-hour diner and sat there drinking coffee until my hands stopped shaking when the sun came up I called a colleague and borrowed enough money for a cab to the airport I bought a ticket for the next flight home not caring about the cost later that day I called the hotel about sending me my belongings the clerk who answered seemed unsurprised by my request he assured me they would ship everything to my home address a week later a package arrived containing my suitcase and laptop everything was

there except my wallet which they claimed they never found I didn't care I'd already canceled all my cards tucked into the side pocket of my suitcase was a small piece of paper I didn't recognize it looked old the edges yellowed and crumbling written in faded ink was a single sentence thank you for visiting the Blackwood hotel we hope you'll join us again soon the handwriting was elaborate and feminine the kind taught in Victorian finishing schools below the message was a signature Margaret Blackwood I burned the note and blocked the hotel 's number on my phone

sometimes at night I still dream about those eyes watching me from the darkness and sometimes when I pass mirrors or framed pictures I catch myself checking to make sure nothing has moved inside them I've never stayed in another Historic Hotel modern chains might lack character but at least their walls are empty of watching eyes and if I ever find myself in that City again I'll sleep in my car before I set foot in the Blackwood Hotel the worst part isn't the night nightmares or the lingering fear of portraits it's knowing that somewhere in room 412

Margaret blackwood's painting still hangs on the wall waiting for the next guest who appreciates its historical charm and sometimes late at night I wonder if she ever really returned to her frame at all I shouldn't have agreed to house sit for Mike that's what I I keep telling myself as I sit in my car outside his house engine running hands shaking on the steering wheel my throat is raw from screaming and my t-shirt is soaked with sweat I need to tell someone what happened in there even if they won't believe me I have to get

it out before I lose my mind it started 3 days ago Mike asked me to watch his place while he visited his sister in Portland for a week simple enough water the plants bring in the mail make sure nobody breaks in the usual stuff I've known Mike since college and his house is only 15 minutes from mine in the suburbs easy money I thought the first two days were fine boring even I'd stop by in the morning before work and again in the evening check the doors adjust the thermostat water his stupid collection of succulents

everything normal until tonight I got there around 700 p.m. the sun was setting casting Long Shadows across Mike's perfectly manicured lawn I used my spare key to let myself in through the front door flipped on the lights and headed straight for the kitchen to grab a beer from the six-pack Mike said I could help myself to that's when I heard it the sharp crack of static from the living room followed by a blast of white noise so loud it made me jump and splash beer down my shirt the TV had turned itself on not just

on but at maximum volume filling the house with the sound of electronic snow I I walked into the living room expecting to see that I'd accidentally sat on the remote or something but the remote was still on the coffee table untouched the screen flickered with black and white static pulsing like it was alive I grabbed the remote and hit the power button nothing happened I pressed it again harder this time the static continued screaming through the speakers fine I thought I'll just unplug it I walked behind the entertainment center and yanked the power cord straight

out of the wall the TV kept running my hand froze on the unplugged cord as I stared at the screen still dancing with static that's not possible I told myself but there it was playing at full volume without any power source I hit the physical power button on the side of the TV nothing I ran my hands over the back of the set checking for backup batteries or some other power source nothing but the unplugged cord dangling uselessly against the wall the static began to change pitch dropping lower becoming almost like a growl the hair

on my arm stood up the temperature in the room seemed to drop 10° in an instant I backed away from the TV my heart pounding against my ribs that's when the static started forming shapes at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but no there were definitely patterns emerging in the electronic snow dark spots coalescing into something that looked almost like a face two black holes for eyes a gaping mouth it was there for just a second before dissolving back into random noise but I saw it I know I saw it I

ran to the kitchen and grabbed my phone I had to call Mike tell him something was wrong with his TV but when I tried to dial all I got was static through the speaker the same staticky noise that was still blaring from the living room my phone screen flickered and went black the overhead light started to flicker too pulsing in rhythm with the static on off on off like a strobe light at a club in the flashes I saw my shadow on the kitchen wall except it wasn't moving the way I was moving it was

turning to look at me even though I was standing perfectly still I ran for the front door the handle was ice cold to the touch and it wouldn't turn I threw my whole body against it but it was like trying to move a concrete wall the windows were the same completely immovable despite being unlocked the static from the TV grew louder filling my head until I could barely think the lights went out completely leaving only the ghostly glow from the television as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I realized the static wasn't just coming from

the TV anymore it was everywhere seeping out of the electrical outlets crawling along the walls like living Frost filling the air with crackling energy that made my skin crawl I heard footsteps upstairs slow heavy footsteps That Couldn't belong to anyone who was supposed to be in this house they moved across the ceiling heading for the stairs I pressed myself against the wall trying to control my breathing the steps reached the top of the staircase the static changed again forming words this time not spoken more like they were being carved into my brain directly through my

ears join us it said over and over the words pulsing in time with my racing heartbeat become signal the temperature dropped even further I could see my breath now little clouds of vapor that seemed to get sucked toward the TV screen the footsteps started down the stairs slow and deliberate through the flickering light from the television I caught glimpses of a figure tall impossibly thin its head twitching side to side like a bad video feed I grabbed the nearest weapon I could find a heavy glass vase from the entryway table the figure reached the bottom

of the stairs in the TV's strobing light I saw its face or rather the absence of a face where features should have been there was only static shifting and swirling like a miniature version of the television screen it reached for me with hands made of visual noise fingers elongated and jerking like broken antenna I threw the vase as hard as I could it passed right through the figure and shattered against the wall the static creature's head snapped toward the sound giving me an opening I ran for the kitchen the drawers were rattling in their tracks

now the silverware inside clinking together like wind chimes in a storm every electronic device in the kitchen sparked to life the microwave the coffee maker the digital clock on the stove all of them spewing static the refrigerator door swung open on its own cold air spilling out along with that same ghostly electronic noise I could feel it behind me getting closer the air crackled with electricity making my hair stand on end my skin tingled like I was about to be struck by lightning I dove for the back door expecting it to be locked like the

front but it opened I nearly fell face first onto the deck the static followed me outside pouring from the house like smoke the motion sensor lights in the backyard exploded in a shower of Sparks I ran across the lawn not daring to look back back the grass crunched under my feet Frozen despite the summer heat when I reached my car the electronic key fob wouldn't work I had to unlock the door manually with the physical key my hands shaking so badly I could barely get it into the lock as I yanked the door open I

finally looked back at the house every window was glowing with that same static pulsing like a heartbeat and in every window there were faces dozens of them all made of Shifting electronic snow s all staring directly at me the static figure stood in the doorway its body now stretching impossibly tall head brushing against the top of the frame I threw myself into the driver's seat and jammed the key into the ignition the car's Electronics went haywire dashboard lights flashing radio scanning through stations at light speed wipers slapping back and forth but the engine started I

slammed it into reverse and fled tires screeching on the pavement as I peeled away from the curb I saw something in my rearview mirror that made my blood run cold the static Figures were pouring out of the house now flowing across the lawn like living television snow they moved in jerky broken ways like frames missing from a video and they were following my car I blew through three stop signs getting out of Mike's neighborhood the static creatures kept pace for the first few blocks streaming along the sidewalks and through front yards every street light I

passed exploded in a shower of Sparks car alarm started wailing in my wake finally after about a mile they started to fall behind dissolving into the darkness like bad reception now I'm sitting here in my car in an empty parking lot trying to make sense of what just happened my phone is working again but I can't bring myself to call Mike yet what would I even say sorry man your TV is possessed by Static monsters your house is trying to turn people into living television snow the dashboard clock says it's just past midnight the parking

lot is empty except for my car but I keep seeing movement in my peripheral vision quick flashes of static that disappear when I turn to look at them the street light overhead is flickering and I swear the pattern looks deliberate like it's trying to form words I need to go home but I'm afraid to start the car again afraid the static will come back stronger this time afraid it's already inside the car's electrical system waiting to pull me into whatever signal World those things came from afraid that if I look in my rear view mirror

again I'll see a face made of electronic snow staring back at me from the back seat but what scares me most is the part of me that wants to go back there's something pulling at me like a magnet drawing iron filings a voice in The static that promises to show me what's on the other side of that electronic snow all I have to do is tune in let go become signal my car radio just turned itself on I need to drive now somewhere with no electricity no screens no signals of any kind maybe the mountains

I'll call Mike when I'm far enough away try to explain but right now I need to put as much distance as possible between myself and that house between myself and that static because even now I can hear it calling to me Whispering through every electronic device around me join us become signal join us become signal and God help me it's starting to make sense the dish slipped from my hands and clattered in the sink my fingers froze under the running water there was something wrong with my kitchen window a red light reflected on the glass

coming from somewhere behind me I hadn't turned on any red lights I lived alone I gripped the edge of the sink my wet hands left dark marks on the stainless steel the glow wasn't bright just a dull Crimson smear across the window's surface like a tail light reflected in fog but it was there floating in the glass hovering behind my shoulder I turned around nothing just my kitchen dark except for the light above the sink the microwave clock red 11:42 p.m. the house was silent except for the water still running when I looked back at

the window the red glow remained in the reflection it hung in the air about 6 ft off the ground roughly where my head would be if someone was standing behind me my throat went dry I reached over and flipped on the overhead kitchen lights the fluorescent bulbs hung come to life flooding the room with harsh white light the red glow in the window dimmed but didn't disappear must be something outside I muttered my voice sounded strange and Hollow in the empty kitchen I leaned forward and cued my hands against the glass peering out into the

night my backyard was Pitch Black no red lights no car tail lights nothing that could be causing the reflection just darkness pressing against the window the water was still running I turned it off and the sudden silence felt heavy my heart thumped against my ribs the red glow remained exactly where it was floating in the windows reflection about 2 ft behind me I stepped away from the sink the glow moved with me maintaining its position in the reflection my hands started to shake hello I called out no response just the quiet hum of the refrigerator

