00:00I've been working from home for six months now. Same desk, same routine, same screen. My monitor sits facing the
00:07window, behind me, and sometimes in the black screen when it goes to sleep, I see the reflection of my
00:13room.
00:13Three weeks ago, I noticed something in the reflection. My chair, the one behind me. Someone was sitting in it.
00:21I spun around, empty, just my chair, my empty room. I looked back at the screen. The reflection showed someone
00:29sitting there, watching me. I touched my screen, woke it up. The reflection disappeared. I told myself it was the
00:36angle, the light, tricks of shadow, normal.
00:40But the next day, at 3.47pm, my screen went to sleep during a meeting. I glanced at it. The
00:46person in my chair was closer, leaning forward like they were trying to see what I was typing. I could
00:52see their silhouette, shape of shoulders, head, but no face. Just darkness where features should be. I moved my mouse.
00:58Screen woke up, gone. I started leaving my screen on. Always, never letting it sleep. But power settings reset themselves
01:07every single day. Back to five minutes. I'd change it to never. And the next day, five minutes again.
01:14Yesterday, I was on a call. Important client meeting. My screen went black. I saw the reflection immediately.
01:21The person wasn't in my chair anymore. They were standing, right behind me. So close, I should have felt their
01:27breath. I ended the call. Spun around. Nothing. Empty room. Just me.
01:32But when I looked at my phone to call someone, anyone, my camera was open. Selfie mode. Showing me from
01:39behind. And in the frame, someone was standing there.
01:42In my room, behind me, I could see them in my phone screen. But when I turned around, nothing. I
01:48closed the camera app. It opened again, by itself. Still showing the view behind me. Still showing someone standing there.
01:56Getting closer.
01:57I ran to my bedroom. Locked the door. Checked every window. Every closet. No one. I called the police. They
02:05came. Searched the apartment.
02:07Nothing. Probably just stress, they said. Working from home does that. Get some rest. But that night, at 2.34
02:14a.m., my work laptop turned on by itself. The screen was black. Asleep. And in the reflection, someone was
02:22sitting at the foot of my bed, watching me sleep. I could see their shape. Shoulders rising and falling. Breathing.
02:28I grabbed my phone. Turned on the flashlight. Nothing there. Just my empty room. But the laptop screen still showed
02:36them. Sitting. Waiting. Watching. I closed the laptop. Threw it in my closet. Shut the door. This morning, I had
02:44to use it for work. I opened the laptop. The screen was already on. My documents folder was open. A
02:50new file. Created at 2.34 a.m. file name. I've been waiting for you to notice me.
02:55I opened it. I opened it. It was a photo of me. Sleeping. Taken from the foot of my bed.
03:02Last night. Timestamp. 2.34 a.m. But no one was there. The photo showed my room exactly as it
03:09was. Dark. Empty. Except.
03:12In the corner near my closet, someone was standing there, tall, still, watching me sleep. And they were holding something.
03:19My laptop screen facing me. Taking the photo. I checked my closet.
03:24The laptop was still there, right where I left it. But the photo was real. The metadata was real. Someone
03:30took it from inside my room while I slept using my own laptop. I haven't slept since. It's been two
03:36days. I keep all screens off. All cameras covered. But this morning, I got an email from myself. Subject line.
03:43You should.
03:43Check your webcam. I didn't open it. But it had an attachment. A video file. I blocked the email. Deleted
03:51it. But it came back. Different address. Same subject. 27 emails. All from me. All with the same video attached.
03:58I opened one. Just to see. Just to understand. The video was 47 minutes long. Recorded from my webcam while
04:06I was sleeping two nights ago. The camera was facing. My bed. I was asleep. Alone. But 15 minutes in,
04:13someone walked into frame. From the corner where my closet is. They stood at the foot of my bed. Just
04:19stood there. Watching me. For 32 minutes. Not moving. Barely breathing.
04:24Then at the 47 minute mark. They leaned forward. Closer to the camera. And I saw their face. It was
04:30me. Exactly. Me. Same hair. Same features. Same eyes. But wrong. Like a copy that forgot how to be human.
04:39They smiled at the camera. Too wide. And whispered something. I turned up the volume. They whispered. You're going to
04:46let me in soon. You always do. Every night at 2.34. When you're too tired to check the locks.
04:52When you forget to close the closet door. I'll be waiting. The video ended.
04:56I checked the recording date two nights ago. The night I thought I was alone. The night I know I
05:03locked everything. The night no one was there. It's 2.31am right now. I'm sitting at my desk. All lights
05:10on. All doors locked. My screen just went to sleep. And in the reflection, someone is standing behind my chair.
05:16Closer than before. I can see their hand reaching toward.
05:20My shoulder. I'm not going to turn around. Because I already know what I'll see.
05:25Nothing. Just like every other time. But the reflection doesn't lie. And in three minutes, it'll be 2.34.
05:32Nothing. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other time. Just like every other
05:32time. Just like every
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