I wasn't going to post this but the shadow that lived in my room

I wasn't going to post this but here we are.

I was just a regular college kid. Moved up from the countryside, got my own place, did the whole school-part time job-sleep cycle on repeat. Boring but fine. I had my own space and that was enough.

The room was on the 3rd floor of an old building. End of the hallway. No windows. The rent was cheap and I didn't ask questions. Room's warm? Good enough.

Then things got weird.

**Night one.** I came home past 1am after a late shift. Dead tired. Showered, hit the bed, and that's when I felt it. That feeling like someone is WATCHING you. I was alone. Obviously. I went to turn the light off and noticed something coming through the gap under my door. Light. Reddish light. I got up and opened the door. The hallway was dark. Empty. Lights off. I told myself I was just exhausted and went back to sleep.

**Night two.** Nightmare. I'm lying in my room and there's this dark shape crouched in the corner of the ceiling. It starts moving toward me. slow. I try to move and I literally cannot. Stone. My whole body just. frozen. It gets right up to my face and whispers in this low raspy voice.

"don't... stay here..."

Woke up at 3am drenched in sweat, heart going insane. just a dream. just a dream. okay.

**It kept happening.** The shadow got clearer every time. The whisper got louder.

"don't... come here..."

"leave... please..."

I started dreading sleep. Daytime was fine but the second night came the room felt like it was suffocating me. I told a friend. She said it was probably stress. I tried to believe her.

**Then one night it wasn't a dream.**

Came home from work, touched the door handle and it was ice cold. Opened the door and this chill just wrapped around my whole body. The room was darker than it should've been.

I turned the light off to sleep. And from the corner of the ceiling. this black shape slowly came down.

I tried to scream. nothing came out.

It sat next to me. leaned in. whispered right in my ear.

"this is... my spot..."

And then I blacked out.

**The next day I went to find my landlady.** Asked her if anything had ever happened in that room. She paused for a long time. Then quietly said "there was a student who used to live there... something happened to them. living alone, and then one day suddenly..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

I looked it up that night. Found an old article. A college student had died in that room a few years ago. Took their own life. Reason unknown.

**Last night.** I'd already decided to move out. But the shadow showed up one more time. This time it got on top of me and put its hands around my throat.

I couldn't breathe. my whole body went numb. and it whispered.

"this is... my spot... get out..."

I fought my way up somehow. Room was empty. But there were handprints on my neck. clear as anything.

I left. New place. No more shadows.

But sometimes, right before I fall asleep, when the room gets dark.

I think I can still hear it.

"this is... my spot..."

If you're living alone in an old building. maybe double check that the room is actually yours.