I walked to the kitchen doorway watching the window reflection the whole time the red glow followed always staying the same distance behind my head when I reached the doorway I fumbled for my phone in my pocket my sweaty fingers slipped on the screen as I turned on the flashlight I swept the beam around the kitchen empty no source for the red light the beam passed through the exact spot where the glow appeared to be in the reflection Illuminating nothing but air my chest felt tight I needed to think logically maybe it was some weird optical

illusion maybe there was something wrong with my eyes I blinked hard several times and rubbed my face the glow remained I walked back to the sink forcing myself to move slowly the dishes lay forgotten in the soapy water I reached out and touched the window glass it was cold under my fingertips in the reflection the red glow hovered steadily about 8 in to the right of my shoulder something made me want to look closer at it the color wasn't uniform it seemed to pulse slightly like a heartbeat as I stared I noticed tiny Moes of

darker red swirling within it like blood cells under a microscope the hairs on the back of my neck stood up a bead of sweat rolled down my spine I needed to get out of the kitchen I backed away from the sink keeping my eyes on the window when I reached the doorway I turned and walked quickly down the hallway to my living room my footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor the living room had a large picture window that looked out onto the front yard as soon as I entered the room I saw it the red

glow reflected in that window too floating behind me just like in the kitchen no I whispered my voice cracked this isn't happening I spun in a circle arms outstretched trying to catch catch whatever was causing this nothing just empty air but in every window and every reflective surface that red glow followed me like a twisted Halo I grabbed my car keys from the coffee table maybe if I drove somewhere anywhere I could figure this out think clearly get help the front door stuck slightly as I yanked it open cool night air hit my face I

practically ran to my car fumbling with the keys the motion sensor light on my garage flicked on throwing harsh Shadows across the driveway as I reached for the car door handle I caught my reflection in the window the red glow was there bigger now maybe the size of a basketball and it had moved closer to my head almost touching my reflected shoulder I dropped the keys they clattered on the concrete when I bent to pick them up something made me freeze halfway down in the car window reflection I could see the red glow stretching reaching

down toward my crouched form like a tendril of smoke I straightened up so fast I got dizzy my heart hammered in my chest I needed to call someone the police what would I tell them that my reflection had a supernatural red light following it my phone was still in my pocket I pulled it out hands shaking so bad I could barely hold it the screen was black and reflective the red glow stared back at me from its surface I threw threw the phone away from me it skittered across the driveway and under my car the

motion light clicked off plunging the driveway Into Darkness except for the distant yellow glow of a Street Lamp my breath came in short gasps I pressed my back against the car trying to get control of myself this wasn't real it couldn't be real I squeezed my eyes shut go away I whispered please go away I opened my eyes the car window reflected did the street lamps glow and the red light now definitely larger definitely closer to my head I ran down my driveway onto the sidewalk past dark houses with dark Windows my feet pounded against

the concrete sweat soaked through my shirt despite the cool night air at the corner I stopped doubling over with my hands on my knees my lungs burned when I straightened up a store window across the street caught my eye even even at this distance I could see my reflection and the red glow now the size of a beach ball pressing against the back of my head like a giant drop of blood I screamed the sound echoed off the buildings shocking in the quiet night a dog started barking somewhere nearby my legs gave out I sat

down hard on the curb putting my head between my knees my whole body shook think I said out loud think think think what had changed today what had I done differently I went to work like normal came home made dinner started washing dishes nothing unusual the dishes I'd been at the sink when I first saw it maybe I stood up on shaky legs and started walking back toward my house every window I passed showed the same thing my reflection and that massive red glow hovering behind me I kept my eyes straight ahead trying to ignore

them when I reached my front door I hesitated the brass handle showed a warped reflection of my face the red glow had grown so large it filled the entire curved surface with its pulsing light I grabbed the handle and turned it before I could change my mind the door swung open with a creek inside the house was exactly as I'd left it lights on in the kitchen half full sink of dishes keys still lying in the driveway where I'd dropped them I walked to the sink my shoes squeaking slightly on the lenum the window reflection

showed the red glow surrounding my head completely now like I was underwater in blood moving slowly I reached into the sink the water had gone cold I found the dish I'd been washing when this started a plain white plate with bits of dried food still stuck to it something caught my eye a tiny mark on the Plate's surface barely visible under the food residue I held it up to the light there etched into the ceramic was a symbol I'd never seen before it looked like a spiral with strange angular marks around it as I stared

at it the marks seemed to shift and move making my eyes hurt the plate slipped from my fingers this time when it hit the sink it shattered shards of white ceramic scattered across the stainless steel in the window reflection the red glow pulsed once violently I felt something cold touch the back of my neck I spun around the kitchen was empty but now I could feel it an icy pressure against my skin exactly where the glow touched my reflection my legs carried me backward until I hit the counter the pressure followed spreading across my shoulders

like frozen fingers the overhead lights flickered in that brief moment of darkness I heard something a whisper so quiet I almost missed it words in a language I didn't understand the light stabilized the pressure increased pushing down on my shoulders I gripped the counter Edge so hard my Knuckles turned white The Whispers came again louder they seemed to come from inside my own head the words slithered through my mind like snakes leaving trails of ice behind them my vision blurred the red glow in the window reflection had become so bright it hurt to look at

it completely surrounded my reflected form now pulsating with that same rhythmic pulse the cold spread down my arms I couldn't move could barely breathe The Whispers grew louder more insistent they wanted something wanted me to understand something with the last of my strength I turned my head to look at the broken plate in the sink the symbol caught the light gleaming wetly as I watched The Stranger marks began to move rotating slowly around the spiral Center The Whispers reached a fever pitch the cold covered my entire body now in the window reflection I saw the

red glow begin to seep into my skin staining it Crimson I tried to scream no sound came out the Whispers filled my head drowning out everything else I understood them now they were telling me what they needed what they wanted me to do my hand moved without my control reaching for one of the broken plate shards The Edge gleamed sharp and white the last thing I saw in the window reflection was my face pale and drawn as the red glow poured into my eyes like Liquid Fire then the Lights Went Out And The Whispers told

me exactly what to do next I Woke Up 3 days later in the hospital they found me unconscious in my kitchen surrounded by Broken dishes and covered in strange cuts the doctor do s couldn't explain the geometric patterns carved into my skin or why the wounds glowed faintly red under ultraviolet light I told them I didn't remember anything it was easier than trying to explain but sometimes late at night I hear The Whispers again and when I look in mirrors or Windows I see a faint red glow hovering just behind my shoulder waiting they're still

here still watching still hungry and sometimes when I'm alone my hands move on their own reaching for sharp objects drawing patterns I don't understand but somehow know by Heart The Whispers tell me it won't be long now soon there will be more of us soon everyone will see the red glow in their Reflections I try not to look in mirrors anymore try not to see what I'm becoming but the red glow is always there waiting in every reflection and The Whispers never stop they never stop at all I shouldn't have checked the doorbell footage that

morning some things you can't unsee some things change everything you thought you knew about your quiet Suburban life it started on a Tuesday in October I was drinking coffee scrolling through my phone notifications before heading to work the Ring app showed multiple motion alerts from the night before 4 all between 3: and 3:15 a.m. I almost deleted them without watching almost the first clip started normal enough the infrared camera showed my empty front porch in black and white wind moved the hanging plant by the door 15 seconds of nothing I was about to swipe to

the next one when something moved at the edge of the frame a figure stepped into view tall wearing dark clothes they walked slowly across my porch footsteps completely silent on the wooden boards their head was lowered face hidden by what looked like a hood my coffee went cold in my hand as I watched the figure reached the end of the porch and just stood there not moving not doing anything just standing perfectly still for almost a minute then their head turned slowly mechanically until they were staring directly into the camera I dropped my phone the

face Jesus the face it was pale white almost glowing in the infrared light but wrong somehow the proportions were off the eyes too large too dark the mouth stretched too wide I picked up my phone with shaking hands and forced myself to keep watching the figure held that stair for 30 more seconds before turning and walking out of frame the next clip started immediately after now they were on the other side of the porch examining my window pressing their face against the glass testing the lock my stomach churned remembering I was asleep just on the

other side of that wall four more Clips followed the same pattern the figure would appear walk around sometimes stare at the camera sometimes study the windows and doors always moving with that unnatural slowness always in complete silence the final clip showed them standing directly in front of my door face inches from the camera staring just staring for three full minutes then they stepped backwards gave a slight tilt of their head and walked off into the darkness I called in sick to work spent the morning checking and reinforcing every lock every window installed additional security lights

called a locksmith to put in better dead bolts the whole time my hands wouldn't stop shaking that night I couldn't sleep I sat in my living room with with all the lights on baseball bat across my lap staring at my phone watching The Ring app jumping at every notification nothing happened the porch stayed empty around 4:00 a.m. exhaustion finally one out I passed out on the couch the next morning I checked the footage immediately my heart stopped between 3 a and 315 a.m. six new motion alerts the same figure the same slow silent walking the

same wrong face staring into my camera but this time they tried the door handle repeatedly for almost 5 minutes I called the police showed them the footage they took a report said they'd increase Patrols in the area suggested I stay somewhere else for a few nights but I could tell they weren't taking it seriously enough they saw a simple trespasser they hadn't looked into those eyes I didn't leave couldn't leave some stupid male pride maybe or just stubborn denial I installed more cameras bought motion sensors for every entrance set up a baby monitor by my

bed so I could hear any sound from the porch the third night they came again same time window but now they spent the entire 15 minutes at my door turning the handle pressing against the wood their face never more than inches from the camera I watched it all happen happening live on my phone paralyzed in my bed the door handle in my room rattled the wood creaked but the locks held the fourth night I was ready I set up in the living room with my bat a knife and my phone called a buddy to come

over Mike was a big guy former military he brought his gun we stayed up watching the porch through the window 3:00 a.m. came and went nothing no movement no figure Mike started to doubt my story around 4 said maybe they noticed the extra security and moved on said I should try to get some sleep I checked the footage in the morning after Mike left they had been there all the cameras showed static between 3 hour and 3:15 a.m. except for one single frame caught by the side camera the figure standing in my yard looking up

