It’s been hours since I last left the house, maybe even days. At this point, I’ve completely lost track. I can’t remember what I did yesterday. When did I last eat? I don’t know. What’s my name? It hardly seems important now.

I sit numbly on the couch, thinking of everything and nothing. I feel empty. Am I even real? The world is moving around me, but I don’t notice it.

They’re watching me. I can’t see them, but I know they are. They’ve always been there. They have cameras throughout my house, in my phone, my computer, and my cat’s eyes. They’re always watching. Waiting.

Watching for what? I don’t know.

All the doors are locked. The windows and blinds shut. Nothing gets in; nothing gets out. It’s just the demons and me. They never leave me alone. I just want peace.

Seconds pass. Minutes, hours, days. I sit, oblivious to everything. I don’t know when He comes, or how long He’s been standing there, but the stranger doesn’t say a thing. I can’t see Him, I never can. He’s tall, towering above my doorframe. He wears a hoodie and has no face. I don’t see, but I just know.

He wants to hurt me. He hates me. He’s always been this way, but He’s never acted on His wishes. I don’t know why, but it scares me. I’m so terrified that I can’t move. Numb. All I can do is stare at the empty space where He’s standing and hope He doesn’t lash out.

The Stranger has been haunting my room for weeks now. He’s not always here, and I don’t trust the times when He’s gone. What’s he doing? Is He finally setting in motion His plans to kill me?

Why won’t He leave me alone? Why won’t any of them?

The others aren’t nearly as bad as Him. They torment me every night. Once the sun has set, They’re there waiting. Always waiting. They lurk behind corners and doors. Some are non-existent, like Him, but most are in the darkness of every shadow.

They follow me as I walk home from work. They linger behind fences, cars, and bushes. Everywhere and nowhere. There one minute, and gone the next.

Was that movement a trick of the light? Or was that another one standing on the path ahead of me? Are those whispered conversations from Them, or my neighbours?

I’m in my chair again. I’m always on the couch. Back to staring at the wall, watching the world pass by. Patiently waiting for Him to appear, for the fear to start. I don’t want it to, but there’s nothing I can do to stop Him coming.

I should study, watch TV or cook food to pass the time but I don’t feel the need to. I don’t find pleasure in staring at a wall, but I don’t really enjoy much of anything these days. Neither like nor hate. Just nothing.

He’s back, but He’s not alone. There’s something under the couch. I pull my feet up, tucking them under me. I keep everything within the confines of the chair. If anything sticks out, It will come for me. It’s under the chair as well as behind it. It’s also under my bed. It’s everywhere, all at once.

It’s not all bad though. There are these small glowing creatures, floating through the air. They bring me peace. For once, I feel calm. I get lost in the world of the glowing creatures, watching them move this way and that. Serene. Safe. Alive.

One day I’d like to be free of Them. I would like to sleep without fear. I want my memory back – I can’t remember my lectures, let alone how to spell correctly. My mind and my body are like two separate beings, my body never doing what my brain tells it to. I want to be normal. I want to be sane.

I would just like to leave the house without Them following me. I’d like to go to sleep at night without Them standing around my bed; to eat food without having to set alarms. Not that anything tastes any good anyway. It’s all tasteless garbage.

Days. Weeks. Months. Years.

The walls won’t stop breathing. The shadows won’t stop growing. Everything is so dark and cold.

They still haunt me. I’ll never be free.

The door bangs shut, the sound echoes around the small apartment. Startled and confused, I stare in the direction. There’s someone here. Is this it? Are they coming for me?

They’re here.