The Room That Wasn't There

I knew from the very first night in that house that we were not alone.

At exactly 3:13 AM, my eyes suddenly opened.

I didn't know why.

There was just this strange feeling... as if someone was watching me.

I stayed completely still for a few seconds.

Then I heard it.

Knock.

Someone knocked on my bedroom door.

I held my breath.

Knock.

This time, harder.

"Mom?" I whispered.

There was no answer.

I got out of bed and walked toward the door.

My hand was just about to reach the handle when I heard a voice from outside.

"Maya..."

I froze.

It was my mom's voice.

"Open the door."

I grabbed the handle.

Then I remembered something.

My mom's bedroom was downstairs, not directly across from mine.

I looked through the peephole.

The hallway was empty.

Completely empty.

But at the end of the hallway...

there was a door.

I had never seen that door before.

An old, black door.

A faint light was coming from underneath it.

And in the light...

I could see someone's feet.

I stepped backward.

Then the feet slowly disappeared beneath the door.

My heart started beating faster.

Suddenly, my phone screen turned on by itself.

3:13 AM

There was a notification.

Unknown number:

"You saw the door."

My hands began to tremble.

I read the message again.

Then another message appeared.

"Now it's watching you too."

I immediately looked through the peephole.

The hallway was still empty.

But the black door...

was open.

There was darkness inside.

And then...

I heard my own voice coming from the darkness.

"Please..."

My breath stopped.

I hadn't said anything.

Then my voice came again.

This time, much closer.

"Maya... open the door."

I pulled my eye away from the peephole.

But then I realized something-

The voice wasn't coming from the door at the end of hallway.

It was coming from inside my bedroom.