at my bedroom window their face Twisted into what might have been and a smile I moved in with my sister that day packed essential bags called my boss took a leave of absence I couldn't stay in that house anymore but I kept watching the footage every morning had to know if they were still coming they were every night same time window but now they would just stand in the yard staring up at where my bedroom would be sometimes for the full 15 minutes sometimes walking circles around the house testing Windows tapping on glass after after

a week at my sisters the guilt started eating at me I couldn't let this thing take my home couldn't live in fear forever I had to confront it I went back on the 13th night set up cameras everywhere yard every side of the house inside every room bought a stronger bat better locks installed bars on the windows at 2:55 a.m. I stationed myself in the living room bat in hand all lights off eyes fixed on the front porch 3:00 a.m. nothing 3:05 a.m. the motion light in the backyard flicked on I spun around heart pounding

empty yard on the security monitor 3:10 a.m. a tap on the kitchen window so light I almost missed it the camera showed nothing 3:14 a.m. movement on the front porch I gripped the bat tighter turned slowly they stood at my window face pressed against the glass staring directly at me not at the cameras anymore at me I raised the bat shouted for them to leave no response their lips moved no sound came out but I could read the words let me in I stumbled backward they pressed harder against the glass the window creaked let me

in let me in let me in their mouth stretched wider with each silent word eyes growing larger darker the window cracked I ran through the kitchen out the back door across the yard behind me glass shattered I made it to my car fumbled with the keys the engine roared to life as I reversed out of the driveway my headlight swept across my porch empty I drove to the police station showed them the footage from that night static every camera from 3: to 3:15 a.m. even the ones in inside the house they found the broken window

took more reports dusted for prints found nothing I sold the house the next month moved across the country changed my phone number deleted the Ring app but sometimes around 3 a.m. I still check my new security cameras still watch for movement on my porch still see that face in my dreams pressed against my window mouthing those words over and over and sometimes on the darkest nights I swear I catch glimpses of a tall figure in dark clothes standing Motionless in my yard walking with unnatural slowness head turning always turning to stare directly into the camera

the notifications came this morning six motion alerts between 3: and 3:15 a.m. I haven't checked them yet don't know if I will some things you can't run from some things follow you some things just wait patient and persistent until you finally break down and let them in they're waiting on my porch right now I can feel it and soon very soon I'll have to decide whether to watch those clips whether to look into those eyes again whether to hear what new words they're mouthing through my window time is running out the Sun is setting 3:00

a.m. comes for us all eventually I should check those notific ifications I shouldn't check those notifications I have to check those notifications my finger hovers over the app the screen glows in the darkness my hands won't stop shaking the first call came at 2:47 a.m. on a Tuesday I remember the exact time because I checked my phone screen cursing whoever was calling me at that hour hour the number wasn't in my contacts just a string of digits I didn't recognize I almost declined it but something made me answer maybe it was because I'd been working

late on a deadline for the Parker account and my brain wasn't thinking straight hello I said my voice rough from fatigue silence not even breathing on the other end just dead air I waited 5 seconds then hung up probably a wrong number or a glitch I went back to my spreadsheets forgot about it and crawled into bed an hour later the next night my phone rang at 3:12 a.m. same unknown number this time I was actually asleep when it rang and I fumbled for the phone in the dark knocking over a glass of water on

my nightstand who is this I demanded more irritated than anything else again silence I hung up after 3 seconds I blocked the number before going back to sleep fat lot of good that did the third night at 2:55 a.m. my phone rang with a different unknown number I hadn't even fallen asleep yet I'd been lying in bed staring at the ceiling half expecting the call my hand was already reaching for the phone before the first ring finished this time I said nothing I just held the phone to my ear and listened the silence stretched for

10 seconds te then I heard it a soft exhale barely audible could have been static could have been wind but it wasn't I sat up in bed fully awake now I can hear you I said the line went dead by the fourth night I'd started recording the calls I sat in my home office with my laptop open a recording app ready the call came at 3:33 a.m. different number again this time there was definitely breathing on the other end slow deliberate breaths like someone trying to be quiet but not quite managing it I played the

recording back afterward increasing the volume and applying noise reduction the breathing was clearer in the enhanced version and underneath it I could hear something else a low hum maybe Machinery or traffic in the background the fifth night the caller whispered my name David just once barely audible I I almost convinced myself I'd imagined it but the recording confirmed it my name spoken in a voice I couldn't identify as male or female young or old The Whisper had a strange quality to it like it was being filtered through something I called the police the next morning

officer Martinez took my report with professional Detachment but I could tell she wasn't particularly concerned have you received any threats she asked no has anyone been harassing you at work or in your personal life no and the caller hasn't made any demands or said anything threatening they just said my name she gave me that look cops give you when they think you're wasting their time Mr Cooper while this is certainly annoying there's not much we can do about prank calls unless there's a clear thread or pattern of harassment I suggest changing your number I did

change my number that afternoon spent 2 hours updating my cont conts in dealing with the phone company I felt better afterward more in control that lasted until 3:17 a.m. when my new number rang with another unknown caller this time the whisper was longer David I see you I lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a decent building in a good neighborhood I'd always felt safe there but after that call I walked through every room checking Windows looking in closets behind shower curtains I stood at each window studying the dark buildings across

the street searching for lights or movement nothing seemed out of place but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched I didn't sleep that night or the next I installed a security camera in my bedroom and another facing my front door I bought motion sensor lights for my balcony I started keeping my gun a Glock 19 I'd bought years ago and barely used on my nightstand instead of in its lock box in the closet the calls kept coming every night between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. always from different numbers always with that whispered voice that seemed

to get a little clearer a little closer each time David I'm getting closer David do you feel me watching David soon I tried staying at a hotel but the calls followed me I tried turning off my phone completely but then the hotel room phone would ring once I pulled the hotel phone's cord out of the wall and my laptop started chiming with incoming Skype calls from accounts I didn't recognize work started to suffer I made mistakes on simple calculations dozed off during meetings my boss Linda called me into her office after I missed a major

deadline David what's going on this isn't like you I wanted to tell her wanted to explain about the calls The Whispers The Growing certainty that something was very wrong but I knew how it would sound I mumbled something about insomnia and promised to do better that night the whisper changed David Linda seems worried about you my blood went cold I'd been at the office when Linda talked to me how did the caller know the next day I hired a private investigator Frank Mendes had good reviews online and didn't blink when I told him my story

he set up surveillance equipment in my apartment and began trying to trace the calls whoever this is there good he told me after 3 days the numbers are all spoofed bounced through multiple vpns but we'll catch them I wasn't so sure The Whispers were getting longer more detailed David you should eat more than coffee and toast for breakfast David that red tie doesn't match your gray suit David you forgot to lock your balcony door again I'd rush to check the door every time finding it locked but the doubt would creep in had I checked it

before had I just locked it now after the fact Frank set up cameras covering every angle of my apartment in the surrounding streets he gave me a panic button that would alert him instantly he even had someone watch my place at night while I tried to sleep it didn't help David Frank can't see me David no one can see me David but I can see you the whisper started coming during the day too not through my phone but in my ear when I was alone in my office or in the elevator or in my car

always just at the edge of hearing always saying my name first I stopped going to work stopped leaving my apartment I covered all the mirrors taped over my phone's cameras disconnected my laptop's webcam I sat in my living room with all the lights on gun in hand watching the security camera feeds on multiple monitors Frank brought in Tech experts Consulting with other investigators they set up more sophisticated monitoring equipment trying to catch something anything that would explain what was happening then came the night I saw it on the cameras I was watching the feeds scanning

between views of my empty hallway my bedroom my kitchen everything normal everything quiet then movement caught my eye on the bedroom feed a shadow darker than the darkness around it moving across the wall but when I looked at the other camera angle of the same room nothing the shadow only appeared on one feed i radioed Frank who was watching from his car outside are you seeing this seeing what all feeds are clear I switched between camera angles the shadow was growing spreading across the wall like spilled ink but only on that one camera David The

Whisper came from everywhere and nowhere David I'm here the shadow reached the edge of the wall and began to peel away from it forming a shape that made my eyes hurt to look at it David look at me I didn't want to turn around God help me I didn't want to turn around but I felt my head moving my neck turning against my will the last thing I remember clearly is the sound of Frank's voice on the radio asking if I was okay after that my memories become fragmented I remember remember Darkness moving like wet

silk I remember cold that went deeper than skin I remember my name being whispered in a voice that felt like fingers scraping inside my skull I remember screaming they found me 3 days later in a maintenance closet on the 7eventh floor of my building three floors above my apartment I was dehydrated confused and missing my phone my gun and 48 Hours of memories the security cameras showed nothing unusual no Shadow no movement just me walking calmly out of my apartment at 3:17 a.m. taking the stairs up to the seventh floor and entering the maintenance closet

the cameras didn't record me screaming they didn't record the darkness moving against the walls they didn't record anything at all unusual I spent 2 weeks in the hospital the doctors called it a psychotic break brought on by severe insomnia and stress they gave me medication that made the world feel soft and distant they recommended a extended rest and therapy I moved in with my sister in another state changed my name started over but sometimes in the dead hours of the night my new phone rings and before I can stop myself I answer David The Whispers

have found me again and this time they're getting louder they're the light shouldn't be there I know this house is empty I just bought it 2 days ago yet there it is a yellow glow coming from the Attic Window visible from where I stand in the driveway my hand tightens around my car keys the metal edges digging into my palm the November wind whips around me and my breath comes out in white Puffs in the cold air I've spent the last 3 hours moving boxes from my apartment and this is the first time I've noticed

it the real estate agent gave me all the keys yesterday and I made sure every room was locked before I left no one else should be here I walk up to the front door my footsteps crunching on Dead Leaves the porch light flickers as I fumble with the lock inside the house is silent except for the hum of the heating system the hardwood floors Creek under my feet as I move through the empty living room my footsteps Echo off the bare walls the stairs to the second floor are straight ahead head I stop at the

