It was a dark and stormy night. Phillip had been driving home from work and was about an hour away from his house. He had made it the last few miles but was now in the throes of a full-blown panic attack. His breaths came in short gasps, and his heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was trying to escape his chest. He pulled to the side of the road, scattering gravel, and tried to calm himself. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before starting the car. He crept along the road, his car the only light in a wide and dark world.
The rain beat against the windshield like the footsteps of some unseen thing. Phillip’s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He was afraid to take his eyes off the road for even a second, but he had to know if anyone was following him. He quickly glanced in the rearview mirror and saw nothing but darkness.
He turned his attention back to the road just in time to see a figure standing in the middle of it. He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop, narrowly missing the figure. His heart was in his throat as he got out of the car.
“Hey! Are you okay?” he called out, but there was no answer. The figure was gone. Phillip looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. He got back in the car and continued on his way, his mind racing.
Phillip’s car slowly made its way down the long driveway, the headlights cutting through the darkness. He could see the house up ahead, and his heart swelled with relief. He pulled into the garage and closed the door behind him, deep sighing. All he wanted to do was go to bed and forget this night ever happened.
He walked into the house, calling out for his wife. There was no answer, but that wasn’t unusual – she was probably in bed already. He made his way to the bedroom, undressing as he went. The sheets were calm when he climbed in, and he shivered slightly before pulling them up to his chin. He kept returning to that dark road and the figure he had seen. Was it a person? Or something else? He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, and it wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep.
Phillip was jolted awake by a loud noise. He sat up in bed, his heart pounding. It sounded like someone was downstairs. He slowly got out of bed, careful not to make any noise. He crept to the door and pressed his ear against it, trying to hear what was happening. There were footsteps and then a crash. Someone was definitely in the house.
Phillip quickly grabbed his baseball bat from under the bed and crept into the hallway. The noise was coming from the living room. He slowly made his way down the stairs, his heart in his throat. The living room was dark, but he could see movement. Someone was definitely in there.
He tightened his grip on the bat and stepped into the room. “Who’s there?” he demanded.
There was a pause, and then a deep voice answered. “I’m sorry to intrude, but I saw your car lights and thought someone might be home.”
Phillip relaxed slightly when he realized it was just a person and not some sort of monster. “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”
“My name is John. I’m sorry for breaking in, but I didn’t know where else to go. My car broke down a few miles back and I’ve been walking for hours. I was hoping I could use your phone to call a tow truck.”
Phillip considered the man for a moment. He didn’t look like a threat, but you never could be too careful. “Okay, you can use the phone. But you have to promise not to touch anything else.”
“I promise,” John said.
Phillip hesitated for a moment and then handed him the bat. “Just in case.”
John took the bat and nodded his thanks. Phillip led him into the kitchen where the phone was and then stood back while he made his call. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out what to do. He didn’t want to just kick the man out, but he didn’t feel right about letting him stay the night either.
He was still debating when John hung up the phone. “The tow truck will be here in a few hours,” he said. “Do you mind if I wait inside? It’s cold out there.”
Phillip hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “You can wait in the living room. But you have to promise not to touch anything.”
“I promise,” John said again.
Phillip led him into the living room and then sat down on the couch, keeping a wary eye on him. He was still unsure if he could trust this guy, but he seemed harmless.
They sat silently for a few moments, and then John spoke up. “So, what do you do?”
“I’m a writer,” Phillip said.
“Really? What do you write?”
” mostly horror stories.”
John’s eyes lit up. “I love horror stories! What’s your favorite?”
Phillip hesitated for a moment and then decided to tell him. “My favorite is actually one I wrote myself. It’s called ‘Tfavouriteer.'”
“That sounds really creepy! What’s it about?”
Phillip took a deep breath and then launched into the story. He told it well, and John was hanging on every word. By the time he got to the end, John’s face was pale.
“That was really good,” he said. “It’s no wonder you’re a writer.”
Phillip smiled. “Thanks. I’m glad you liked it.”
They sat silently for a few moments, and then John spoke up again. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
Phillip hesitated for a moment. He had never really thought about it before. But now that he was thinking about it, he wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I’ve never seen one, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
John nodded. “I’ve always believed in ghosts. My grandmother used to tell me stories about them when I was a kid. She said they were everywhere, just waiting to come out and haunt us.”
