Next

I open my eyes to the noise of the floor creaking in the hallway. I quickly jump out of bed and lock my bedroom door. I open my laptop shaking from all joints, looking towards the door every other second. I’m afraid it might come in, the door could open at any moment because I’m sure a key doesn’t stop it from entering. The creaking stopped right in front of my door, a few seconds ago, but I know that it can’t be good. It never stopped in front of my door before, or even in this part of the hallway. I’ve heard its steps through the house or seen its shadow in the corner of my eyes. But never so close to my bedroom, never creeping at my door. So, I just make sure that I locked my door and try to look through the keyhole, but I can only see the yellow bulb light flashing frequently. My laptop, making all kinds of loud noises, doesn’t turn on, so I start searching for my phone.

I look all around the room but I can’t seem to find it. A flashback from last night, with me leaving my phone in the living room so it doesn’t disturb my sleep, comes to my mind. I get back to my desk and start punching it, hoping and praying for my laptop to turn on. I hear a heavy breath, just outside my door, followed by a floor creak. I try to regulate my breath and stay calm, but the fear is slowly creeping into my soul. I hear its heavy foot sinking into the wooden floorboards, as it’s leaning its weight on my bedroom door. My laptop finally turns up, I sit at the desk and search for the security camera program. I start looking through all the rooms in the
house, feeling my heart shrink as I come closer and closer to the part of the hallway in front of my door. I know that the next live images I’m going to see are with it, so I avoid clicking “Next”. But I hear another step outside my door, so caught up in the moment, full of adrenaline, I click.

In the darkness and silence, I see a silhouette, leaning into my door, just as I imagined. As I look at it, the silhouette starts walking away, going toward the end of the hallway; but then it stops. I look at it closely, holding my breath, feeling like it could hear any sound I make. The creature, which looks just like the shadow of a man, is tall and slender. I can see it moving its long fingers, almost like it’s trying to touch something in the air. I hear another creak in front of the door, which is impossible because I see the shadow at the end of the hallway. I look instinctively toward the door, and I can see from the corner of my eye that the laptop screen turning black.

As I look back at my screen, I see the empty face of the creature. A face without features, but with a strong expression. It looks like it’s screaming, but I can’t tell if it’s pain or anger. As I’m looking more and more it seems like the face is starting to uncover its feature. The skin on its face, which evaporates like a dark fog, lets it be seen as a large smile. The creature licks its teeth with its sharp dark red tongue. As I’m shocked looking at its mouth, I can see its empty orbits appearing. Now, its expression was clear, it is fun, tormenting me is fun. I can see its soul feeding with my fear, almost devouring it with every second that my heart beats faster. I startle and take a few steps back, and that’s when it starts knocking on my door. I look at the door and back at the laptop, but it’s gone. The hallway’s empty, and I feel like I can finally breathe again. I walk to the door and listen closely, but nothing, it’s gone. I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulder. It’s in my room.

Advertisement