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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/skaggcity on 2024-10-16 22:30:33+00:00.
I don't think humans are supposed to live like this, everyone in their own little box, in their own little world. Living on top of each other, sharing the same walls, floors, and ceilings, I know I have neighbors, but what's the hells their name? Paul? Tod? Who gives a hell. I need to move out of this place cause I think i'm going crazy. I know the old lady next door starts every morning on the balcony chain smoking cigarettes like she doesn't want to see tomorrow, I know the guy upstairs cheats on his wife when she's at work, and I know the girl downstairs plays the clarinet. I know their work schedules, hell I even know their sleeping habits, but I don't know a single one of their names.
Now I know that sounds weird, but if you ever lived in an apartment, you know one of the biggest challenges is tuning everyone else's noise out, and I am disabled so I don't leave my apartment much. But now I'm sure you're wondering what any of this has to do with anything? Well, the old lady next door? She was acting weird. I don't sleep much. It's been that way my entire life. My balcony has a nice view of the east, so I like to spend my mornings watching the sunrise. I've tried talking to my neighbor in the beginning, but she only ever muttered and glared and so for the better part of the last 5 years living here we spend every morning sitting in silence having a coffee and smoke. That is until the other morning.
Now I'm always out on my balcony first, when it's still dark out. I don't know why I like it out there so much, but right before sunrise, when the world's still dark and quiet, is the only time I ever feel at peace. Now I know, I mentioned her habit of smoking like she doesn't want to see tomorrow, and truth be told that's a bit of projection on my part because some would probably say the same about me. So when I stepped out on my balcony for a 4am smoke, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw her standing there on her balcony, staring at me in complete dark. The light from my balcony's light reflecting back at me. "Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly to no response. We both have spent a lot of time smoking together in awkward silence, and not once have I ever seen her on the balcony without a cigarette, so I asked, "uhhh... do you need a cigarette?... I just got a new cart, and I could float you a pack..." At this point, I never once felt so pressured to fill the empty silence. I lit my cigarette and tried ignoring her, but I could feel her stare burning a hole into my soul, and so I went back inside without finishing my smoke.
I'll be the first to admit, shes a strange lady, I've never talked to her, I've never seen family visit, I know she smokes Camels, but I don't know much else about her. I tried forgetting about it, figuring she was going senile or something, and she'd eventually go back inside, but she didn't. Each time I went out for a smoke, there she was, staring daggers at me. After the 3rd or 4th time on the balcony, I started getting concerned, so I went to the building manager's apartment and informed him he might need to do a welfare check. I found out that day her name was Pam. Eventually, she went back inside, and i was able to have a smoke.
I never heard anything about what happened, and the next day, we both had a quiet smoke in the morning, but I couldn't stop thinking about that night. A couple of days passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened until one night I decided I wanted to get out of my apartment and catch a movie with some friends. As I'm leaving my apartment and close the door behind me, there she is. The doorway cracked, her face pressed between the door and the frame, eyes wide and the apartment behind her pitch black. "The shadow people are going to kill me. The shadow people are going to kill me, the shadow people are going to kill me." She whispered the sentence over and over. I'm a big guy, and I wouldn't say I get startled easily, but I almost shit a brick and I could feel my heart racing as I got out of there as quickly as I could. Still to this day, her big green eyes are burnt into my memory. At this point, I hadn't slept in a while, and so after the movie, I went home and crashed.
That next morning, I woke up to a commotion, Pam died that night. I still feel guilty. Maybe there was something I could have done to prevent it, but sometimes, in the middle of the night, I think about the only words she has ever spoken to me... "The shadow people are going to kill me." The shadow people? It was like something you'd hear in a horror movie, but I try to tell myself she was just demented, and it wasn't a big deal. But that's why I'm posting here tonight. Have you ever seen a shadow person? Because 2 nights ago, when I went out for a smoke, I saw one. Standing on her balcony, where she was that night. I couldn't see any features, but I could feel its eyes staring at me. I haven't been back on my balcony since.
I told the building manager about it and asked if Pam had any family in the apartment because I could hear someone moving around in there. He told me no one should be in the apartment and he'd check it out, but if I'm going to be honest the building manager is a lazy son of a bitch and I don't think he ever did. I can still hear faint noises coming from her apartment, but tonight, something happened, and I'm freaking out. I was laying down trying to get some sleep, and from the corner of my eye, i saw It again. There was a shadow of a person standing in my doorway. I jumped up, and it walked out of my room, and when I ran out of my room with the baseball bat, I keep at my nightstand the living room was empty. What the hell was that? I can't help but think of Pam. Are the shadow people real? Are they here for me now? Is my mind playing tricks on because I still feel guilty? Until the other night, I would happily describe myself as a skeptic, but now I'm not so sure, I'm terrified. What should I do?