Frank Johnson’s favorite part of the day was walking through his front door. Having picked up doubles
at the warehouse this past month, his body was happily letting him know what a poor decision that
was. He ached and all he could manage to think about was a hot shower and getting under the
blankets.
The hot shower loosened his sore muscles and Frank felt human again. He dried himself quickly and
nearly ran to his bedroom, eager to finally sprawl out in his soft, comfortable bed. The past month had
done a number on him, so slipping into the heavy blankets was a welcomed treat these past nights.
Frank plugged in his phone, turned out the light and started up the usual videos on YouTube. Holding
the phone out in one hand, and the other tucking the blankets up under his chin. He started with his
usual podcasts, then switched over to some cooking channels, then eventually landed on a How It’s
Made about peanut butter. He knew this was the video he’d fall asleep to.
He wasn’t exactly sure how far into the video he was when every cell in his body felt immediately on
edge. He drowned out the narrator explaining how the machines removed the shells from the peanuts
and held his breath. He noticed the air around him felt off, maybe stale. Heavy. Frank was frozen as
the video continued playing in front of him. His eyes looked past his phone, quickly darting all over the
room, peering into the pitch blackness that surrounded him. Something was in the room with him.
Frank took three quick breaths and forced himself out of his paralysis, hurriedly reaching an arm out
to flip the switch. Light flooded the room and Frank sat up. He looked around with scared eyes and
saw nothing out of the ordinary. His breathing was quick and he could feel his heart nearly jumping
out of his chest. He was sure of it. He was so sure that something was in the room with him he almost
regretted turning the lights on. But nothing, or maybe no one was in the room with him. Frank shook
his head and chuckled to himself. It was all those extra shifts at the warehouse. He was delusional, he
thought.
He got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to get himself some water. You’re probably dehydrated,
he told himself. Frank always loved how cold the water from his tap was. The cool water was so
refreshing he decided to drink two glasses. He made his way back to the bedroom, chuckling again at
his little fright as he tucked himself back under the blankets. He lifted his phone up and told himself
he should put on something funny, just to help calm him down a little more. He was reluctant about
the light switch but told himself not to be silly and reached up and turned the light off.
He found himself almost forgetting the entire incident, fully concentrating on the video playing in
front of him. After the video finished, he tapped his screen to check the time. Could watch another, he
said and picked the next video. He tucked the blankets up under his chin and got comfortable, feeling
much better.
Frank felt hot, wet air blow against the back of his hand and he became motionless. Again, he felt it.
Then again. Like panting, but heavy and wet, thick. He remembered his old neighbors dog when he
was growing up, a large breed like a mastiff or a corso, friendly thing but he hated the way its warm
breath felt against his leg. The feeling was similar.
Frank looked into the pitch black behind his phone and thought that if the light from the video moved
a certain way, he could see a pair of eyes looking back at him. Floating there in the darkness above his
phone, while the hot, wet breathing continued on the back of his hand. The heaviness in the air
returned, as well as a deep sense of dread. Frank felt himself tense up.
The eyes must belong to a face, and a face to a body and this thing was close. Close enough for Frank
to feel its hot, putrid breath on him when it suddenly began whispering something completely
unintelligible. Nonsense that Frank couldn’t understand a single word of. It whispered very quickly.
This thing was so close to him now that with every unintelligible whisper, Frank could feel its wet lips
brushing against his hand. And again, the eyes that floated there in the darkness.
Frank yelled and reached up for the light, flipping the switch and letting the light reveal the assailant.
But again, nothing was there. Frank’s heart was beating so fast, he could feel his pulse in his neck. His
eyes searched every corner of the room until he felt satisfied enough to jump off the bed and look
underneath it. And there, still nothing. He turned on every light in the house and searched every room
but found no trace of a break-in. Every window remained locked as well as the door.
Frank jumped back into bed and laid awake for hours until exhaustion finally took over him. All of the
lights in the house stayed on the rest of the night.