My girlfriend moved out three weeks ago, and my cat Leo has been acting up ever since.
He was really close to her, and now that she’s gone, I can tell he’s a bit lonely. Especially when I’m at work. I came home a few times to my curtains ripped up, or all the toilet paper in shreds.
The last straw was when I came home after working late to find he had clawed a hole the size of a dinner plate into the side of the sofa. I had to do something. I tried different toys, even catnip, but nothing worked.
One night while browsing Amazon, I saw a pet camera.
It’s a tiny camera that records your pet on a live feed so you can monitor their behaviour while you’re away. It even has an audio function so you can talk to them. Sounded silly, but hey, I love my furry dude so I bought it. I got overnight shipping and installed it immediately.
I decided to set it up in my bedroom, as that was where Leo liked to lounge the most. My first day at work, I checked the camera several times. When I spoke into the microphone, Leo seemed to be happier, and I noticed there was no destruction around the house either.
But something was off.
Every time I spoke into the camera, I could hear strange noises coming from the other end. At first, I thought it was just interference or feedback, but then I started to hear whispers. It sounded like someone was listening in on me.
By day four, I figured I’d solved the problem with Leo.
That leads me to right now.
About thirty minutes ago, I climbed in bed with Leo, ready to close my eyes, when my phone buzzed.
A notification from the pet cam.
I almost ignored it, sure I’d just triggered the thing. But I opened it anyway.
What I saw made my grip tighten on the phone.
Instead of a video of myself in bed, I saw a man, tall, gangly, with pale skin, and large eyes. He was moving into my room with exaggerated steps, like a creeping cartoon character. He got right up to the lens, so close I felt the hairs on my arms stand up, then he smiled.
I immediately paused the video, terrified.
I looked at the spot where the man should have been standing, but there was no one there.
In a pitiful attempt to calm myself I went onto Amazon and found the pet cam, I read the reviews, hoping for some weird glitch.
It had to be a joke, right?
The first dozen reviews were pretty standard, but it was the last that caused me to bolt upright. The customer complained that the camera was on a time delay, sometimes as much as fifteen minutes.
I went back to the video and pressed play with shaky fingers.
I watched in horror as the man slithered under my bed, giving the camera a wink before disappearing into the darkness. Then I saw myself enter the room and climb in bed before the video ended.
Now I’m sitting in my bed, knowing he’s under it.
I could call the police, but I doubt I’d have time… So please, do yourselves a favour and read the reviews.