In the Living Room

Every single night, at midnight, I am startled awake by the sound of something moving in my living room. At first, I thought it was house noises until I heard crying in the hallway. I called an exterminator to see if I had some type of animal living in my walls. Nothing was found. The exterminator recommended security cameras in case someone was breaking and entering.

I got a security system, and after two hours of trying to understand the instructions that reminded me too much of the manuals used to assemble IKEA furniture, I tested out the cameras. I stood in front of one of the cameras while the live feed was pulled up on my phone. I was mesmerized watching the live feed. I moved, then a few seconds later, the little me in the video feed followed exactly. After messing around and watching the slight delays of the camera, I turned in for the night, ready to catch whatever was in my living room.

Exactly at 12, I was woken up by the sounds in my living room. I very hesitantly pulled up the live feed. What if someone really was in my house? What if I couldn’t call the cops in time? What if I died? I pushed these horrifying thoughts out of my head as I opened the app.

There, in my living room, was a person. I stifled a shriek as I examined the feed more closely. This was not a person. Its jaw was unhinged, revealing rows of dull teeth. The eye sockets were empty. Its limbs were way too long, and its arms dragged across the floor. Its bones stuck out from underneath its skin at weird angles.

My stomach roiled. What is in my house? What do I do? How is this thing even alive? I panicked as I saw it start to move off-screen. A childlike instinct overtook me, and I pulled the blankets over my head. The monsters can’t hurt you if you’re under the blankets, right?

I sat there for what felt like hours. I was suffocating under my thick blankets. I finally caved and pulled them off. There, at the end of my bed, was the thing that was in the living room.