3 months ago, you moved to Manchester for a new job. You’d been lucky to find a job so quickly with the only downside being you had to live in a less than favourable, cheap flat. You’d felt a strong sense of unease from the moment you walked in the door, something simply just didn’t sit right with you. You thought it might’ve been just the anxiety of living in a new place but over time, your paranoia grew. It was the little things, your toothbrush being out of place, shadows lurking in the darkness that you could never quite catch a glimpse of, and heavy footsteps in the middle of the night, it all filled you with a strong sense of unease. You knew something wasn’t right, but you simply couldn’t prove it and tonight was no different than every other sleepless night you had, waking up at 3 AM had become a part of your routine. Only now, something was different. You could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing, breathing that wasn’t yours. You slowly turned your head, your heart pounding so hard you could feel the vibrations in your ears. And that’s when you saw it, the reason for your unease. There was a man outside your window, his face pressed against the window pane, his eyes manic and almost crazed. He was staring at you like a ravenous animal, waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. Slowly, the man began to trace his finger against the fogged-up glass, writing out a single word,

“Hello.”