I live alone in an extremely small town of Wisconsin. I have 2 cats, Nubby and Snickers, and a German shepherd named Renzo. My house is small and old, but I remodeled it over the years and have alot of Smart Home features. My favorite one, and the main one of my concern, is the indoor cameras to watch all of my animals while I’m at work. I trust Renzo to behave but the cats always get into things they shouldn’t. It became an issue when I came home one day and found Nubby unresponsive. Took forever and a few thousand to figure out what was wrong and what had happened. They eventually blamed it on a fall, saying she must have climbed on top of the cabinets and since she doesn’t have a tail (hence the name), she just couldn’t stick the landing. She’s fine now, but doesn’t climb or jump on anything higher than the couch.
Anyway, don’t want to bore you with the animals. I work nights, and since I live alone and dont have much around town to do, I work alot of overtime. Usually 10pm to 10am (I get lucky with Renzo never having accidents while I’m gone for so long). The cameras were installed about two months ago when I finally finished the renovations, and I get notified of any motion detected higher than my waist would be. There’s one in the kitchen, living room, and entryway. Usually that means I just get notified of myself walking around, with a rare video of Snickers climbing the kitchen counters or Renzo jumping on the front door trying to peek out of the window every now and then. That’s almost no footage at all of my home during the night. Keep that in mind.
A few weeks after the cameras were installed, I got home and went to grab a beer before I crashed on the couch watching reruns of The Office. When I opened my beer, I dropped the cap and heard it clink and bounce to the floor and under the edge of the cabinets. I sighed and just stood there for a second. You know those tiny, insignificant moments that are just the last straw for the day? But, not wanting to step on it later, I bent down to find it. That’s when I noticed a few small blood drops, barely noticeable until I got close (my eyes were blurry from an extra long night). Instinctively, I reached up and touched my nose. No blood. Quick swipe of my face, no blood. Nothing on my shirt either. I remember being frustrated knowing I’d have to hunt all the animals down and give full inspections rather than just…sit. Barely exist until I fall asleep.
Nubby and Renzo looked fine, no cuts or dried blood in their fur. Snickers wouldn’t come out from under my bed, but I didn’t see any drops leading to her. I decided to check the camera app and see if maybe I missed a notification before I got home, like Snickers jumping off of the counter or something. Only had recordings of me grabbing the beer, then popping up from the floor to start my pet checks. I zoomed in on the first video to the floor, and I couldn’t see the blood drops…but on the second video, when I stood up, I saw them clear as day. I went into the bathroom and did a better inspection but there was absolutely nothing on me that could have caused those drops. I checked the videos again. The first one cut off right as I bent down. No blood, beer bottle cap in the middle of the tile. Beginning of the second video, I popped up..no blood? Huh? I swear I just saw it. I went back into the kitchen and checked the floor, but the blood was gone. I assumed I either imagined it or Renzo got to it before I could clean up. Whatever I guess. Exhausted at that point, I made my way into the living room. Plopped on the couch and passed out before my TV even loaded up the Peacock app.
I woke up around 7pm to Renzo begging me to go outside. I let him out and went to the bathroom as well. When I came out, I remember feeling a weird chill in the house. It was old but I replaced all the windows and added more insulation, so it shouldn’t have been drafty. I opened the back door to call the dog in..and it was warm outside. Confused and a little weirded out by my own house at this point, I decided to head into work early.
At 2:12 AM, my phone buzzed with a “Movement Detected” notification. I was curious and went to open it, but we have a strict No Cellphone policy at work and my boss quickly snapped at me to put it away.
I spent the rest of my shift over thinking that notification. Telling myself worse case scenarios, like Nubby was hurt again. About an hour before I left I had convinced myself it was just the other cat up to no good, and I’d check the footage as soon as I got in my car. I shouldn’t have doubted my gut feeling.
I sat in my car for a second wondering how my phone died during my shift. I had put it on silent, briefly glanced at my notification at 2, and I know it was almost at 100%. I cursed myself for forgetting my charger at home. During that 29 minute drive, I fully relaxed and told myself whatever happened around 2am, happened, and I needed to chill tf out. When I got home, I was greeted by Renzo and Snickers. I did a quick search for Nubby, but didn’t spot her anywhere. Distracted by the hungry animals in front of me, I held off my search and fed them. Changed the litter box, let the dog out, made a Hot Pocket. The kitchen looked normal, no evidence of Nubby getting hurt anywhere. It must have just been Snickers grazing the counters, I said to myself. I laughed at how worried I had been. I made my way to my favorite spot on the couch and settled in. It wasn’t until I was a second away from sleep that I quickly remembered to plug my phone in.
11:11 AM. My phone was blowing up. I couldn’t have been asleep for more than ten minutes, and I wondered who could be bothering me so adamantly. I tapped my phone screen…and had over 163 notifications. “Movement Detected’.
What the fuck? Starting at 2, right after I saw the first one.
Buzz. Buzz.
“Movement Detected”
I snapped my head around and looked at the kitchen. Nothing was there. I called for the animals, Snickers walked out of my bedroom. Renzo poked his head up from his bed in the corner. No Nubby. I got up and checked her food bowl, but it was still full. Nubby was fat. She NEVER missed a meal.
Buzz. Buzz.
“Movement Detected.”
I finally opened the most recent notification. My stomach dropped and I felt my gut twisting in ways I never thought they could.
It was my kitchen. But..before I redid it. The old tiles. Old counters. Cabinets still a dingy yellow. And there was blood. Everywhere. On the floor, splattered across the walls and ceiling, hand prints scraping down the fridge and leading to a giant pool in the middle of the floor. I was getting sick. I frantically scrolled through the dozens and dozens of footage, but it was all the same. A scene of a brutal massacre. And no movement. No one was in the videos. Finally I reached the first video. I wish I hadn’t.
The time stamp said 2:12AM. My kitchen looked normal, back to the way it looked right now in person. After a few seconds, I saw my Nubby being lifted into the air, right in front of the camera view. I thought it was another glitch, there was no one lifting her. She was just..floating. Suddenly, her head snapped completely backwards and her body went limp. I covered my mouth as tears immediately formed in my eyes. My vision went blurry, but right before her body dropped to the ground, I saw a figure standing there. It was so faint, I had to rewatch the murder of my beautiful, favorite cat over again to make sure I saw what I saw.
I recognized the wavy black hair and blue eyes immediately. It was so faint, but she was THERE. Smiling so wide after dropping the body of my cat to the floor. Staring right into the camera. It was my girlfriend.
Well. Ex girlfriend. But that was impossible. She was buried deep in my property, surrounded by overgrown weeds, and on top of her grave was a beat up backhoe I had used to make the 15ft deep hole. She couldn’t have dug herself out. Not in the amount of pieces she was in, anyway.
As of today, there are now 3 small graves right beside hers. I haven’t been home since that next morning, when I discovered the gruesome remains of Renzo and Snickers in my bedroom. I haven’t found Nubbys body, so in its place I buried her favorite toys and the rest of her food.
Every few hours I get a notification from my kitchen camera. It’s always the same video. My kitchen, the new renovations, but the same bloody scene. The blood pool looks larger, and the spatter around it doesn’t exactly match the 162 other videos. But I know what it means.
I’m stuck in this motel, paying rent and a mortgage. I’m writing you guys to see if you have any advice, but selling the house and leaving isn’t an option. If the new owners rip up the flooring, they’ll see what I’ve done. If I go home, she’s going to do the same to me. She knew where I kept the chainsaw.