bottom looking up the stairwell is dark and I can't see the top my hand finds the light switch on the wall and I flip it on nothing happens the bulb must be burned out I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight the beam cuts through the darkness Illuminating the wooden steps they're covered in a thin layer of dust no one has walked up here recently my heart pounds against my ribs as I climb one step at a time each board groans under my weight at the top of the stairs I pause the hallway

stretches out in front of me with three closed doors on the left and two on the right at the end is another door the entrance to the attic I shine my light on it it's an old wooden door with peeling white paint and a brass knob there's no light coming from underneath it I walk down the hallway my shoes leaving prints in the dust when I reach the attic door I press my ear against it nothing complete silence I grab the door knob and turn it slowly it's unlocked the door opens with a Long Creek

a set of narrow wooden stairs leads up into darkness I point my phone light up but it only illuminates the first few steps the rest disappear into black my throat is dry as I start climbing the stairs are Steep and narrow barely wide enough for my feet halfway up I stop and look back down down the hallway seems far away now I can still see the beam from the porch light coming through the front windows downstairs I reach the top of the stairs and step into the attic my phone light sweeps across the space it's

completely empty no furniture no boxes nothing just bare wooden floorboards and exposed rafters overhead a thick layer of dust covers everything there are no Footprints except for mine the window is on the far wall I walk over to it the floorboards creaking with each step when I reach it I shine my light outside from here I can see my car parked in the driveway below there's no light up here no lamp no electrical fixtures nothing that could explain what I saw from outside my hands are shaking as I check every corner of the attic the

dust is undisturbed everywhere I look there's nothing here that could have produced that light I hurry back down the attic stairs closing the door firmly behind me in the hallway I turn around and look up at the house from the front yard the Attic Window is dark now but as I watch a faint yellow glow appears behind the glass my stomach drops the light is there but I know the attic is empty I just checked it myself I spend the next hour unpacking boxes in the living room trying to keep my mind off what I

saw every few minutes I glance out the front window the light in the the attic remained steady like a candle burning behind the glass around midnight I decide to try to get some sleep the previous owners left a bed in one of the second floor bedrooms I make it up with fresh sheets and climb in leaving the hallway light on I lie there listening to the house settle the old wood creaking and groaning in the cold I must have dozed off because suddenly I'm awake and the house is completely dark the hallway light is off

I reach for my phone on the nightstand 3:17 a.m. my throat is parched I need water I swing my legs out of bed wincing as my feet touch the cold floor the house is silent except for the wind outside I open my bedroom door and step into the hallway in the darkness I can barely make out the shapes of the other doors that's when I notice it the attic door at the end of the hall is open I know I closed it earlier I'm absolutely certain of that I stand Frozen in the doorway staring at

the black rectangle of the open attic the silence feels heavy pressing against my ears then I hear it a soft thud from above another thud footsteps someone is walking around in my attic my heart slams against my ribs the footsteps continue slow and deliberate they move from one end of the attic to the other the old floorboards creaking under their weight I back into my bedroom my hands fumbling for my phone my fingers are shaking so badly I can barely turn on the flashlight the beam cuts through the darkness Illuminating the hallway the attic door

is definitely open as I watch another footstep sounds from above closer to the stairs now I need to get out of here my car keys are downstairs on the kitchen counter I step into the hallway moving as quietly as possible the footsteps above have stopped I reach the top of the main stairs my phone light shows the way down I start descending trying to avoid the spots that creaked earlier halfway down I hear it another footstep from the attic right at the top of the attic stairs now I abandon any attempt at being quiet and

run down the remaining steps behind me I hear more footsteps faster now coming down the attic stairs I Sprint through the living room knocking over an empty box the footsteps are in the upstairs hallway I reach the kitchen and grab my keys from the counter as I turn toward the front door the hallway light flickers on upstairs footsteps on the main stairs now coming down my Trembling Hands struggle with the front door lock finally it turns I yank the door open and run outside into the cold night air behind me the footsteps reach the bottom

of the stairs I don't look back as I run to my car the key fob beeps as I unlock it I throw myself into the driver's seat and slam the door jamming the key into the ignition the engine Roars to life as I back out of the driveway I finally look at the house all the lights are off now including the hallway light but in the Attic Window the yellow glow has returned stronger than before I drive to a nearby hotel and check in for the night sleep is impossible I lie in bed watching the

sunrise trying to make sense of what happened around 8:00 a.m. I called the real estate agent has anyone else reported strange things in the house I asked trying to keep my voice steady specifically in the Attic there's a long pause on the other end the previous owners didn't mention anything she says finally but but what the owners before them well there was an incident the husband claimed he saw things heard things he became obsessed with the attic his wife found him up there one morning he'd hanged himself from the rafters my mouth goes dry when

was this 1987 the house was empty for almost a year after that no one wanted to buy it she pauses again I should have told you but we're legally only required to disclose deaths within the last 3 years I hang up and sit on the hotel bed staring at the wall the sun is fully up now in a few hours I need to go back to the house to get my things I can't leave them there but first I need to research something I pull out my laptop and start searching newspaper archives it takes several

hours but I finally find what I'm looking for a small article from 1987 about the suicide the man's name was Robert Chen he bought the house in early 1987 and died 3 months later the article incl clud quotes from his wife in the weeks before his death Robert became convinced someone was living in the Attic he claimed he saw lights up there at night heard footsteps he started sleeping in the hallway watching the attic door the doctors diagnosed him with paranoid delusions but the part that makes my blood run cold is his wife's description of

the night before his death she woke up around 3 a.m. and found him standing in the hallway staring at the open attic door he told her he could hear someone walking around up there the next morning she found his body hanging from the attic Rafters the police report noted that despite the thick dust covering the attic floor there were two sets of footprints Roberts and another set they couldn't identify I sit back in the hotel chair my hands shaking the memory of last night feels too Vivid the open attic door the footsteps the light in

the window it wasn't a hallucination I know what I heard what I I saw around noon I drive back to the house it looks different in daylight just an ordinary two-story Colonial with white siding and black shutters no sign of the terror I felt last night I park in the driveway but leave the car running the front door is still unlocked from my Hasty exit last night inside everything is exactly as I left it the overturn box in the living room my sheets Tangled on the bed upstairs I work quickly grabbing the essentials clothes laptop

important documents the rest can be replaced I'm about to leave when I notice something that stops me cold there are footprints in the dust on the stairs leading to the attic not my footprints from last night these are different smaller they lead up the stairs and disappear into the darkness I back away from the stairs clutching my bags as I turn to leave I hear it a single footstep from the attic above then another I run behind me the footsteps start descending the attic stairs I make it to my car and speed away in the

rearview mirror I see the yellow light appear in the Attic Window glowing steadily in the afternoon sun I never went back to the house I left town the next day abandoning everything I couldn't fit in my car the real estate agent called several times but I didn't answer let someone else deal with the house and whatever lives in that attic sometimes late at night when I'm live lying in bed in my new apartment three states away I think about those footprints in the dust who made them was it Robert Chen still walking the attic floor

after all these years or was it something else something that drove him to his death and then tried to do the same to me I don't know but I do know this somewhere in that house behind that Attic Window a light is glowing and someone or something is walking back and forth waiting for the next owner to come investigate I woke up to take a piss at 2:17 a.m. that's when everything changed my bedroom door creaked as I pushed it open and the hallway was darker than usual the NightLight I always kept plugged in near

the bathroom wasn't working I shuffled forward my bare feet cold against the hardwood floor and that's when I slammed my shin into something hard I grabbed my leg squinting in the darkness a shape loomed in front of me tall and strange I fumbled for my phone in my pajama pocket and turned on the flashlight my dining room chairs were stacked in a perfect Tower in the middle of the hallway all six of them the expensive ones I'd bought from Pottery Barn 3 years ago when I got this house they formed a precise column each chair

balanced perfectly on top of of the one below it reaching almost to the ceiling I live alone have lived alone since Sarah left 2 years ago and I know for a fact those chairs were around my dining table when I went to bed at 11:00 p.m. my heart started hammering in my chest I swept the phone's light across the hallway checking every corner every shadow nothing else seemed out of place the framed photos of my family still hung on the walls the small table with my keys and wallet was UN Disturbed I backed up slowly

into my bedroom my eyes fixed on those chairs my hands were shaking as I dialed 911 911 what's your emergency someone's been in my house my voice came out as a whisper or maybe they're still here I live alone and someone stacked all my dining room chairs in the hallway while I was sleeping sir are you safe right now I'm in my bedroom I just found them like this the chairs is is there any sign of forced entry any broken windows or doors I realized I hadn't checked I I don't know I just woke up

to use the bathroom and found them stay where you are we'll send officers to check your house what's your address I gave her my address 1847 Pine Grove Lane she told me to stay on the line and lock my bedroom door I did then sat on my bed staring at that door while clutching my phone my mouth was dry every small sound made me jump the hum of the heating system a car passing outside the house settling 10 minutes later I heard sirens approaching they cut off suddenly and soon there were flashlight beams moving across

my front windows someone knocked on my front door police Mr Walker I made my way downstairs carefully checking every corner with my phone light nothing else was Disturbed when I opened the front door two two officers stood there hands near their weapons are you Daniel Walker I nodded they came inside and did a thorough search of the house while I waited in the living room my front door had been locked all windows were secure no signs of forced entry anywhere the chairs are exactly as you found them one officer Rodriguez according to his name plate

stood examining the stack with his flashlight yes I didn't touch them and you're certain they were around your dining table when you went to bed absolutely certain I had dinner there last night watched some TV went upstairs around 11:00 they took photos of the chairs and checked them for fingerprints found nothing but my own prints they checked the security system it hadn't been triggered no footprints in the dirt outside the windows no scratches around the locks Mr Walker do you have any cameras in the house no just the alarm system Rodriguez wrote in his notebook

any ex- Partners who might have a key anyone who might want to send you a message I thought about Sarah she'd taken her key when she moved out but I'd changed the locks after that no no one has a key except me they took my statement and told me to call again if anything else happened said they'd increase Patrols in the area tonight but I could tell they were skeptical the facts didn't add up no forced entry no evidence of anyone else in the house just these perfectly stacked chairs in my hallway after they left

