[Applause] [Music] when I was 22 I started renting the downstairs apartment in my parents house just to save money but also have a little more privacy even though my parents would go away a decent amount it still just felt like I had no privacy and couldn't even have friends or girls over in peace the downstairs apartment is separated by a lockable door in the stairway it was an open layout down there with the mini kitchen being a part of the living room area there was then my bedroom bathroom and laundry room down the hall and
a side entrance through the living room this happened on a weekend that my parents were away so I could be as loud as I wanted I had my friends Anthony and Jay over just to shoot the [ __ ] and have a couple drinks on the couch watching the hockey game since my parents weren't home we were blasting music as we chilled I wouldn't say I got drunk drunk but I definitely got a buzz going by the end of the game I would keep the door between my apartment and the upstairs unlocked when my parents
were gone since I didn't have to worry about them randomly coming down I kept the drinks in the fridge upstairs since it was bigger and quite literally just worked better since my friends drove and had been drinking both of them decided to crash at my place for the night the couch down there was massive it could easily sleep three people if they laid down the correct way so after a pretty long night of drinking I said good night and went to my room to go to sleep I found myself waking up in my bed a
few hours later it was still the middle of the night or early morning hours I immediately heard what most likely woke me up I heard footsteps from upstairs someone was walking around up there it was a pretty natural assumption that it was Anthony or Jay going upstairs to check my parents fridge for cold water or something so I didn't let it bother me I closed my eyes again only to hear something else just a couple minutes later the sound of my bedroom doorknob someone tried twisting it but it was locked I always lock my bedroom
door it's just a force of habit I wondered why either of them were trying to come in but I was tired and figured if I just didn't say anything and pretended to be asleep they'd go back to sleep themselves maybe it sounds weird but I just didn't have the energy to be bothered at all and it worked I fell asleep shortly after that when I woke up the next morning Anthony was already gone but Jay was still asleep on the couch when he heard me open the fridge door he slowly started moving around and rubbing
his eyes I asked him if he was trying to come into my room last night and he said no he didn't think so but that he didn't remember because he got pretty drunk he and I went to a nearby Deli to get some bacon egg and cheeses and coffee and then we ate them in my backyard he left not long after that and I pretty much went about my day as usual I didn't ask Anthony if he tried coming into my room because honestly I didn't care that much about it it really wasn't a huge
deal I think I spent most of that Saturday out of the house doing stuff with other friends I got back home pretty late at night but not really intoxicated because that day was more of a marathon and by then I'd sobered up I was beat though so I had a snack washed up and went straight to bed when I say went to bed I actually mean I crawled into bed and watched like an hour of something on TV after I turned off the TV right away I heard it creaks and thumps from above almost sounding
like footsteps Sim ilar to the night before directly overhead in the kitchen upstairs I had to really focus and listen but the sound stopped I felt my heart start beating a bit faster I felt a slight nervous feeling in my gut for a few minutes as I was sitting up and waiting to hear something else eventually I laid back down and relaxed realizing it was most likely just some normal house settling noises and my paranoid thoughts were making them out to be louder than they were I couldn't have been more wrong I should have trusted
my initial feeling when I heard the doorknob to my bedroom door move again I sprang up so quickly that you'd think I was about to get hit by a bus the doorknob only moved for a couple seconds like it did the night before but tonight there was a light knock at the door followed by the doorknob I didn't say a word I reached for my phone which was on the bed and started texting my family along with Anthony and Jay I knew the chances of it being one of my friends were next to zero but
deep down I was hoping one of them would by some chance respond back saying yes it's me my parents didn't answer the phone they must have been asleep they were not supposed to be back until Monday there was no way I was about to say who's there I quietly got out of my bed and hid behind the corner dresser grabbing a blunt object and the scary chance that whoever was out there would kick the door down and Rush the bed I'm not kidding I think 10 minutes went by and I didn't move from the spot
