00:00It was supposed to be just another fun weekend sleepover at my friend Jake's house.
00:05You know how it is, video games, junk food, scary movies and trying to stay up all night.
00:11But what happened that night?
00:13I still can't explain.
00:15Even thinking about it now makes my skin crawl.
00:18This is the story of the shadow at Jake's sleepover, a night I'll never forget.
00:24It started off perfectly normal.
00:27Friday night, we grabbed a bunch of snacks from the corner store and headed over to Jake's house.
00:33His parents were out for the weekend so it was just the two of us.
00:37Perfect, right?
00:38We set up our sleeping bags on the floor of his room, surrounded by comic books, half-eaten pizza slices and soda cans.
00:47We stayed up watching ridiculous horror movies and laughing at how fake they looked.
00:52I wasn't scared, at least not at first.
00:55Around midnight, Jake finally passed out.
00:59His snoring filled the room deep and loud.
01:02I lay awake staring at the ceiling, scrolling through my phone in the dim blue glow.
01:08That's when I heard it.
01:10A low creaking noise, like someone stepping carefully on wooden stairs.
01:15I froze.
01:16The noise stopped.
01:18I held my breath waiting.
01:20Nothing.
01:20I told myself it was the old house settling, Jake's family had lived there forever.
01:27But then, it came back.
01:29Creak.
01:29Pause.
01:30Creak.
01:31Slow and deliberate.
01:33I sat up and turned toward the hallway.
01:35The door to his room was cracked open just a few inches.
01:39A thin line of hallway darkness stretched out into the rest of the house.
01:43I couldn't see anything at first, but then my eyes adjusted.
01:48A shadow.
01:49It moved across the hallway wall, long, thin, and human-shaped.
01:54It glided, like it wasn't touching the floor.
01:58My heart nearly stopped.
02:00I rubbed my eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light from the hallway lamp.
02:05But when I looked again, it was still there.
02:08Just out of sight, disappearing around the corner.
02:11I jumped up and almost screamed, but I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood.
02:16I ran to the door and pushed it open.
02:19Nothing.
02:20The hallway was empty.
02:22The air was cold.
02:23I stepped out into the hallway and listened.
02:26Silence.
02:28Not even the sound of the heater kicking in.
02:30I looked left and right but saw nothing.
02:33I didn't dare go further down the hallway.
02:36My mouth was dry and I could feel the sweat pooling at the back of my neck.
02:41I forced myself to go back into the room.
02:44I locked the door.
02:46I sat on the bed and hugged my knees, breathing in and out as slowly as I could.
02:51I told myself I'd probably fallen asleep while watching TV and dreamed the whole thing.
02:57But then I heard it again.
02:59A loud, hollow thud from upstairs, followed by the slow creaking of a door swinging open.
03:05I froze.
03:07Jake was still snoring beside me.
03:09I stared at the ceiling in terror.
03:12The noises upstairs stopped.
03:14I didn't move for what felt like an hour.
03:17I debated waking Jake up but something stopped me.
03:21I didn't want to admit I was scared.
03:24Besides, what if I got up and there was nothing there?
03:27I'd look like a fool.
03:29So I stayed quiet.
03:30Minutes later I thought I heard something else.
03:33Footsteps.
03:35Slow, deliberate, and heavier this time.
03:38Coming down the stairs.
03:40I got up and pressed my ear to the door.
03:43It came closer.
03:44Creak, creak, creak.
03:46It stopped right outside.
03:48My legs turned to ice.
03:49I clutched my phone like it was a weapon even though I knew it wouldn't help.
03:55The door handle twitched.
03:57It stopped moving.
03:58The footsteps slowly moved away again as if, whatever it was decided against entering.
04:04I didn't sleep after that.
04:07At some point, maybe around 3am, I must have dozed off for a few minutes because when I woke
04:12up, the hallway light was flickering.
04:15I sat up and froze again.
04:17There it was.
04:18The shadow.
04:19Only this time it was standing just outside the door.
04:23Tall.
04:24Dark.
04:25Featureless.
04:26It didn't look like it had a face.
04:28I wanted to scream but my throat locked up.
04:31It stood still for what felt like forever.
04:34I scrambled backward, grabbing my sleeping bag, pulling it around me like a shield.
04:40The shadow didn't move.
04:42And then, it vanished.
04:44No footsteps.
04:45No door movement.
04:47Just gone.
04:49I lay awake until sunrise, convinced it would return.
04:53When Jake's parents came home around 9am,
04:56I forced a smile and pretended like nothing had happened.
05:00Dude, you okay?
05:01Jake asked, still groggy from sleep.
05:04Yeah.
05:05I just didn't sleep well.
05:07I lied.
05:08I wanted to tell him everything.
05:10The creaking noises, the footsteps, the shadow outside the door.
05:15But what if he laughed?
05:16What if he thought I made it up?
05:18Even worse, what if it really happened?
05:21What if whatever it was was still inside the house?
05:24So I kept it to myself.
05:27It's been years since that night, but I still have trouble sleeping when I'm alone.
05:32Every time I hear a creak or a door swing open, I freeze and check the hallway, half expecting
05:38to see that dark figure standing there again.
05:41What scared me most wasn't that I saw something strange.
05:45It was that it could be real.
05:48And that maybe it's still out there.
05:50If you've ever had a sleepover that went horribly wrong, or if you've seen something you can't
05:56explain, share it in the comments below.
05:59And if you enjoyed this story, make sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon so you
06:04never miss another creepy story.
06:07Stay safe, and keep the lights on tonight.
06:09Bye.
06:10Bye.
06:10Bye.
06:10Bye.
06:31Bye.
06:35Bye.
06:36Bye.
Comments