u/Craavva

this is kinda going off the recent board game post but we started a discord server. if anyone's interested in joining you can dm me or comment!

Hi, I don't want to share too many personal details, but I've been experiencing something that's freaking me out, and this seems like the only place that will take me seriously.

Let me start by saying that I'm not crazy. I've never taken drugs or been diagnosed with any mental issues, and believe me I don't imagine things.

The days have been blending together since this started, but I think I first noticed it about a week ago. I was lying in bed watching TV before going to sleep when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that my closet door was slightly ajar. I've watched too many scary movies since I was a kid, so I never leave my closet door open. I figured I'd forgotten to close it and got up to shut it. As I walked over, I swear I saw an eye pull back into the closet through the gap in the door. I shut the door and tried to forget it. It was late, I was tired, whatever.

I truly thought it was my imagination the first time, but it kept happening. After that incident, I made sure to be more deliberate with keeping the closet shut. A couple of days later, I remember closing the door before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I was only gone for a few minutes. When I came back, I climbed into bed and started looking at my phone. That's when I noticed the closet door was slightly open again. Not enough to see inside, but it definitely wasn't latched the way I'd left it.

I'll admit it scared me enough to keep me frozen in bed. I rolled over so I didn't have to look at it and tried to sleep, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me. What felt like hours passed before I finally rolled onto my back and checked the door again. My entire body tensed.

The closet was open even wider now. The moonlight reflected off something peeking through the gap, but it didn't move this time. The shadows made it impossible to tell what I was looking at. I stayed frozen for the rest of the night, waiting for something to come out and grab me. It felt like I would be ripped from my bed and dragged into the darkness if I any movement.

I'm not sure if I dozed off or just zoned out, but suddenly the sun was rising. Whatever I'd seen was gone. Every part of me was screaming not to go near the closet, but I had work and was feeling slightly braver now that it was brighter out. I jumped out of bed and sprinted to my apartment's front door. I grabbed the baseball bat I keep there and whipped around, ready to find something sneaking up behind me. I was alone.

Slowly, I crept back toward the closet. My grip tightened on the bat as I threw the door open. There was nothing inside except my hanging clothes, exactly as I'd left them. I shuffled around the boxes on the ground, expecting a jump scare, and all I found was nothing.

I live alone in a tiny studio apartment. There aren't any roommates playing pranks on me. There's no way a stranger could be sneaking in and out without me noticing. At first, I tried convincing myself it was sleep paralysis or some kind of nightmare. But last night it got worse. A lot worse.

The night started the same as always. I got ready for bed and laid down with my back facing the closet so I wouldn't have to look at it. Eventually, I fell into what had become my new routine of restless sleep. Eventually I woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and completely panicked. I immediately rolled onto my back to check the closet. Something was coming out.

I swear it had been moving before I noticed it because the moment I looked at it, it stopped. It looked like a hand. Pale fingers that were far too long and gangly. Its nails scraped against the floor as if it had been dragging itself closer to my bed. The feeling of being watched became overwhelming. I was convinced that if I blinked, that thing would burst from the closet and rush at me. Thankfully, it seemed to stop once it realized I was awake.

By the time sunlight began spilling through the window, I couldn't see anything in the closet anymore. It must have slowly retreated back into the darkness as the night dragged on.

I don't know what to do. I'm exhausted from the lack of sleep, my heart races constantly whenever I think about that thing being inside my apartment, I'm always looking over my shoulder. It's driving me insane.

I don't know anything about spirits or creatures, but it feels like this thing is getting braver. I don't even know where to begin. If I hadn't woken up last night, I don't know what that thing would have done. And that's what scares me most. I feel like if I go to sleep tonight, I won't wake up tomorrow.

Has anyone experienced this before and can help me? Please. I really don't want to go to sleep tonight.