but there wasn't another set of knocks I called 911 finally and whispered as quietly as I could while still being loud enough to hear I waited on the line with a 911 operator until the police arrived since I didn't feel safe exiting the room I asked the operator if she could tell the police to meet me at my bedroom window once an officer was outside my window they gave it a tap and I went to open it thank God I was on the first floor I handed him the key to the side door and moments
later I heard the entrance to my apartment open it was only then that I left my bedroom and was greeted by two officers I turned on all the lights my apartment was small with not many places to hide so the search down there was quick then we went up to the main floor of the house and searched it nothing and then we got upstairs I told the officers what each room was before they'd enter it was when they entered my parents' room that I heard a commotion about 30 seconds later I was outside in the
hallway when I heard it I took one Peak into the room and saw two officers yelling at someone under my my parents' bed I felt a knot in my stomach I was told to wait downstairs it was minutes later that they were walking down a tall dirty scary looking man in a sweatshirt and shorts they asked me if I knew this man and I said of course not the look of hate that man gave me was Haunting he looked like he could have been homeless crazy or both once he was out of the house I
felt a million times better the police told me that if I or my parents wanted to follow up with this to call the precincts after they left the first thing I did was text every family and friends group tread I had being that it was so late only a few people responded I called my parents first thing in the morning to explain what happened they were of course in awe as anyone would be but because the man was homeless and nothing was apparently stolen my parents didn't pursue any legal action I feel like it's possible
I left the front door unlocked that night Jay and Anthony came over and he simply walked right in when we were blasting music or a scarier thought he could have been in the house for much longer than that and we just never [Music] knew I've always loved the quiet I moved up to this little cabin in rural Upstate New York about 5 years ago away from the chaos of the city the place is Big secluded and the woods stretch out far beyond my property the nearest neighbor is miles away and the only sounds you can
hear are the wind in the trees and the occasional bird chirping in the distance it's peaceful and that's how I like it fishing is my thing I spend most of my time on the lake that sits just behind my house it's the perfect place to escape everything I don't mind being alone hell I enjoy it the cabin has a huge deck that looks out over the woods I often sit out there with the cold beer in my hand watching the sun dip behind the trees and listen to the nighttime sounds of the Woods it's always
been peaceful until recently it started about 2 weeks ago I was on the deck like usual just staring into the dark when I heard something a snap of a twig in the distance I didn't think much of it deer maybe or a raccoon the woods are full of life and I've gotten used to the noises over the years but as the days went by the sounds became more frequent at first it was just that twig snapping or leaves rustling things I thought were just animals but then one night I heard something different a scratching sound
it came from the side of the house somewhere near the window of the spare bedroom it was quiet almost like it was trying to be sneaky I stood up my chair heart pounding a little faster than usual I waited but nothing came after that probably just a squirrel I told myself but I didn't feel right I decided to go inside and lock up for the night the next evening I heard it again the scratching it wasn't just at the side of the house anymore now it was closer it sounded like it was coming from right
outside the spare bedroom window I froze listening carefully my nerves starting to fray I couldn't explain it but something felt off I went to the window pulling the curtains back slightly to see what was outside the Moonlight illuminated the tree casting Long Shadows across the yard the wind was still and everything seemed normal no animal no person I shook my head telling myself that I was just letting my imagination run wild it was probably a branch brushing up against the window or maybe the wind I convinced myself there wasn't anything to worry about and went
to bed the next night the scratching returned it wasn't just scratching anymore though it sounded like light tapping as if someone were tapping on the window trying to get my attention my heart skipped a beat and I jumped out of bed I grabbed a flashlight and crept through the dark hallway toward the spare bedroom when I reached the window I Shone the flashlight outside there was nothing there no person no animal just the same empty woods but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone I couldn't explain it but something was wrong the air
