Notes

terrified, Grace installed a security camera outside of her apartment door.
And then two days later, it captured him..
At 3:13 a.m. exactly , A man appeared on the camera. He stood motionless in her living room for hours and hours, staring directly at the lens. His face was concealed, a dark shadow blotting out his features.
At 3:53 a.m., he stepped out of frame.
Towards her bedroom..

Claire couldn’t stop replaying the footage. The sight of the man, motionless in her living room, burned itself into her brain. She had watched it a dozen times, analyzing every single detail.
The way he stood perfectly still, unnaturally stiff . The dark, the clouded shadow covering his face.
And the worst of all, the moment he stepped out of frame— towards her bedroom.
That single motion completely haunted her. She kept asking herself the question: How did he get inside?
She double-checked her locks every single night. The windows were locked, the chain on the door was always fastened.
She thought she had been careful. She thought she was safe.
Her paranoia deepened as the hours crawled by. Every creak of floorboards, every hum of the refrigerator, every sound sent shivers down her spine . Grace barricaded herself in her bedroom, gripping a kitchen knife in one hand while staring at her laptop screen.
She hesitated before hitting play one more time. The timestamp on the footage read 3:13 a.m. There he was, standing in the exact same spot, unmoving, staring directly into the camera.
And then, something she hadn’t noticed before: a faint sound. Claire leaned closer to the screen, turning the volume up to a 100%.
It was very soft at first— a low, rasping exhale, almost like breathing. But it grew louder, deeper.
The sound wasn’t coming from the video. It was coming from behind her.
Claire whipped around, her heart hammering. The room was empty.. She pressed her back against the wall, her breath coming in short.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence.
"Jesus Christ," she sighed.
It was a text from Mia: “Hey, you can come stay at my place tonight. You’re not safe there.”
Claire didn’t hesitate for a second . She grabbed a bag and bolted from her apartment without looking back.