CHAPTER 9: Between sleep and something else
829 Words
That night, Caroline didn’t sleep.
Or at least, she didn’t think she did.
Every time she closed her eyes, she felt like she was still standing under that broken streetlight.
Waiting.
Listening.
The mark on her wrist didn’t glow anymore.
But she could feel it.
Like something under her skin had learned how to stay awake even when she wasn’t.
At some point, she gave up pretending to rest.
She sat up slowly in bed.
The room was dark.
Too dark.
Not normal-night dark.
The kind that felt… layered.
Caroline reached for her phone.
No signal.
Of course.
She exhaled sharply. “Perfect.”
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Like something shifting at the edge of the room.
Caroline froze instantly.
“Hello?” she whispered.
Silence.
She slowly turned her head toward the corner of her room.
Nothing.
Just shadows.
But they felt… wrong.
Not empty.
Occupied.
Her breathing quickened. “This is not happening…”
Then her phone screen flickered on by itself.
No notification.
No call.
Just light.
Caroline stared at it.
And on the screen—
A message.
From no number.
Just a name.
Damon
Her heart jumped.
She grabbed the phone immediately.
Are you awake?
Caroline frowned. “What kind of question is that?”
She typed quickly.
What is going on? Why is your number doing this?
Three dots appeared instantly.
Too instantly.
Then—
Don’t trust silence tonight.
Caroline sat up straighter. “What does that mean?”
Before she could type again—
The lights in her room flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went out completely.
Caroline stood up immediately. “Nope. No. Absolutely not.”
Her phone was the only light now.
And even that felt weaker.
The screen changed again.
Another message.
It’s trying to learn your resting patterns.
Caroline’s blood ran cold.
“What is ‘it’?” she whispered out loud.
And as if responding to her voice—
The shadows in her room moved.
Not like light shifting.
Like something inside them adjusting its position.
Caroline backed away slowly. “Okay… okay, I don’t like this part.”
Her phone vibrated again.
Damon.
Don’t look at it directly.
Caroline’s voice shook. “Look at what?!”
The shadows on her wall deepened.
Thicker now.
And then—
A shape formed.
Not fully visible.
But enough to suggest something standing just beyond the edge of perception.
Caroline froze completely.
Her entire body went rigid.
“I didn’t see anything,” she whispered.
The shape didn’t move.
But it responded.
The air in the room compressed slightly.
Like pressure closing in.
Caroline stumbled backward until her back hit the wall. “Damon… this is not funny…”
Another message appeared instantly.
It’s not in your room fully. Don’t give it confirmation.
Caroline shook her head rapidly. “Confirmation of WHAT?!”
The shape tilted slightly.
And then—
It said her name again.
Not aloud.
Inside her mind.
Caroline gasped and covered her ears. “Stop—STOP IT!”
The mark on her wrist burned suddenly.
Sharp.
Instant.
She cried out and looked down.
A faint glow pulsed under her skin.
Not just reacting anymore.
Responding.
The shape in the room shifted violently.
Like it had noticed the glow too.
Then—
The phone changed again.
But this time it wasn’t Damon.
It was a new message.
One line only.
We can see where you end.
Caroline’s breath stopped.
The room went dead silent.
Even the shadows stopped moving.
Then—
A knock.
From inside the wall.
Caroline didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Didn’t think.
Another knock.
Closer.
Then—
Damon’s voice.
Not from the phone.
From outside the room.
“Caroline.”
She turned instantly.
He was standing by her window.
Already inside the building.
Already watching.
His expression was sharp.
Focused.
But this time…
there was urgency in his eyes.
He stepped in fully.
And the moment he did—
the shadow in her room recoiled slightly.
Like it recognized him.
Damon didn’t look at it.
He looked at her.
“You looked at it,” he said quietly.
Caroline’s voice shook. “I didn’t mean to.”
Damon exhaled once.
Then walked closer.
And for the first time since all this started—
he looked almost… frustrated.
Not at her.
At the situation.
“I told you not to engage with it,” he said.
Caroline shook her head. “I was asleep!”
Damon paused.
Then his voice dropped lower.
“Then it’s learning faster than I thought.”
A silence stretched.
The shadow in the corner didn’t move.
But it didn’t leave either.
It was waiting.
Damon finally looked at it directly.
And said one sentence that made Caroline’s skin crawl.
“Stop testing her.”
The shadow reacted.
Not violently.
But intelligently.
Like it understood him.
Caroline whispered, “It hears you…”
Damon nodded slightly.
“Yes,” he said.
A pause.
Then—
“And it knows I’m here now.”
- Writer