around me felt thick heavy I went back to bed but I couldn't sleep every little noise seemed louder and every Creek of the floorboard sounded like someone was moving around in the house I stayed awake listening but eventually I fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion the nights went on and the sounds didn't stop I'd hear them every night always the same a tap a scratch sometimes even a faint whisper that seemed to come from within the walls I tried to ignore it but it was getting harder one night I decided to confront whatever was causing
it maybe it was just an animal I thought maybe a raccoon or some other Critter had found its way inside I grabbed a crowbar from the shed out back figuring it might be a good idea to have something in case things got weird I went to the spare bedroom and carefully opened the door the air inside felt stale like it hadn't been touched in ages I hadn't used the room in months I Shone the flashlight around the room moving slowly checking every corner under the bed behind the dresser nothing I stood there for a minute
feeling like an idiot there was nothing it was just the same old room empty but as I turned to leave I noticed something the closet door was slightly a jar I don't remember leaving it that way my stomach dropped I slowly walked over and pulled open the door nothing was inside but as I Shone the flashlight into the back corner of the closet I saw something strange a small piece of cloth caught on the edge of the wall it was dark torn almost like a piece of clothing my breath caught in my throat I couldn't
think straight my mind raised was someone here had someone been inside my room I backed out of the room my heart thuing in my chest I slammed the door shut and bolted it I couldn't stay in that house another second I went outside hoping the fresh air would clear my mind the darkness of the woods felt like it was closing in on me but I tried to shake it off maybe it was just my nerves maybe the isolation was getting to me I slept on the couch that night a baseball bat Within Reach but I
didn't hear anything no scratching no tapping it was quiet almost too quiet the next night I decided to be brave I was going to stay in my bed and I wasn't going to let whatever this was drive me out of my own house but just as I was about to drift off to sleep I heard it again the tap tap tap against the window I jumped up heart racing and grabbed the flashlight I ran to the spare bedroom not caring how loud my footsteps were this time when I pulled back the curtain I didn't just
see the woods I saw a shadow someone standing just outside the window barely visible in the dim light I froze my blood running cold I turned around my mind spinning who was that what were they doing here I didn't want to believe it but there was no denying it now someone had been outside my house house and they had been watching me I ran to the phone and called 911 my hand shaking so much that I could barely dial the operator answered and I could barely speak through the panic in my voice someone's been outside
my house I said and I think they're still here I gave them my address and they said they'd send someone out right away I hung up and looked around the room I needed to leave I couldn't stay here anymore but as I turned to grab my jacket I heard something from the hallway a slow Creek someone was moving through the house I didn't hesitate I ran for the back door flinging it open and tearing through the woods I ran as fast as I could not stopping to look back my lungs burning with every step by
the time I made it to the edge of the property I could see the flashing lights of the police cars in the distance I slowed down my body trembling and I hid behind a tree watching the officers arrived at the house guns drawn searching the place but I didn't stick around to find out what happened I couldn't I knew that whatever or whoever had been in that house it wasn't done I wasn't safe there anymore I haven't gone back since I followed up with the police to let them know I was all right so there
wouldn't be a search out for me the cabin is still there sitting alone in the woods but it doesn't feel like home anymore every time I close my eyes I hear the tapping sounds I don't know who was in my house or what they wanted but I know one thing for sure they they were waiting for me and they're still out there this happened when I was about 15 years old back in 2008 my parents went out to the casino for the night so it was just me and my dog Abby home alone it was
about 11:00 at night and I was up messaging some friends on instant messenger and watching YouTube videos as I was typing and chatting away I heard Abby barking at something in the living room I figured it might be my parents getting home and just waited after about a minute or so of more barking and no sound of the door opening I got up and went into the living room to check it out Abby was facing the windows that looked out onto our driveway still barking I couldn't really see out of the windows because the lights
were off outside and it was really dark I peered through the window and saw only the one car in our driveway so I knew my parents hadn't come home yet I ched it up to ask be possibly hearing a neighbor's car door slam shut or a particularly loud car driving by as we lived on a main road with lots of noise even late at night I went back to messaging my friends but over the next 5 minutes I kept feeling like I was hearing noises around my house Abby would stop and start barking again at
