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It was 3 AM, and Raj was struggling to fall asleep. His phone’s clock seemed to tick slower with every passing second. The silence in his room was thick, suffocating. He tried closing his eyes, but that’s when he heard the faint sound of footsteps.
At first, Raj thought he was imagining things. His apartment was empty, after all. But then, the sound grew louder, echoing through the hallway just outside his bedroom. Soft, slow, deliberate footsteps, as if someone was walking barefoot across the cold floor.
He bolted upright in bed, his heart racing. Who could it be? He lived alone.
Raj tiptoed to the door, listening carefully. The footsteps had stopped, replaced by an eerie stillness. His hand hovered over the door handle. Something inside him screamed not to open it. But curiosity got the best of him.
He cracked the door open just a little, enough to peer into the dark hallway. At first, he saw nothing—just the shadowy outline of his furniture. But as his eyes adjusted, he saw something move at the end of the hall.
A figure stood there, half-hidden in the darkness. It was tall, too tall to be human, its head almost grazing the ceiling. The figure was hunched, with long, spindly arms that seemed to stretch unnaturally. Its face was hidden in shadow, but Raj could feel its eyes—cold, lifeless, staring directly at him.
Raj’s breath caught in his throat. The figure didn’t move, didn’t speak, but it was there—watching him. The air around him grew colder, his skin prickling with fear. Slowly, the figure raised one of its long, twisted arms and pointed at him.
At that moment, Raj felt an overwhelming dread, a bone-deep fear that something terrible was about to happen. He slammed the door shut and locked it, his heart pounding in his chest. But the footsteps started again, this time louder and faster, rushing toward his door.
Raj backed away, terrified, as the sound stopped just outside his room. There was a long silence. Then, something scratched against the wood—slow, deliberate scraping, like nails dragging across the door.
It was right outside.
Raj’s phone buzzed, making him jump. He grabbed it with shaking hands, glancing at the screen. A message appeared:
What do you do when the night visitor is already inside?