I stood staring at the chair Tower Dawn was starting to creep Through the Windows I needed to use the bathroom badly I still hadn't gone since waking up but I didn't want to walk past those chairs finally my bladder won out I edged past them keeping my back to the wall in the bathroom I kept the door open listening for any sound the house was silent when I came out the chairs were gone my heart nearly stopped I ran to the dining room all six chairs were back in their places around the table arranged exactly

as they'd been at dinner time I called 911 again different officers came out they took more photos more notes found nothing unusual suggested maybe I'd been sleepwalking recommended I see a doctor set up some cameras I called in sick to work spent the morning installing wireless security cameras in every room living room dining room kitchen hallway everywhere except the bathroom and bedroom the Best Buy guy helped me set up the app on my phone so I could watch the feeds anytime I couldn't sleep that day kept checking the cameras every few minutes everything stayed normal

the chairs didn't move nothing moved that night I took two ambian and forced myself to go to bed set my phone on the nightstand with the camera camera app open I drifted off around midnight 3:43 a.m. a notification sound woke me movement detected in dining room I grabbed my phone hands trembling the dining room camera showed the chairs sliding across the floor no one was touching them they moved smoothly one by one into the hallway then they began stacking themselves floating up one at a time to form that perfect Tower again I sat Frozen watching

the feed this couldn't be real I had to be dreaming I pinched my arm hard enough to leave marks not dreaming the chair Tower stood complete nothing else moved the other cameras showed empty rooms I switched between camera feeds frantically looking for anything a shadow a figure something to explain this nothing then all the cameras went dark simultaneously the app showed connection lost for each one my phone's flashlight wouldn't turn on the lamp beside my bed didn't work when I tried it the whole house was silent even the usual hum of the heating system was

gone a scraping sound came from the hallway wood against wood slow deliberate the chairs were moving again I could hear them but couldn't see anything in the pitch Darkness the scraping got louder closer to my bedroom door something knocked on the door three precise Taps I couldn't breathe couldn't move my chest felt like it was being crushed more knocking the door handle started to turn slowly I'd locked it I was sure I'd locked it but the handle kept turning click the door swung open the hallway Beyond was absolute Darkness but I could feel something there

a presence heavy watching a whisper came from the darkness my name Daniel it was Sarah's voice but Sarah was dead had been dead for 2 years car accident on a rainy night Daniel closer now something cold touched my face why did you let me drive that night I screamed grabbed my phone and threw it toward the voice there was a crash then silence light flooded the room suddenly all the power was back back on my phone lay shattered against the far wall the hallway was empty no chairs no presents no Sarah I ran downstairs the

chairs were all around the dining table again perfectly arranged the security cameras were still in place their green lights blinking normally I checked the app on my tablet since my phone was broken the camera footage from the night showed nothing unusual just empty rooms the chairs never moved I sold the house 3 days later took a massive loss but I didn't care moved into a small apartment across town bought folding chairs from Walmart but sometimes late at night I hear scraping sounds from my living room and every morning I wake up to find the chairs

arranged differently than I left them I don't live alone anymore Sarah lives with me again I just can't see her last night I heard her whisper something new soon I'm writing this all down because I need someone to know what happened what's still happening I've tried telling people my family therapists priests they either think I'm crazy or lying maybe I am crazy but those chairs moved Sarah spoke to me and she's not finished the folding chairs are starting to scrape across the floor now it's 2:17 a.m. I can hear her behind me and the mattress

dipped at 3:47 a.m. I felt it clear as day someone was sitting at the foot of my bed I froze eyes fixed on the red numbers of my alarm clock listening to my heartbeat pound in my ears I worked the night shift at a warehouse in northern New Jersey nothing special just moving boxes and checking inventory until my eyes blur that night had been particularly rough three guys called in sick leaving us short staffed during a major shipment by the time I got home at 3:30 a.m. my back achd and my feet felt like concrete

blocks I didn't even bother turning on the lights when I walked in I just kicked off my steel toed boots stripped down to my boxers and t-shirt and collapsed into bed the sheets were cold against my skin my apartment was dead quiet except for the hum of the mini fridge in the kitchen and the occasional car passing on the Street below I was drifting off when I felt it the mattress compressed like someone had sat down hard at the foot of the bed the Springs creaked my eyes snapped open my first thought was that someone

had broken in my apartments on the third floor but the fire escape runs right past my bedroom window I'd check the locks I always do but maybe I'd missed something in my exhaustion I lay there not moving a muscle barely breathing no footsteps no rustling clothes no breathing except my own which came in short shallow bursts just that persistent weight pressing down on the mattress my hand inched toward the lamp on my bedside table the cord brushed against my fingers I wanted to grab it to flood the room with light but my arm felt heavy

my chest tightened sweat beaded on my forehead despite the cool air from the window AC unit 5 Seconds passed 10 the weight didn't shift didn't move just stayed there pressing down making the Springs Creek whenever I breathed too deeply I counted to three in my head then yanked the lamp cord light flooded the room my eyes burned as they adjusted I blinked hard heart hammering against my ribs nothing no one was there but the covers were pressed down in a perfect depression like someone was still sitting there I stared at it the indent was deep

at least four or five Ines the Blanket's fabric pulled tight around the edges of the depression I reached out with my foot and kicked at the spot my toes hit nothing but air the depression remained I sat up pressing my back against the headboard the wood felt cold through my t-shirt hello my voice came out as a croak no response just the hum of the fridge and the whoosh of cars outside I grabbed my phone from the nightstand called 911 waited through three rings before hanging up what was I going to tell them that my

blanket had a dent in it the depression stayed there for two full minutes I know because I watched the clock the whole time gripping my phone so hard my Knuckles turned white then without warning the mattress Springs released the blanket smoothed out like someone had just stood up I didn't sleep that night I sat there with every light in the apartment on watching the spot the weight had been nothing else happened when the sun came up I called in siik to work and spent the morning researching the building's history the apartment complex was built in

1983 no deaths reported in my unit no mysterious disappearances nothing that would explain what happened I almost convinced myself it had been a hallucination from exhaustion almost but then it happened again the next night and the night after that every night at exactly 3:47 a.m. the weight returns sometimes it stays for a few minutes sometimes for hours I've tried sleeping on the couch but the weight follows me there I've tried sleeping at friends houses but as soon as I'm back home it starts again last night I set up my phone to record it the video

shows the blanket depressing clear as day but there's nothing there no Shadow no shape just empty air pressing down on my bed I haven't told anyone else about this they'd think I was crazy maybe I am but I know what I feel every night I know the weight is real the worst part isn't the fear anymore it's the waiting lying there each night watching the clock tick closer to 347 knowing what's coming my heart starts racing around 3:30 by 3:45 I'm drenched in sweat sometimes I think about talking to it asking what it wants but

I'm scared of what might answer today I hired movers I'm breaking my lease getting out of here I don't care about losing my security deposit or finding a new place close to work I just need this to stop it's 3:44 a.m. now I'm sitting in my stripped bear apartment surrounded by packed boxes the movers come at 8 how this is my last night here my mattress is the only thing left unpacked the clock just changed to 3:45 my hands are shaking as I type this on my phone I want to run but I need to

know need to see if it follows me to the new place need to understand what this thing wants from me 346 the air feels heavy colder The Springs in my mattress are starting to Creek 3:47 the weight is here but something's different tonight the depression in the mattress is deeper than usual and for the first time I hear breathing slow raspy breathing that isn't mine it's moving the depression is sliding up the bed toward me I can see the blanket dragging across the mattress my phone screen is cracking in my grip the breathing is getting

louder I should run should Scream should do something but I can't move can't look away from the indent crawling toward me inch by inch it's at my knees now the breathing sounds wet heavy like something's wrong with its lungs my chest feels tight black spots dance at the edges of my vision the depression keeps moving it's almost to my hips I can feel it now not just the weight on the mattress but actual pressure against my legs cold pressure like hands made of ice squeezing through the blanket the breathing is right next to my ear

I can feel cold hair brushing against my neck someone's Whispering my name a loud thud from the guest room stopped me mid-step I froze in the hallway still holding my glass of water the digital clock on the wall showed 11:47 p.m. my wife Sarah was working the night shift at the hospital and I was alone in our two-story house I heard it again a scraping sound like something heavy being dragged across wood the guest room was at the end of the upstairs hallway past our bedroom in the bathroom we hadn't used it in months not

since Sarah's parents visited for Christmas my heart pounded against my ribs I set the water glass down on the hallway table carefully trying not to make a sound the house was dark except for the small night light we kept plugged in near the stairs the scraping stopped replaced by a soft rust L I walked toward the guest room the carpet muffled my footsteps my hands felt cold and clammy I reached for my phone in my pocket but it wasn't there I'd left it charging downstairs in the kitchen the guest room door was closed it shouldn't

have been we always kept it open to help with air circulation I stood there listening more rustling came from inside followed by what sounded like hangers clicking against each other in the closet my fingers wrapped around the doorknob the metal felt Ice Cold against my palm I turned it slowly Trying to minimize the sound of the mechanism the door creaked as I pushed it open I'd been meaning to oil those hinges for weeks the room was dark Moonlight filtered through the thin curtains casting weird shadows on the walls everything looked normal at first the queen-sized

bed with its blue comforter the wooden dresser the small desk in the corner then I noticed the closet door was open it shouldn't have been I fumbled for the light switch flicking it on the sudden brightness made me squint the closet was a mess clothes that had been hanging neatly were now scattered on the floor a winter coat lay crumpled in the corner hangers dangled empty on the rod I stepped into the room my bare feet sinking into the carpet the air felt different colder somehow as I got closer to the closet I saw something

that made my stomach dry a single footprint in the dust on the hardwood floor inside the closet it was bigger than my foot much bigger I wear a size 10 this print looked like it came from someone wearing at least a size 14 or 15 the shape was clear in the dust a deep heel impression a distinct Arch five toe marks at the front I backed away from the closet my throat felt tight we lived in a good neighborhood I always lock the doors and windows before going to bed I'd done it tonight same as

