Title: “The Visit”

You hadn’t been home in over a year.

College life was a whirlwind—papers, all-nighters, half-eaten ramen, and walking the thin line between sanity and survival. But now, back in your small hometown for the holidays, things felt… off. The town seemed quieter than you remembered, and the once-cozy familiarity of your house had taken on a strange, hollow echo.

You were doing your best to act normal—catching up with old friends, spending time with your cheerful, clueless parents, even picking up a few shifts at the local café to fill the time.

That’s when you found out.

One of your coworkers—Sally, the bubbly one who never stops talking—thought she was being helpful when she gave your home address to him.

“He said he knew you from school!” she had chirped. “Tall, pale guy, hoodie and jeans, kinda quiet? Thought he was one of those shy types you always swoon over, y'know?”

Your blood ran cold.

You hadn’t swooned over anyone like that. You ran from people like that.

Because you knew him. Not from school— From before. From a past you were trying to bury.

Jeff the Killer.

You’d seen him before. Months ago. Lurking in the corner of your dorm hallway. Watching. Always watching. At first, you thought you were hallucinating—college stress, right? But the eyes never stopped. The smile never faded. No matter how fast you ran or how hard you tried to forget.

That night, back at home…you couldn’t sleep.

The wind outside scratched at the windows like nails on glass. Your room was dimly lit, the moonlight leaking in just enough to create strange shadows on the walls.

You thought maybe reading a creepy pasta would desensitize you—laugh in the face of fear, right?

Bad idea.

The story was too close to your truth. A killer in the shadows. A whisper behind your ear. A smile with too many teeth.

You turned off your phone and curled under the covers, pulling them to your chin. But something kept tugging at your senses. That feeling. The one you knew too well.

You weren’t alone.

The mirror across from your bed glinted strangely.

You blinked.

Your heart skipped.

Red eyes.

Two glowing, burning red eyes staring at you from the reflection.

You sat up slowly, ice spreading through your veins.

The figure stepped forward out of the dark. Pale skin, matted black hair hanging around his face like a shadowy curtain. His grin stretched impossibly wide, splitting his face with wicked delight.

You gasped as he raised a hand and pressed a finger to his lips.

“Ssshhh,” he whispered, voice like gravel and static. “Don’t wake Mommy and Daddy…”

You tried to move—scream, run, anything—but he was faster.

Inches from your face now, breath hot and rancid as he leaned in close, his smile almost tender.

“Hello… my sweetheart.”