Someone Is Inside

You’re home alone tonight. At least, you’re supposed to be.

11:47 PM. A floorboard creaks upstairs.

Your phone buzzes.

hey wierdo, I am outside.

looks like you have left your lights on

wait what?

I didn’t turn it on.

shane i'm literally staring at it rn

your room. second floor. the light is ON

Above you, the house holds its breath. Then — a soft drag, like a chair being pulled across your bedroom floor.

wait

do you hear that or is it just me being paranoid

what's that noise is this house haunted

HAUNTED?? shane focus

i heard it through the window. that wasn't the house settling

The sound stops. Then something heavier — a single, deliberate footstep, right above your head.

ok i'm not gonna lie to you

i don't think you're alone in there

there's someone outside call the police

shane i AM outside. i'm the one calling you about this

wait wait wait

someone just moved past your window

shane there is someone UPSTAIRS with you

do NOT go up there. stay where you are

The drag of the chair starts again overhead — slower this time. Like it's listening for you.

i'm dead serious. there's a person in your room

shane please tell me you're still downstairs

whatever you're thinking of doing

just... don't. i'm serious

then don’t go upstairs.

For a second, the whole house is silent.

The bedroom light switches off.

For a moment, nothing happens.

Then you hear it.

Creak.

One step.

Another.

shane are you seeing this

those are footsteps. those are FOOTSTEPS

he's on the landing

The steps reach the top of the stairs and stop. The staircase looks down at you.

don't move. don't make a sound

The banister creaks, like a hand taking hold of it.

stay under the bed and be quite

You slip behind the couch, folding yourself into the dark, phone clutched against your chest.

The first stair groans under a weight that takes its time.

shane where'd you go i can't see you moving anymore

good. good. stay like that

Another stair. Then another. Unhurried. Like someone who knows the house.

i'm calling the cops ok. just stay hidden no matter what

the cops are on there way

ok good. they told me 6 minutes

6 minutes shane. just hold on

The footsteps reach the bottom of the stairs. Then — nothing.

No creak. No breath. The house has gone completely silent.

wait why did it stop

i can't hear anything from out here either. that's not good

The silence stretches. Your own heartbeat is the loudest thing in the room.

Then your phone buzzes. Not Dion. An unknown number.

The message fills your screen: "don't turn around."

The screen's glow is the only light. You keep your back to the room.

shane talk to me. cops are close now. two minutes maybe

Behind you, the dark shifts. The unknown number is typing.

He’s coming downstairs.

and here we're

To be continued...