always I'd even double check the back door after taking out the trash a soft thump came from inside the closet I jumped stumbling backward until my legs hit the bed the sound came again louder this time something was moving in there hidden behind the hanging clothes at the back I should have run I should have grabbed my phone and called the police instead I stood there Frozen watching the clothes start to move move a sleeve of Sarah's old winter coat swayed back and forth then a dark shape emerged from behind it what happened next occurred

so fast I barely had time to process it a massive hand pale and vined shot out from between the clothes it grabbed the closet door and slammed it shut with such force that the whole wall shook I heard the lock click I ran I sprinted out of the guest room and down the hallway taking the stairs two at a time my feet slipped on the last step and I crashed into the wall banging my shoulder hard I didn't stop I ran straight to the kitchen grabbed my phone and dialed 911 with shaking fingers 911 what's

your emergency there's someone in my house I gasped in the upstairs guest room closet please send someone right away I gave them my address still trying to catch my breath officers are on their way the dispatcher said are you in a safe location I'm in the kitchen first floor can you get outside safely I looked at the back door it was only 10 ft away yes please exit the house and wait for the officers stay on the line with me I walked backwards toward the door keeping my eyes on the kitchen entrance the dead bolt

turned smoothly it was already unlocked my stomach lurched I distinctly remembered locking it early the night air was cool on my face as I stepped onto the back porch I could hear sirens in the distance getting closer the dispatcher kept talking to me asking questions about what I'd seen I answered automatically my attention fixed on the upstairs Windows of my house the guest room light was still on as I watched a shadow moved past the window it was huge much taller than any normal person should be the curtain twitched to side for a split second

and I caught a glimpse of something looking down at me something with eyes that reflected the Moonlight like a cat's the sirens were very close now red and blue lights flashed at the end of my street the shadow vanished from the window I heard heavy footsteps upstairs running then silence three police cars pulled up in front of my house lights flashing six officers got out weapons drawn they asked me questions took my step statement then they searched the house room by room while I waited outside with two officers they found the mess in the closet

exactly as I described it they found the footprint they took photos dusted for fingerprints checked all the doors and windows there was no sign of forced entry no sign of anyone leaving the house the back door was unlocked but there were no footprints in the soft dirt of Sarah's flower beds beneath any of the windows I called Sarah at the hospital she came home immediately L her face white with worry the police stayed for hours taking statements searching the property they found nothing else no explanation for what had happened we slept downstairs on the couch

that night all the lights on Sarah held my hand as I told her everything she believed me she could see how shaken I was but neither of us could make sense of it the next day I installed security cameras throughout the house we put new locks on all the doors I bought motion sensors for every room we talked about moving but this was our home we'd worked hard for it we didn't want to let fear drive us away weeks passed nothing else happened the security cameras recorded nothing unusual the motion sensors never triggered unexpectedly eventually

Sarah started working night shifts again I forced myself to sleep in our bedroom though I kept the guest room door locked tonight marks 1 month since it happened Sarah's at work again I'm sitting in the living room trying to focus on a book the house is quiet except for the hum of the air conditioning a few minutes ago I heard something upstairs a soft thud like before the security system hasn't triggered the cameras show nothing on my phone's app but I know what I heard I'm writing this now because I need to document what happens

next the sound is getting louder something is moving around up there there in the guest room I can hear the hangers clicking in the closet again the police are already on their way I called them the moment I heard the first noise they'll be here in less than 5 minutes I should wait outside that would be the smart thing to do but I can't I need to know what's in that closet I'm going upstairs now I have my phone this time recording video the battery is at 94% the time stamp shows 114 47 p.m. exactly

1 month since the first incident my hands are shaking as I type this but my mind is clear I'm walking up the stairs the guest room light is on I didn't leave it that way the door is open I can see the closet from here the door is moving swaying slightly like something's pushing against it from inside there's another footprint in the dust it's the same size as before but this time it's facing the other way like whatever made it is trying to get out I'm standing in the doorway now the closet door is opening

slowly I can see something moving in the darkness beyond the hanging clothes something big the air feels wrong heavy and cold my phone screen is glitching the image breaking up into static there's a hand reaching out pale veined bigger than before I can see the arm it's attached to now it keeps going impossibly long long unfolding from the darkness like a telescope extending the fingers are stretching toward me each one as long as my forearm the police sirens are close red and blue lights are flashing Through the Windows but they won't make it in time

the hand is almost touching me I can see what's behind it now emerging from the closet I can see its face the text ends here mids sentence the final characters appear to have been tyed in a hurry with several typographical errors that have been corrected the time stamp on the document shows it was last modified at 1152 p.m. I should have left that damn board at the thrift store now I can't sleep can't eat can't think straight my hands shake when I try to write this down but I need to tell someone what happened maybe

then they'll believe me maybe then I'll believe myself it started 3 weeks ago when I was helping out it second time around this local thrift shop where my sister Sarah works the owner Mrs Peterson had broken her hip so Sarah asked if I could help reorganize the back room the place was a mess boxes everywhere old furniture piled to the ceiling dust so thick you could write your name in it I was moving some boxes when I found it wedged between an old dresser and the wall just a plain wooden board about 2 ft square

with a grid of lines carved into the surface nothing special except for these weird scratches all over it not the normal wear and tear you'd expect these looked deliberate like someone had taken a knife and just gone to town on it hey Sarah I called out holding it up what's this supposed to be she barely glanced over some kind of game board maybe just add it to the pile for pricing I should have God I should have just tossed it in with the other junk but something about those scratches bothered me they formed patterns not

random gouges but deliberate marks that almost looked like writing I ran my fingers over them feeling the rough edges catch against my skin mind if I take this home I asked might clean it up see what it is Sarah Shrugged five bucks and it's yours I paid her and took it home setting it on my kitchen table while while I made dinner the scratches seemed different under my apartment lights deeper somehow more purposeful I spent an hour trying to figure out what kind of game it might be for the grid looked almost like a chessboard

but the spacing was wrong and there were these odd symbols carved into certain squares that night I had the dream I was standing in a dark room couldn't see anything except the board floating in front of me glowing with this sickly green light and then I heard it this whisper right next to my ear so close I could feel cold breath on my skin don't touch the board I woke up drenched in sweat heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat just a dream I told myself too much pizza before bed but

when I went to the kitchen for some water the board was gone I searched everywhere under the table in cabinets behind Furniture nothing I even called Sarah to ask if I'd actually brought it home or just imagined the whole thing she confirmed I'd bought it even texted me a photo of the receipt the next night same dream this time the whisper was angry we told you not to touch it I woke up with scratches on my arms long thin marks just like the ones on the board my hands were covered in splinters though I hadn't

touched any wood I started keeping a detailed log of everything that happened the board would appear in random places once balanced on top of my TV another time laid out on my bed but whenever I tried to grab it it wasn't there just an impression in the dust a rectangular shadow that faded as I watched the dreams got worse The Whispers turned into screams the scratches appeared in new places my back my legs my face I installed cameras but they just showed static whenever the board appeared I tried staying awake but that only made things

worse I'd catch glimpses of movement in my peripheral vision here scratching in the walls one morning I woke up to find my entire living room floor covered in scratch marks all radiating out from where the board had apparently been sitting my neighbor complained about the noise said it sounded like someone dragging furniture around all night I'd slept through it all I went back to the thrift store desperate for answers Mrs Peterson was back moving slowly with a walker when I described the board her face went white that shouldn't have been in the store she said

we got a box of items from an estate sale last month the lawyer handling it was very specific everything was to be burned not sold especially not that board she wouldn't tell me more just kept muttering about promises and consequences Sarah later told me Mrs Peterson had insisted on doing a complete inventory making sure nothing else from that estate sale had made it onto the shelves the next week was a blur of Sleepless nights and increasing paranoia I found scratch marks everywhere my car my office desk even my phone screen the dreams became more Vivid

now I could see figures moving around the board Shadow things with too many limbs they whispered in languages I didn't understand but somehow knew were threats I tried to document everything set up more cameras took photos of the scratches recorded the sounds I heard at night but the footage always corrupted the photos came came out blank and the recordings contained nothing but static and what might have been breathing last night was the worst I dreamed I was playing a game on the board with something I couldn't see moving pieces I couldn't touch toward a goal

I didn't understand the Whispers were clear now your turn make your move the game must be finished I woke up at my kitchen table fingers bloody from fresh scratches the board was there solid and real for the first time in weeks a piece something that looked like carved bone sat in the center Square as I watched it moved on its own sliding across the grid with a sound like fingernails on wood that's when I ran didn't even pack a bag just grabbed my keys and got out I'm writing this from a motel 200 miles away

my phone keeps showing messages from my own number pictures of the board and different places around my apartment the latest one shows it on my bed surrounded by bone pieces arranged in some kind of pattern the scratches on my arms are forming letters now they spell out the same message over and over the game isn't finished I don't know what to do I can't go home can't tell anyone they'll think I'm crazy maybe I am but these scratches are real the photos on my phone are real even if they disappear when I try to show

them to someone else an hour ago I felt something under my pillow the piece from the board the one I saw move it's sitting next to me as I write this this little chunk of yellowed bone carved with symbols that hurt my eyes to look at I know I'm not alone in this room I can hear breathing that isn't mine feel something watching me from the corner the piece just moved on its own sliding across the motel desk like it's being pushed by invisible fingers I can hear scratching coming from inside the walls I think

it's my turn to play but I don't know the rules and I'm afraid of what happens if I lose the cleaning staff at the route 23 Motel found room 114 empty the next morning the walls were covered in scratch marks on the desk sat a wooden board its surface carved with a grid and strange symbols next to it arranged in A Perfect Circle were 12 small pieces of bone the security footage showed the room's occupant writing frantically at the desk at 3:47 a.m. he suddenly stopped stared at something off camera and stood up the video

