Ed Huncher knew something was wrong the moment he reached the top of the stairs.
It was late. Later than he'd ever been awake on a school night. 2:03 AM glowed on his digital watch, each second dragging like wet paint. His mom was asleep — or pretending to be — and his dad was out again. Usual.
But the hallway… was not usual.
It felt too long.
The Huncher house was not big. Everyone teased him for living in a shoebox. But tonight, the hallway stretched like someone grabbed reality by the edges and pulled.
At the other end: darkness thick enough to swallow the world whole.
Ed blinked. Rubbed his eyes.
Still long. Still dark.
His brain tried to explain it:
Maybe I'm tired. Maybe the lightbulb's dying.
Or maybe… the shadows grew while no one was watching.
A soft scrape echoed from the dark.
Ed froze.
His heart slammed against his ribs, begging to run. But his legs stayed put — because staring at darkness felt safer than turning his back to it.
The shadows didn't just lie there. They shifted.
Like something was moving under a blanket of night.
Then—
"Eddie…"
Whisper.
Barely louder than breath.
But it came from the dark — from something that knew his name.
He stepped back. The floorboards creaked like bones.
"…Look at me…"
This time the voice stretched, warped — like someone trying to speak with a mouth that didn't exist.
The dark pulsed forward.
Ed bolted.
His room was just a few feet away. He dove inside, slammed the door, and flicked on his bedside lamp so fast the switch nearly snapped.
Light filled the room. Warm. Safe.
His chest heaved.
He felt ridiculous.
It's all in my head.
Too many late-night sci-fi movies with David.
Sleep deprivation: 1
Ed: 0
He dared a glance at the bottom of his door.
And wished he didn't.
Because beneath it…
a shadow pressed itself into a grin.
A mouth made of pure darkness.
Too wide. Too eager.
It whispered again, soft and amused:
"We see what you think"
Ed grabbed his pillow, covered his face, and squeezed his eyes shut until tears burned.
When he opened them again — the grin was gone.
Only silence. Only light.
But Ed didn't sleep that night.
Because how do you sleep when the dark is staring back?