| abstract | - I was sitting in front of my Dell Laptop on a Friday night, scrolling through various websites. My room was dark, the only light source was the dim glow of my laptop screen. My eyelids were heavy, they felt the same as they would if I had watched a movie in the dark. I got up from my comfortable chair and scooted it back. There was a large indentation in the cushion, indicating I was there for quite some time. I proceed forward and felt my way through the dark room for a light switch. When my hand touched the switch, I flicked it and bright lights blasted my tired eyes. Even though bright lights were right in my face, I was still drowsy. I opened my bedroom door and a triangle of light coming from my room dimly lit the hallway. I could make out a light switch about ten feet from where I was standing, and proceeded towards it. When I reached it, I flicked it on and the lights in the hallway were dead. throwing my head back and groaning loudly in disapproval, I yelled, "Dad! The damn lights are out!" I waited for about five seconds. No response. I waited impatiently for another five seconds. No response. I groaned even louder, but still no response. I decided to go back to my original task, which was getting to the bathroom. Using only the triangle of light coming from my room, I navigated my way to the bathroom. I found the switch pretty easily, and the lights turned on. I looked in the mirror, I had bags under my eyes and my eyes were red. I turned on the faucet but nothing came out. I heard a sputtering sound, and a little bit of soggy green sewage dribbled out of the faucet. I was extremely agitated at this point, because, well, you know how cranky tired people can get, right? I turned off the lights. I walked back into the hallway and I used that triangle of light once again to navigate my way to my room. When I walked in, I was about to reach for the light switch in my room when something caught my eye. My laptop's screen was blinking red. I approached it and looked at the screen. The message "I've been watching" was on the screen. I was practically fuming at this point. First the lights were dead, the green shit was spilling out of the damn faucet, now I had to deal with some damn internet troll?! That was it, I decided to go to bed. I plopped my head onto my pillow and fell asleep instantly. I had a really strange dream, and I'm not one to get nightmares, but this was pretty scary. I was walking through some foggy woods. I heard the shrill cry of a crow as it flew away from the branch it was resting on. Next, a raccoon ran across the path I was walking on, startling me. As I walked further and further, I could make out a figure at the end of the path. It started walking to me, then it started jogging, then it started running. I ran the other way, but I ran into something hanging from a tree. I backed up to see what it was. It... it was my parents... hanging from ropes... tied around their necks. Their eyes were popping from their faces. Their faces were bloated and blue, but my dad started choaking out some words. "He... h-has... b-been... watching..." I was trying to comprehend what he was saying, but before I could even think, a cold hand grabbed my shoulder. I woke up screaming, covered in sweat. I got up from the bed, and realized I didn't even shut off the lights. I looked out the window only to find it was daytime. I looked at my clock on my nightstand. It read 12:54 a.m. Wow, I NEVER sleep late. I walked down the hallway, the lights were still off. I flicked the switch a couple of times, but still, they stayed off. I stomped down the stairs at the end of the hallway. I was very hungry and started thinking about delicious Frosted Flaked and thought I would get a bowl of it. When I got to the kitchen, some more weird shit was going down. The windows were ALL open. I mean wide open, even the screens were missing. I walked towards the cupboard where the Frosted Flakes were kept, but I still kept a watchful eye on the windows. I opened the cupboard. I looked around and I saw the Frosted Flakes. I grabbed the box, then the bowl, then the milk. I opened the box and started to pour the cereal. Amongst the cereal was a small piece of paper. My first thought was that it was a prize or something, so I grabbed it and opened it. It was far from a prize. The paper read "I am STILL watching". I was scared as shit. So I screamed for my dad to come look at it. "Dad!" No answer. Five seconds later. Still no answer. I was so scared, I was becoming paranoid. I ran to the garage, hopped onto my bike and started peddling to my friends house. So many thoughts were running through my head, I couldn't think straight. As I was peddling, I saw a figure in the woods next to my friend's house, it was beckoning to me. I was overpowered by the urge to investigate. I walked into the woods where the figure was standing. I found no figure remained. I thought I was seeing things and my paranoia was getting to me. So I laughed at the thought and started walking back to my bike. A figure? In the woods? Come on? That's ridiculous! As I was walking back to my bike, I realized I didn't even need my bike, I was right next to my friend's house. So I knocked on the door. I heard footsteps coming to the door. The door swung open and my friend was standing there. I said frantically "No time to explain." He was confused but accepted it. As I walked down the hallway, I heard a scream behind me. I turned around immediately. A dark figure was standing there, holding my friend by the neck. The figure grabbed his chin with one hand, then his head with the other. It snapped my friend's neck, creating a sick crunching sound. I ran for the back door but the figure grabbed my shoulder. I blacked out I woke up in a dimly lit room, tied down to a table. I looked around in a daze. I saw the figure standing next to me. To my horror, I saw my family, hung by their necks, dangling from the ceiling. The figure stood over me and said "I told you, I've been watching. I know your fears, your weaknesses and your strengths." He reached for my face. I screamed and woke up. I woke up in bright white room with a TV on the wall. The TV was displaying the news. The anchor was talking about a family that was found hung in the basement of their home. To my horror, they actually showed pictures. It was my parents. I had to choke back vomit. The anchor said "You should have listened. He is ALWAYS watching." The TV turned off and I heard a door open, I saw the shadow of a person walking into the room.
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