nosleep

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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Scarlett_Nocturne on 2024-11-03 19:19:35+00:00.

Hey love,

I know it’s late. Actually, I’m not sure when you’ll get this email. I’m sorry I haven’t called you back yet. I’ve been…busy. I wish I had listened when you told me to come home earlier. I’m writing this now because I don’t know what else to do. I need to explain what happened. I want to write down every detail I can remember. I need to tell you the truth, because I think I’m trapped here. I’m not sure if I will get to see you again.

As I’m sure you gathered, I stayed late at the office again and yes, I know, I’m an idiot. You were right. When you called earlier, I could hear it in your voice, how worried you were but I brushed it off. I laughed at your “bad feeling” because it sounded like superstition, and I didn’t want to hear it. I had work to finish. My deadlines, my clients... I wasn’t going to let a feeling pull me away. Stupid. So, so stupid.

I stayed until about midnight. When I finally decided to leave, I grabbed my phone, only to realize it was dead. Completely. It had been plugged in all day, but apparently, the outlet just wasn’t working. Of course. I didn’t think much of it at the time, figured I’d just charge it in the car on the way home. I wasn’t in a hurry. Big mistake.

I took the stairs instead of the elevator, thinking it would be a nice change to get a bit of exercise. Six flights down. The building was quiet, almost eerily so. There was this oppressive silence as I passed each floor, no distant chatter, no sound of typing. Just the dull hum of the building, the kind that starts to make your ears ring if you listen too long. And the air was heavy, like it was pressing down on me. I felt a little off, but I chalked it up to being tired.

When I reached the lobby, it was empty. No sign of Demarcus, the security guy. You know how he usually makes his rounds? Well, I figured he was doing that. Still, it felt strange not to see him at his desk. The place felt too big, too vacant. The kind of emptiness that makes you feel exposed, like something's watching from the shadows.

I didn’t stay long. I headed to the parking garage. You know how dim that place is, right? Tonight, it felt even worse. Most of the lights were out, and the ones still working flickered like they were dying. My car was parked alone, under the one working light, a flickering, buzzing light. I should’ve known something was off when I felt that…heaviness again. Like the garage was breathing, watching. I thought I was just being paranoid.

I got in the car, but when I turned the key, it wouldn’t start. Nothing. Not even a click. My phone was still dead, and all I could hear was the faint echo of…something. Scraping? Or maybe shuffling, coming from deep in the garage. I tried not to think about it. I thought it was a cat or something, but it didn’t sound right. I’m getting goosebumps just writing this.

I went back inside to ask Demarcus for help. Twenty minutes passed, and he never came back. It was so quiet, I could hear my own breathing. The only sound was the hum of those awful fluorescent lights, buzzing overhead like they were the only things keeping the dark at bay. Something didn’t feel right. Demarcus never leaves the lobby unattended that long.

That’s when I saw the flier for a taxi service pinned to the wall behind his desk. I figured it was my best bet. I used the landline to call them and waited outside for the cab. It was cold, but more than that, it was quiet. Too quiet. You know how there’s always some noise, even late at night? A distant car, maybe someone walking by? But there was nothing. Just me, standing there, feeling…watched.

Then I heard it again, the scraping noise. Louder this time. It felt closer, and it was coming from the direction of the garage. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was there. Watching. Waiting.

The cab took forever. Way longer than it should’ve. I was about to go back inside when headlights blinded me. I almost cried with relief. I jumped in, eager to just get home and put this night behind me. The driver was incredibly normal. We talked a bit, made small talk. It felt…calming. Safe.

We hit a red light, and I don’t know why, but I felt the need to confess. I told him about the real reason I stayed out late tonight. About our fight last night. How I didn’t want to come home because I was still mad, because we’d said things we didn’t mean. I wanted to be petty tonight. I wanted my absence to hurt you.The driver just listened. He gave me some advice, said relationships are hard work, said I should make amends. For a moment, it felt like everything was going to be okay. I felt lighter, like I was on my way back to you, and everything would be fine.