different intervals I was about to get up to calm her down when I could have sworn I heard a knock or a rustling sound at the living room door I got up and slowly made my way back into into the living room to look through the windows again nothing I was starting to get a little nervous and was too scared to look into the peephole in case some crazy face was staring back at me I double checked to make sure the door was locked and was about to leave the room when the sound of knocking
suddenly came from the side door of the house my heart fluttered I didn't know what to think like did my parents get locked out and they were trying to get in was someone trying to break in was there more than one person I barely had time to register those thoughts when I heard the sound of the doorknob from downstairs being shimmed with like someone was trying to open it our basement was essentially under the house with the entrance being pretty hidden to get to that door you had to walk around the entire house into our
backyard and go under the deck you'd either need to already know the door was there or be really determined to find a way in Abby was whimpering and barking louder than ever running from room to room trying to locate the threat it felt like the whole house was surrounded the noises from the basement grew louder and it almost sounded like whoever it was had managed to get it open because suddenly the noise stopped my heart sank I stopped breathing standing frozen in the silence just waiting for the next sound then quick as a whip Abby
flew down the stairs and started growling maniacally at whatever was down there Abby was a good-natured black lab who had never heard a fly but in this moment I had never heard her sound more threatening it felt like I was frozen in place for minutes finally my fight ORF flight Instinct kicked in when I realized Abby had stopped barking and growling I called her upstairs and locked the door inside the house that led to the basement I grabbed the home phone because I didn't have a cell phone yet and ran with Abby into the closet
and my parents room where one of the guns we owned was stored I sat there armed and ready about to call 911 when I suddenly heard the front door open Abby sprinted out I yelled no after her but then heard the sound of my parents' voices I ran into the living room to see them petting Abby and looking at me Strangely I spent the next several minutes recounting the events of the night to my parents my mom was horrified and my dad spent the next hour searching every corner of the house inside and out with
his gun in hand we didn't find anything and I didn't sleep that night the next afternoon there was a knock at the front door my heart immediately skipped a beat and I instinctively darted into another room my dad opened the door to find my Uncle Pete P standing there with an envelope in his hand Uncle Pete was a narcissistic creep to say the least he always mistreated my aunt and acted very weird around the kids and cousins at Family parties nothing illegal as far as we knew but he just had this way about him you
knew to try to avoid him growing up I always felt a bit anxious whenever he talked to me I can't remember anything specific he may have said but his overall demeanor was unsettling even adults who spent too much time around him said he made them uncom comfortable I played softball and his daughter my cousin Kate played in a league A few years below mine I love my cousin and always felt bad for her having such a creepy dad so I would often give her tips or help out her team with pitching and Fielding lessons my
mom and I E dropped from another room and overheard Uncle Pete say something like I tried to stop by last night to drop it off but no one was home I guess I couldn't hear much else but shortly after I heard my dad slam the door shut my mom and I peaked out and asked what happened my dad his face quivering with anger said that apparently Uncle Pete had been the one stomping around the house last night trying to get inside he handed me the envelope and I opened it to find a card with a
gift card inside thanking me for helping his daughter with softball lessons a night of panic and Terror all at the hands of my creepy Uncle my dad had threatened him during the conversation at our front door and after that we never really spent time with him again when I think about this story now I'm at least glad I found out who was behind the incident otherwise I might have spent years wondering if it had been burglars a ghost or something else I'm thankful Abby was there to protect me she most certainly scared him off when
he was trying to get in through the basement but even so I'm still left with so many questions what the hell was he thinking why did he need to drop that card off so late at night why didn't he get the hint that we weren't home when no one answered the front door why wouldn't he try calling the house to see if we were home and worst of all what what would have happened had he gotten inside