Phillip chuckled. “That does sound like something a grandmother would say.”
“It’s true, though,” John insisted. “There are more ghosts in the world than you can imagine. And some of them are very angry.”
Phillip’s smile faded slightly at the seriousness in John’s voice. He suddenly had the feeling that maybe ghosts were real after all. “Angry ghosts?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that some ghosts are so angry that they haunt people,” John said. “They torment them and make their lives a living hell.”
Phillip felt a chill run down his spine. He had never thought about ghosts being angry, but it made sense. If they were real, then there was no reason why they wouldn’t get mad. “Do you think that’s what happened to my friend?” he asked quietly.
John shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s possible.”
Phillip sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what John had said. He was starting to believe that ghosts might be real after all. And if they were, there was a genuine possibility that one of them was haunting him.
He suddenly remembered the strange noise he had heard earlier. Could it have been a ghost? He didn’t know for sure, but he started getting scared.
“I think I should go to bed,” he said abruptly, standing up. “It’s getting late.”
John nodded. “I should probably head back to my car anyway. The tow truck should be here soon.”
Phillip walked him to the door and then watched as he walked back to his car. Before locking the door and turning off the lights, he waited until John was safely inside.
He was about to head upstairs when he heard the noise again. It was definitely coming from the kitchen. Phillip slowly made his way towards the noise, his heart pounding in his chest.
He cautiously peeked around the corner, half-expecting to see a ghost. But there was nothing there. The kitchen was empty.
Phillip let out a sigh of relief and then shook his head. He was being ridiculous. There were no such things as ghosts.
But even as he tried to convince himself of that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows…
Phillip had just finished work and was about to head upstairs to his apartment when he heard the noise again. It was definitely coming from the kitchen.
He slowly made his way towards the noise, his heart pounding in his chest. He cautiously peeked around the corner, half-expecting to see a ghost. But there was nothing there. The kitchen was empty.
Phillip let out a sigh of relief and then shook his head. He was being ridiculous. There were no such things as ghosts.
But even as he tried to convince himself of that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows…
Phillip was starting to get really scared. He had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like there was definitely something haunting him. He was seeing things that he knew couldn’t be real and heard strange noises.
He had tried to convince himself that it was all in his head, but he knew that wasn’t true. He had no idea what to do about something that was going on.
The only thing he could think of was to talk to John again. Maybe he would have some answers.
Phillip waited until John got off work and then called him. “Hey, do you want to come over?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure,” John said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Phillip hung up the phone and paced around his apartment, waiting for John to arrive. He was starting to feel like he was going crazy. Maybe he just imagined things. Perhaps he was losing his mind.
John knocked on the door a few minutes later, and Phillip let him in. “What’s going on?” John asked. “You sounded pretty freaked out on the phone.”
“I am freaked out,” Phillip said. He told John about everything happening, from the strange noises to the ghostly figure he had seen in his kitchen.
John listened quietly, not interrupting. When Phillip was finished, he let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what to say,” he said. “This is all pretty crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” Phillip said. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
“Have you tried talking to anyone else about this?” John asked. “Maybe a therapist or something?”
Phillip shook his head. “I don’t want to go to a therapist,” he said. “They’ll just think I’m crazy.”
“You’re not crazy,” John said. “But maybe talking to someone would help.”
Phillip thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll try it.”
“I know a good therapist,” John said. “I’ll give you her number.”
Phillip took the piece of paper from John and stared at it. He was scared, but he knew he needed to face his fears. Maybe talking to someone would help.
And if not, he didn’t know what else he could do. He was out of options.
John listened patiently as Phillip recounted the strange events that had been happening in his apartment. He was starting to feel like he was going crazy. Maybe he just imagined things. Perhaps he was losing his mind.
But when John heard about Phillip’s ghostly figure in his kitchen, he knew there was more to it than that. “It sounds like you’ve been seeing a ghost,” John said.
Phillip nodded, shivering despite the warmth of the apartment. “I’m scared,” he admitted.
John put an arm around him comfortingly. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” he said. “I’ll be with you, and we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
Phillip nodded, feeling a little better. John was right – he wasn’t alone in this. Together, they would figure out what was happening and deal with it.
The first thing they needed to do was talk to a medium. John knew someone who could help them. Phillip just had to be brave enough to go through with it.