But then the light turned green, and he didn’t move.

I pointed it out. “Hey, the light’s green.”

He didn’t respond.

I nudged him, thinking maybe he didn’t hear me. Still nothing.

“Hey, buddy, the light!” I said, louder.

I reached out to shake him, but when I touched his arm, it felt wrong, stiff. But he was still breathing. I could see it, shallow and slow, his chest barely rising and falling. But he didn’t react to me at all. He was just…frozen. Staring straight ahead, hands on the wheel, blinking occasionally.

Panic set in. I jumped out of the car, looked around for help, but the streets were empty. Everything was closed. No one around. No traffic, no pedestrians. Just me, this unmoving cab, and the quiet. Too quiet. It was like the world had emptied out, like I was the only one left.

I went back to the car, but the driver…he was gone. Just…gone. The seat was empty. I tried telling myself that maybe he had gotten out, maybe he had gone for help, but deep down, I didn’t believe it. I was too scared to believe it.

I got in the driver’s seat, thinking I could make my way home myself. I started driving, hoping to find my way back, but I wasn’t familiar with the way the cab driver had been taking me. I just kept trying to head East but the streets kept forcing me to make unexpected turns. 

I drove for at least thirty minutes and then, I found myself on the street of my office building. Something inside me screamed that this wasn’t possible. I should have been miles away from it even if I hadn’t been close to home either.

But I still clung to hope that the bad feeling was all in my head. I thought of this as an opportunity, now I could head home the way I was familiar with. I pushed the accelerator to the floor and tried to race by the office but something went wrong. 

The taxi made some horrible, metal rending noises and slowed. It stalled completely, right there, in front of the building. The same spot where I started.

I got out. The street was empty, but the feeling that something was watching me was overwhelming now. Like it was right behind me, breathing down my neck.

I ran back inside. The lobby was still empty, but the lights…they were flickering, flashing. And…I swear to you, in the dark moments, I could see Demarcus. Or…something that looked like him. Sitting in the chair, twisted, like his body had been broken in ways that weren’t possible. But when the lights flickered back on, the chair was empty.

I didn’t look back. I ran for the elevator. I pushed the button and waited. I could see the elevator light was on the tenth floor due to the light up display above the elevator doors. I stood there, awkwardly. 

Then, I heard the scraping sounds again, still coming from outside the building. I stared at the lit up ten and tried to will the number to change. To my delight, it did, quickly changing to nine and then eight. But there it remained.I heard the lobby doors open. Instinctively, I turned back, certain that the sound was the result of Demarcus returning from a patrol. But then I heard the scraping. It was much louder. It was inside the lobby. That horrible noise echoed across the large room. 

I turned and sought out the light up display hoping to see progress. There was some, it now read six. But I could heard something new behind me, skittering, clicking on the floor.The scraping sound grew closer too.

So, I abandoned the elevator and rushed into the stairwell. I took the stairs two at a time, but no matter how far I went, I never passed any doors. I could hear the first floor doors open and something skitter in. The scraping sound accompanied it. I thought the scraping was something being dragged and my imagination thought of a giant centipede with a bloated body that scraped along. Either way, I tried to focus on the stairs in front of me. The last thing I wanted to do was trip and fall. Something told me that I wouldn’t be able to get up again. Yet, the stairs seemed endless, spiraling up and up, the thing behind me getting closer with every  step.

Finally, I reached the sixth floor. I bolted to my office, entered the side entrance and slammed the door behind me. I checked four times that it was locked. And…now I’m waiting here. I’ve tried everything. The outlets don’t work. My phone won’t charge. The computers are on but have no internet.

At least that thing in the stairwell never seemed to emerge. At least, I don’t think it did. Shortly after I started to settle in here for the night, I heard our front lobby doorbell ring. 

The echo of the bell reverberated through the hollow office hallways, sharp and unexpected. I ran to the door, hoping that it was someone coming into the office early. Something told me that if I just found one ...

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