shows him walking to the center of the room raising his hands as if holding something and then static the board and Bone pieces were logged into police evidence by morning the evidence Locker was empty except for a single piece of paper covered in scratch marks the board has not been seen since but in thrift stores across the country customers sometimes find old game boards wedged behind furniture or buried in boxes boards with strange grids and scratched surfaces most put them back some take them home and the game continues I know this because I still get

the pictures on my phone different people different rooms same board same pieces same scratches spreading across walls and skin same whispers in the dark I've tried to warn them created online posts sent Anonymous letters but it's too late once they touch the board the game has to be played and somewhere out there in some dark room or forgotten storage space that board is waiting waiting for someone else to make the same mistake I did waiting for the next player if you're reading this and you find an old board with scratches that look like writing put

it back walk away don't touch it don't take it home don't try try to figure out what game it's for because once you start playing there's only one way the game can end and I still don't know the rules I first noticed it three nights ago while brushing my teeth a slight movement in the mirror that didn't match what was actually in my bathroom I almost missed it just a dark shape shifting in the reflection of my sh shower curtain when I turned around the white plastic curtain hung perfectly still but in the mirror I

could have sworn I saw it Ripple I kept brushing telling myself I was tired it was 11:43 p.m. and I had worked late again at the accounting firm the fluorescent lights in my small bathroom buzzed faintly and mint foam dripped down my chin into the sink I leaned forward to spit and that's when I saw it clearly a figure standing in the doorway behind me in the mirror tall motionless wearing what looked like a dark suit my body went rigid I couldn't breathe my toothbrush clattered into the sink I spun around so fast I slipped

on the tile floor and had to grab the counter to stay upright the doorway was empty just the beige hallway wall in the edge of a framed photo visible in the darkness beyond my hand shook as I turned back to the Mirror the figure was still there in the reflection standing perfectly still I could make out broad shoulders dark fabric but where its face should have been was just Shadow not a mask or Hood just an absence where features should be I closed my eyes hard and counted to three when I opened them the figure

remained it hadn't moved at all the rest of the mirror showed my bathroom exactly as it was White Walls shower curtain towel rack but that thing didn't correspond to anything actually in the room with me my reflection moved as I moved pale face wide eyes toothpaste foam on my chin but now there was this other thing sharing the mirror space standing impossibly behind me when the real space behind me was empty I reached up slowly and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand watching my reflection do the same the figure remained Motionless my

heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat sweat broke out across my forehead and upper lip hello I whispered feeling stupid even as I said it my Reflections lips moved with the word the figure didn't respond or move I took a step closer to the mirror studying the thing's shape it had to be at least 6.5 broader than me across the shoulders the suit it wore seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it the longer I Stay sced the less human it looked its proportions were slightly wrong in ways I couldn't quite

Define without warning it took a single step forward in the mirror I jerked back bumping hard into the toilet but when I spun around the bathroom behind me was still empty I could feel cold porcelain against my back hear water running in the pipes smell mint toothpaste and soap everything was normal except what I saw in that mirror I turned back the figure had moved closer still still now just a few feet behind my reflection I could see how its suit hung wrong on its frame draping over angles that shouldn't exist in a human body

where its hands should have been the sleeves just ended my reflection showed every detail of my Terror the sweat now soaking through my t-shirt my chest heaving with rapid breaths my white knuckled grip on the edge of the sink but the figure remained crisp and dark and wrw WR I had to get out of there I lunged for the door but as I moved the figure in the mirror moved too reaching for my reflection with those impossible sleeve ends I felt nothing touch me in the real bathroom but I saw its arms extend toward my

mirror self's shoulders I slammed the bathroom door behind me and ran to my bedroom I could hear my harsh breathing and pounding footsteps echoing off the walls I dropped onto my bed heart racing and pulled out my phone with trembling fingers who could I even call what would I say I sat there for hours jumping at every small sound the ice maker dropping cubes a car passing outside the heating system clicking on every few minutes I checked my phone 12:17 a.m. 12:42 a.m. 1:15 a.m. I knew I should try to sleep but the thought of

closing my eyes made my stomach clench around 3:00 a.m. I had to pee I considered using the kitchen sink but decided I was being ridiculous I walked slowly back to the bathroom flipped on every light along the way my hand shook as I reached for the doorknob the bathroom looked completely normal white walls white tile white curtain my reflection showed just me pale tired dark circles under my eyes no figure no suit no impossible angles I used the toilet quickly keeping my eyes on the mirror the whole time nothing appeared I didn't sleep that night

I sat on my bed with all the lights on alternating between watching YouTube videos and staring at my bedroom door when my alarm went off at 7: a.m. I called in siik to work for the first time in 2 years I spent that day researching mirrors hallucinations carbon monoxide poisoning anything that could explain what I'd seen I ordered a carbon monox side detector for next day delivery I made an appointment with my doctor for later that week I even called a plumber to check for gas leaks though he found nothing wrong that night I used

the downstairs bathroom instead it was smaller with just a tiny mirror above the sink nothing unusual appeared I started to think maybe I had imagined the whole thing or maybe I'd been more tired than I realized that first night but last night I had to use my upstairs bathroom again the downstairs toilet was clogged and I didn't have a plunger I told myself I was being stupid nothing had happened the night before nothing would happen now I brushed my teeth quickly keeping my eyes down on the sink just as I finished rinsing movement caught my

eye in the mirror the shower curtain was opening not in the real bathroom I could see the actual curtain hanging still out of the corner of my eye but in the reflection it pulled aside slowly revealing Darkness beyond the figure stepped out of that impossible space this time I could see it more clearly though I wished I couldn't its suit wasn't fabric at all it was more like skin or scales or something between the two it moved wrong joints bending in directions they shouldn't the shadow where its face should be seemed to draw in the

bathroom's light my reflection stood Frozen toothbrush had halfway to my mouth while the thing moved closer in the real bathroom I couldn't move either my muscles locked up completely I watched in horror as it reached for my reflection again this time its sleeve ends touched my mirror self's shoulders my Reflections eyes went wide mouth opening in a Silent Scream I felt nothing in the real bathroom but I watched as my reflection began to change its skin grayed its movements became jerky and wrong its eyes turned black and empty I managed to break free of my

paralysis and ran in the hallway I caught a glimpse of my bedroom mirror as I passed my reflection wasn't running it Stood Still head cocked at an unnatural angle that thing still gripping its shoulders I grabbed my keys and my phone and got in my car I drove to a 24-hour diner and sat there until sunrise drinking cup after cup of coffee with shaking hands the waitress asked if I was okay I must have looked terrible still in my pajamas pale and sweating jumping every time I caught my reflection in the Chrome napkin holder I

went to work that morning without going home to change my co-workers stared but no one said anything I avoided the mirrors in the office bathroom when I caught my reflection in my computer screen or the office Windows it looked normal tired and scared but normal but now I'm home again it's 11:38 p.m. I've covered every mirror in the house with sheets but I know I'll have to look eventually I can't avoid Reflections forever my bathroom mirror seems to pulse behind its covering like something trying to get through I'm writing this all down because I need

someone to know what's happening my reflection isn't mine anymore I've seen it moving when I'm not moving standing still when I'm walking smiling when I'm crying and that thing is always there now standing behind it touching it changing it sometimes I catch glimpses of my reflection in Windows or metal surfaces it looks more like that thing every time angles wrong movements jerky skin gray and strange I think it's replacing me piece by piece Reflection by reflection I hear something moving upstairs not in the real house the house is silent except for my typing and breathing

but I hear it in the mirror version of my house the wrong version that exists on the other side of every reflection heavy footsteps moving from the bathroom to my bedroom that thing walking through its mirror world the sheet just fell off my bedroom mirror I didn't touch it it simply slid down like something pulled it from the other side I can see my reflection in the mirror from where I sit but it's not typing like I am it's standing up turning toward me smiling with too many teeth and behind it a emerging from the

darkness of the mirror bedroom I see a familiar tall figure in a not quite suit its faceless head tilts as it looks at me my reflection smile stretches wider wider than any human mouth should go its skin ripples like water I have to look away I have to run but I know it doesn't matter now every reflection is a door and that thing has the key it's only a matter of time before it finishes whatever it's doing to my mirror self and then then I think my reflection will step through to replace me and I'll

be the one trapped behind the glass watching as that thing finds someone new to change I'm going to drive to the desert I've heard there are places there with no reflective surfaces for Miles no mirrors no windows no Chrome or glass or standing water maybe if I can't see my reflection it can't find me maybe if I stay away from mirrors long enough I'll be safe but even as I write this I see movement in my phone's black screen a familiar figure standing behind an unfamiliar version of me its sleeve ends reach toward my Reflections

throat I have to go now before it's too late before the thing in the mirror finishes its work and my reflection decides to take my place if you're reading this don't look too long at your reflection don't trust it when it moves wrong and if you see a tall figure in a dark suit standing behind your mirror self run just [Music] run the first time I noticed the kitchen door open when I knew I'd closed it I blamed it on the wind the fifth time I started taking pictures every time I locked it by the

