Lacey’s heart raced as she clutched the edge of the table, her breath caught in her throat. The eerie footage on her laptop played on, showing Chris sleeping soundly in his bed, bathed in the soft light of his nightlight. Then, at exactly 2:14 AM, the closet door creaked open. A small, thin figure—moving in a way that didn’t seem human—crawled out on all fours. Lacey’s stomach churned as the boy stopped, his head tilting toward Chris, his face hidden behind a tangle of hair. He crawled closer, inching toward the bed, pausing just short of the frame. Chris shifted, and the boy froze. Slowly, he backed away and scuttled back into the closet, shutting the door quietly behind him. The video ended, and Lacey slammed the laptop shut, her heart pounding in her chest. Chris, wide-eyed with fear, looked at her. “Mom… who is he?”
Lacey shot to her feet, her chair nearly toppling over. “I don’t know,” she whispered, barely able to speak. “But I’m going to find out.”
She didn’t call the police—not yet. She had to see it with her own eyes. Later that night, after Chris fell asleep, Lacey sat in his room, gripping a flashlight in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. The house was still, the only sound the ticking of the clock. 1:58 AM. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Maybe it was just some neighborhood kid, maybe a prank.
Then, at 2:14 AM, the closet door creaked open just enough for a small hand to emerge, followed by a shadowy figure. Lacey’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly flicked on the flashlight. The boy recoiled from the light, his sunken eyes squinting. His clothes were tattered, his skin pale and streaked with dirt, his frame frail.
“Who are you?” Lacey demanded, stepping closer.
The boy’s gaze flicked toward Chris, still asleep, before he whispered, “I live here.”
Lacey’s skin prickled. “No, you don’t.”
The boy shrank back, his lip trembling. “Yes, I do. I’ve always been here. The man said I could stay if I was quiet.”
Lacey’s blood ran cold. “What man?”
The boy pointed toward the closet. Trembling, Lacey reached out and yanked the door open. Inside, the closet was empty—except for a small hole in the back wall, leading into pitch-black darkness. A hidden passage. Her stomach lurched. How long had it been there? How long had someone—or *something*—been watching them?
The boy’s voice cut through the silence. “*He’s still there.*”
