It started as a joke.
I was testing my phone’s camera late at night, messing with filters, angles—anything to distract myself from the silence of my apartment. The room was dim, lit only by my desk lamp, shadows pooling in the corners like they always did.
I flipped to the front camera.
My face filled the screen.
Tired. Bored. Normal.
I made a face, laughed quietly, then adjusted the angle—
And froze.
There was someone behind me.
I didn’t turn around.
I couldn’t.
My eyes stayed locked on the screen.
The figure stood in the doorway.
Tall.
Still.
Just barely visible in the low light.
But clear enough.
Too clear.
My breath caught.
“Hello?” I whispered.
The person didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
Just stood there.
Watching.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Turned around.
Nothing.
The doorway was empty.
My heart pounded.
“No… no, I saw that,” I muttered.
I raised the phone again.
Front camera.
My face appeared.
And behind me—
He was still there.
This time, closer.
Not in the doorway anymore.
A few steps inside the room.
I spun around again.
Empty.
Every time I looked directly, he was gone.
But on the camera—
He stayed.
Watching.
Getting closer.
I backed into the wall, panic rising.
“What do you want?” I said, voice shaking.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Not in real life.
Only on the screen.
I felt something cold brush the back of my neck.
I gasped and jerked forward.
But when I turned—
Nothing.
Again.
I looked at the camera.
He was right behind me now.
So close I could see details.
Not a face.
Not really.
Just a shape where a face should be.
Blurred.
Wrong.
Like the camera couldn’t fully capture it.
“…you can see me,” it said.
The voice came through the phone speaker.
Not from the room.
I dropped the phone.
The screen cracked slightly but didn’t turn off.
It flipped on the floor, still facing up.
Still recording.
I looked down slowly.
The camera showed my back.
And him.
Standing directly behind me.
Closer than he should’ve been.
Close enough to touch.
I didn’t want to pick it up.
But I did.
My hands were shaking.
I lifted the phone again.
The figure leaned forward.
Its head lowered until it was right next to mine on the screen.
Like it was trying to fit into the frame.
“…don’t turn around,” it whispered.
I swallowed hard.
“Why?”
A pause.
Then—
“…because I’m not behind you.”
My blood went cold.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadied.
I stared at the screen.
The figure was still there.
Still close.
Still watching.
But something was wrong.
The angle.
The position.
I slowly raised my free hand.
The one not holding the phone.
On the screen—
My hand didn’t move.
My reflection stayed still.
My stomach dropped.
“No… no…”
The camera wasn’t showing behind me anymore.
It was showing me.
And the thing behind me…
Was now standing in my place.
Wearing my shape.
Facing the camera.
Smiling.
I screamed and dropped the phone again.
The screen hit the floor, but the video kept going.
I could still see it.
Myself.
Standing there.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
Just smiling.
Then—
It waved.
Slow.
Deliberate.
At me.
I ran out of the apartment.
Didn’t grab anything.
Didn’t look back.
I stayed outside until morning.
Until sunlight made everything feel less real.
Less possible.
When I finally went back in, the apartment was empty.
No sign of anyone.
No sign of… it.
My phone lay on the floor where I dropped it.
Screen cracked.
Still working.
I picked it up slowly.
Opened the camera.
Front view.
My face appeared.
Normal.
Relieved.
Alone.
I laughed nervously.
“Okay,” I whispered. “It’s over.”
Then—
Without me moving—
My reflection smiled.
Wide.
Wrong.
And from the speaker, soft and close—
“…your turn to watch.”
Write by : Endomarfa