10th time I was sleeping on the couch with a baseball bat now 3 weeks into living in this house I don't sleep at all it started the day after I moved in the rental seemed perfect a standalone house in a quiet neighborhood reasonable price decent condition the landlord mentioned something about the previous tenant breaking their lease early but I didn't think much of it I was just happy to find a place I could afford on my own after Sarah left that first night I'd made dinner cleaned up and locked the back door in the kitchen

before heading to bed around 11:00 p.m. I remember specifically checking it because I'm always careful about security at 3:00 a.m. I got up to get some water and found the door standing open about 6 in the deadbolt was still engaged but the door itself had swung inward I stood there for a good minute trying to process what I was seeing the night air leaked in through the Gap carrying the smell of wet leaves from the backyard I walked over and pushed the door shut making sure it clicked into place then I checked the hinges the

frame the lock mechanism everything seemed normal I chocked it up to the house settling or maybe the door being slightly warped the next night same thing I'd locked up before bed but woke around 2: a.m. to use the bathroom and noticed the kitchen seemed colder than usual sure enough the door was open again just a few inches deadbolts still engaged this time I took out my phone and recorded a video of myself closing and locking it stating the time and date Out Loud by the fourth night I was getting seriously L unnerved I'd started wedging

a chair under the doorknob before bed but it didn't matter the chair would be pushed aside the door open I installed a security camera facing the door and checked the footage every morning but it never showed the actual moment the door opened just static or blank frames during those times one week in I called the landlord hey I'm having an issue with the kitchen door it keeps coming open on its own there was a long pause on the other end have you checked the hinges he finally asked yeah everything seems fine mechanically but it happens

every single night even with the dead bolt engaged another pause I'll send someone out to look at it the handyman came the next day he spent 2 hours checking everything replaced the entire lock mechanism adjusted the hinges even planned down the edge of the door where he thought it might be sticking that night I went to bed feeling confident the problem was solved 3:27 a.m. I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing the security camera's motion alert I pulled up the live feed and saw the door standing open wider than usual the new

deadbolt was still engaged I started sleeping on the couch after that keeping the baseball bat Within Reach I'd wake up multiple times each night to check the door sometimes it would open while while I was watching not quickly but a slow steady movement that took about 30 seconds no sound no visible cause just the door swinging open as if pushed by an invisible hand I tried nailing it shut the nails pulled themselves out leaving clean holes in the wood I tried boarding it up with two egg fours they split and fell away I even tried

sealing it completely with industrial epoxy the next morning the epoxy was cracked and peeling and the door stood open as usual 2 weeks in I started hearing things not voices exactly but sounds that seemed just on the edge of being words they always came from the kitchen always late at night a sort of wet Whispering like someone talking through a mouthful of water I never went to investigate last night was the worst so far I was on the couch pretending to watch TV but really just staring at the kitchen doorway when I heard scratching not

the usual subtle sounds this was was loud deliberate like someone dragging their nails across the other side of the door it went on for almost an hour I didn't move didn't breathe just sat there clutching the bat until my Knuckles went white watching the door through the security camera feed on my phone around 2 a.m. the scratching stopped then the door started to open slower than ever before through the camera I could see something dark moving in the gap not a shadow but something darker than Shadow something that seemed to absorb the light from my

phone screen the door is open right now as I type this it's 3:42 a.m. the scratching has started again but it's coming from inside the kitchen this time I can hear something moving in there dragging itself across the lolium the wet Whispering is getting louder I should leave I know I should leave but I can't stop staring at the doorway can't make myself move from this couch my phone is almost dead and the battery pack is in the kitchen the scratching is getting closer I think something is about to come through that doorway I can

smell it now like old meat left too long in a hot car The Whispers sound almost like Words almost like my name the security camera just went dead but I can still hear it coming closer still smell it the scratching is at the doorway now I'm going to have to look look up from my phone going to have to see what's been opening that door every night it's right in front of me God I should have asked the landlord why the previous tenant really left I can feel its breath on my face it smells like

the space behind old walls like things that have been trapped too long in Dark Places the baseball bat feels useless in my hands now the wet whispers are clear enough to understand but I wish they weren't I wish I couldn't hear what it's saying this will be my last night in this house one way or another if anyone finds this don't rent 1247 Oak Wood Drive don't let the reasonable price fool you and whatever you do don't look up when you hear the scratching it's touching my face now its fingers are cold and wrong they

don't bend in the right places I'm going to stop riding and swing the bat I don't think it will help but I have to try something I understand now why the kitchen door never stayed shut it wasn't trying to get in it was letting something out the first time I heard the footsteps I was unpacking boxes in my new apartment heavy thuds crossed the ceiling from one end to the other followed by the unmistakable scraping of furniture being dragged across the floor I didn't think much of it then that was 3 weeks ago I just

moved into unit 7B at the Lakewood Heights Apartments a 12-story building on the east side of town the place wasn't fancy but it was clean and affordable with decent sized rooms and new appliances perfect for a fresh start after my divorce the walls were still bare and cardboard boxes lined the living room floor when those first sounds started the footsteps continued every night after that sometimes they were quick and light like someone pacing other times they were slow and deliberate each step punctuated by a pause the furniture moving became a regular occurrence too always between

2: and 3:00 a.m. the sound of chair legs scraping tables being pushed something heavy being dragged across the floor above my bedroom I tried to ignore it at first living in an apartment building means dealing with neighbor noise but after two weeks of broken sleep and constant disruption I'd had enough The Sounds weren't just annoying anymore they felt wrong somehow the pattern was too regular too mechanical yesterday morning I caught Jerry the night security guard in the lobby as he was ending his shift he'd been friendly during my movein helping me with directions and building

rules hey Jerry quick question Who lives in 8B the folks upstairs have been pretty noisy at night Jerry's face changed the easy smile disappeared replaced by a frown 8B that's been empty since March owner passed away and the estate still tied up in Probate nobody's been up there for months my stomach dropped that's impossible I hear people walking around up there every night furniture moving footsteps the whole thing look I do my rounds every 2 hours that entire floor is empty right now the elevator doesn't even stop there anymore management disabled it after the owner

died only way up is the emergency stairs and those doors are alarmed I insisted on seeing for myself Jerry hesitated but finally agreed to take me up we climbed the emergency stairs to the eighth floor the stairwell door opened with a loud Creek revealing a dark hallway Jerry flicked on his flashlight the corridor was completely silent dust covered the floor undisturbed dust no Footprints we reached 8B and Jerry used his master key the door swung open with a groan the apartment was empty not just unoccupied completely bare no furniture no curtains nothing just bare walls

and dirty Windows a thick layer of dust coated the hardwood floors there were no marks no signs that anything had been moved see Jerry said nobody's been in here for months I walked through each room my footsteps echoing in The Emptiness the layout was identical to my unit below I stood in what would be the bedroom right above where I slept the flooor was solid and unmarked nothing that could explain the sounds I'd been hearing that night I lay in bed staring at the ceiling the clock showed 1:58 a.m. my whole body was tense waiting

at exactly 2: a.m. it started thud thud thud slow heavy footsteps crossed directly above me I jumped out of bed and pressed my ear to the wall the steps continued moving from the bedroom to what would be the living room then came the scraping sound that horrible drawn out Screech of something heavy being dragged across the floor I grabbed my phone and called Jerry at the security desk they're back the sounds they're happening right now come up and listen Jerry arrived 5 minutes later we stood in my living room listening to the noises above his

face went pale that's not possible he whispered I just checked that floor 20 minutes ago there's nobody up there the scraping stopped for a moment everything was quiet then three loud bangs shook the ceiling like someone pounding on the floor with all their strength Jerry jumped we need to check it out I said already heading for the door Jerry followed his hand resting on his radio we took the stairs two at a time the eighth floor hallway was dark and Silent just like before but this time time something was different a thin line of light

showed under the door of 8B Jerry unlocked the door with shaking hands we burst in flashlight sweeping the room the apartment was empty no lights were on the dust on the floor was undisturbed except for our Footprints from earlier that day I saw light under the door I said I know I did Jerry just shook his head this isn't right none of this is right we searched every room checked every closet nothing had changed since our visit that morning the place was completely deserted back in my apartment the sounds had stopped Jerry stayed for an

hour but nothing happened he finally left promising to check on me during his rounds I didn't sleep that night or the next The Sounds continued always starting at 2:00 a.m. always the same pattern footsteps furniture moving those three final bangs on the floor I started researching the building's history the previous owner of 8B was an elderly man named Robert Chen he'd lived there alone for 20 years before dying of a heart attack in March the newspaper article mentioned that his body wasn't found for 3 Days neighbors finally called the police after noticing a smell the

article included a photo of his apartment it showed a cluttered space filled with heavy wooden furniture in the background I could see a large dining table the kind that would make a horrible scraping sound if dragged across a hardwood floor today marks 3 weeks since I moved in the sounds haven't stopped if anything they're getting louder more insistent the footsteps seemed to follow me from room to room sometimes I wake up to find my furniture slightly moved as if someone had been rearranging things while I slept I'm writing this at 155 a.m. the ceiling Creeks

occasionally like something settling into position five minutes until it starts again five minutes until the footsteps begin their nightly routine but tonight is different tonight I've set up cameras in every room I've got sound recording equipment borrowed from a friend who works in audio engineering whatever's happening up there I'm going to document it the clock just hit 2 a.m. the footsteps are starting they're different this time faster more erratic the scraping sound is louder too more violent something's changed wait the sound stopped complete silence this isn't part of the pattern there's something new a soft

tapping like fingernails on hardwood it's moving across the ceiling getting closer to the bedroom closer to where I'm sitting the tapping stopped right above my head something's dripping from the ceiling dark drops falling onto my desk the smell hits me metallic familiar blood the ceiling is bleeding three loud bangs shake the Room harder than ever before dust and paint flakes rain down more blood seeps through forming a growing stain on the white ceiling I should run I should get out of here right now but I can't move my body won't respond the banging stops that

horrible silence again then I hear it the sound of splintering wood cracks appear in the ceiling spreading like spiderwebs from from the blood stain the cracks widen pieces of drywall falling to the floor something's pushing through I can see fingers pale Twisted fingers breaking through the ceiling reaching down into my room they're followed by a hand then an arm bone white and covered in dark stains the ceiling is giving way I can hear it groaning ready to collapse more hands are breaking through now 6 7 8 pairs of hands all reaching down grasping at the

air I finally find my voice and scream the sound snaps me out of my paralysis I run for the door but my legs tangle in the chair I crash to the floor as the ceiling finally gives way the last thing I see is dozens of pale hands reaching for me and above them in the darkness of the broken ceiling a face Robert Chen's face just like in the newspaper photo but wrong all wrong his mouth opens impossibly wide and the hands pull me up into the darkness this is my last message if you're reading this

don't move into apartment 7B at Lakewood Heights the apartment above isn't empty it's never been empty end of recording found on laptop in abandoned Apartment 7B resident missing presumed deceased ceiling intact no signs of damage investigation ongoing for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for