Something is Watching

The air in Daniel's room remained heavy long after the closet door had been slammed shut. Ethan could still hear the whisper, faint but undeniable, curling in his mind like a fog that refused to lift.

"Not yet."

Noah stood frozen, his hand still gripping the doorknob, his knuckles white. His breathing was slow and deliberate, but Ethan could see the tension in his shoulders—the kind that only came from someone who had just seen something they couldn't explain.

Finally, Noah exhaled, shaking his head. "Okay. That was… not nothing."

Ethan let out a hollow chuckle. "Yeah. No kidding."

Noah backed away from the closet, rubbing his face. "Look, I've seen some weird stuff before, but this?" He gestured at the door. "Closets don't just knock on their own."

Ethan's stomach churned. "Tell me something I don't know."

Noah bent down, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a roll of salt and started pouring a thin line across the base of the closet door.

Ethan frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Basic protection. Whatever's in there, we don't want it getting out."

Ethan watched as Noah made his way around the room, placing small charms near the windows and muttering under his breath. His movements were quick, precise—like someone who had done this many times before.

Once he was done, he turned to Ethan. "Now we wait."

Ethan stared at him. "For what?"

Noah gave him a grim look. "To see if it comes back."

Hours passed.

Ethan and Noah sat in the living room, the only source of light coming from a dim lamp in the corner. The house was silent, but it wasn't the comforting kind of silence—it was the kind that felt forced, like something was deliberately holding its breath.

Noah tapped his fingers against his knee. "Tell me everything, from the beginning."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "It started small. Flickering lights, weird noises at night. Then Daniel started talking about a 'man' in his room. Said he stood by the closet."

Noah's brows furrowed. "And you never saw him?"

Ethan shook his head. "Not at first. But then…" He hesitated, his mouth suddenly dry. "Then, one night, I heard it. A voice. It spoke to me."

Noah leaned forward. "What did it say?"

Ethan hesitated. The words felt wrong in his mouth, like repeating them would make them real again. But finally, he forced them out.

"'He's waiting for you.'"

Noah sat back, exhaling sharply. "Shit."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah."

Noah rubbed his chin. "And tonight was the first time it physically moved something?"

Ethan hesitated. "No."

Noah's gaze snapped to him. "What do you mean?"

Ethan swallowed hard. "Last night, the closet door opened on its own. And when I closed it…" He glanced toward the hallway, toward Daniel's room. "It didn't stay closed."

Noah frowned. "It kept opening?"

"Yeah." Ethan exhaled. "I nailed it shut."

Noah's eyes widened. "You what?"

"I didn't know what else to do," Ethan admitted. "But when I woke up this morning, the nails were gone. The door was just… open."

Noah cursed under his breath. "That's not good."

Ethan clenched his jaw. "No kidding."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Then, from down the hall—

Thump.

Both men froze.

Ethan's heart lurched. He turned his head slowly, listening.

Thump.

A slow, rhythmic sound.

Noah grabbed his flashlight and stood. "That's coming from Daniel's room."

Ethan was already moving before he realized it, his body acting on instinct. He reached the hallway, his breath shallow. The closer he got, the louder the sound became.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It was coming from inside the closet.

Noah grabbed his arm before he could touch the door. "Wait."

Ethan turned to him, his pulse racing. "What?"

Noah reached into his bag and pulled out a small device—a thermal camera. He powered it on and aimed it at the closet. The screen flickered to life, displaying the various heat signatures in the room.

Ethan leaned in, his stomach twisting into knots.

The closet was cold—far colder than the rest of the room. But that wasn't what made his blood run ice.

There was a shape.

A tall, humanoid shape standing on the other side of the door.

Noah let out a slow breath. "Jesus."

Ethan felt his body go rigid. He didn't want to open the door. Every part of him screamed to leave it shut, to pretend he never saw what was on that screen.

But before he could move—

The door handle rattled violently.

Ethan stumbled back. Noah cursed, raising the camera again. The screen flickered—

And the shape was gone.

The rattling stopped.

The closet door creaked open.

Not all the way. Just an inch. Just enough.

And from the darkness beyond it, something breathed.

A slow, shallow inhale. Then silence.

Ethan and Noah stood frozen.

Then, Noah whispered, "Close the door."

Ethan didn't hesitate. He reached forward and shoved it shut, pressing his weight against it.

Noah grabbed the salt and poured another thick line along the floor.

The moment it hit the wood—

A low growl rumbled from the other side.

Ethan's skin went cold. That wasn't a sound a human throat could make.

Noah stepped back, shaking his head. "This thing isn't just some ghost, Ethan."

Ethan swallowed hard. "Then what the hell is it?"

Noah's face was pale. He didn't answer right away.

But when he finally did, his voice was quiet.

"Something old."

Ethan felt his chest tighten. He looked at the closet door, at the way it seemed to pulse with a presence just beyond it.

Somehow, he already knew Noah was right.

Because whatever was in that closet…

It had been waiting for a long, long time.

And now, it was watching.