Let's Not Meet~ Reddit Horror Stories

He Had Been Quietly Watching Me

I had moved into an apartment all by myself as a barely 20 year old. I worked as a server 6 nights a week. It was hard work and long hours but it paid the bills. Some backstory here, I was taking some time off from college after my freshman year after realizing I wasn't quite ready for that responsibility but I still wanted to be on my own and not living in my parent's house.

My tiny apartment was on the first floor and had huge old fashioned roll out windows in the living room (the kind you had to turn a little crank to make the large panes open out) but just a few other smaller windows in the kitchen and bedroom. I couldn't find curtains to cover the huge living room windows without spending an arm and a leg so i just bought some from a thrift store that were more decorative than effective. It was in an okay neighborhood in a semi large Midwestern city. Frankly I couldn't afford a high rent and I had barely any credit since I was so young so I was happy with the balance I struck. The apartment was small and had an old model refrigerator and an ancient air conditioner but the neighborhood was okay. If you drove 5 minutes south though you'd be in the worst part of the city.

The restaurant I worked at didn't close until 11PM weekdays and 2AM on the weekends so I would always stay up very late with only my cat Edgar to keep me company. I would usually come home after working and sit on the floor in the middle of my living room and play Nintendo for a few hours before going to bed.

It was on one late summer night while I was playing Mario bros when I looked up and saw a man standing in the window. My windows were fully rolled out because it was a hot night and I'm sure this stranger had to duck his head under the rolled out window pane to get as close as he was to the screen. He was just staring at me. I froze. I sat there frozen with what I'm sure was a look of terror on my face.

He was quiet for a few seconds but then said nonchalantly, "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw your light on and I live right across from you and I wanted to come over and say hi."

I responded quietly with "Um, hi". I still remember how scared I was at that moment. He was broad shouldered, weak chinned and probably in his late 30s. I didn't want to run away because there was just a cheap window screen between us and he was bigger than me but I also didn't want to make small talk with a new neighbor at 2 in the morning. He continued with, "I'm staying at my buddies place while they're away. I see your cat in the window a lot. What's his name? I come over and play with him at the window all the time. I can tell he really likes me."

Again, I didn't know what to say. I did sometimes leave the window rolled out just enough for Edgar's fat little body to fit through while I wasn't home so he could sit in the windowsill and watch the birds. I didn't think anyone could fit through how slightly I left them open. Apparently this guy was coming over and standing outside to chill with my cat.

"His name is Edgar. I have to go to bed now, so maybe I'll see you around".  I was just trying to get him to leave so I could close the window without making him angry at me.

He didn't seemed phased by anything I said. "Edgar! That's a great name! Now I'll know what to call you." (He said this to my cat who had jumped up onto the windowsill) "Well if you ever want to come over and drink or something I just live right there" he said this while pointing to the house next door, it's windows directly facing mine.

Me- "Um, ok, well I better go, it's so late and I'm so tired".

Him- "Ok, I know you work a lot. I love your cat. Come over sometime."

Me- "bye". He leaves as I frantically roll the windows closed. I turn off the lights and stand to one side of the living room to see if I can still see him. I could, sort of. The apartment he pointed out was completely dark except I could see the small cherry of a burning cigarette going up and down very very slowly. Great, he's smoking in the dark facing my apartment.

I imagined calling the police and telling them my neighbor just came over and complimented my cat. I decided instead to just close everything up tight and try to go to bed. I was too scared to turn the lights off so I lay in bed with the ancient air conditioner grinding away and all the lights on. That was until all the lights went out and  everything went silent. My apartment was pitch black and completely silent. Again I was frozen with fear. Did the man cut off my electricity somehow? Was he going to break in? No. I eventually pep talked myself into getting a flashlight and checking the fuse box. Yep, the air conditioner that I rarely used, (because I preferred to open the windows), had blown a fuse. I replaced it from a small box of fuses the landlord had given me and spent a sleepless night in my too hot apartment.

The next day I called the non-emergency police line and told them what happened. They sent a cop over a couple of hours after I called. The policeman who came to my apartment asked me all about the details. I pointed out the apartment the man had come from. The policeman was very stern and scary to me at the time. He told me I should have told that man to get out of my window and go away the minute I saw him and immediately called 911. He said he would drive by my apartment for the next couple of weeks to make the police presence known and that he would talk to the man. Maybe he did but I never heard from that man or the police again and I moved not long after that.