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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Prudent-Dig-9812 on 2024-10-07 22:05:52+00:00.

Hey guys. The question’s in the title - I could really use some advice on this, and honestly, I don’t know who to ask. I tried posting on other subreddits but everyone said I was just making this all up. I’m hoping someone here will be willing to listen and help me figure out what to do, if anything.

To start out, I’ll tell you what you need to know about me, and as much as I can about my roommate. 

My name’s Brennan, and I’m a junior in college - I won’t say the name, but it’s an “elite” school in the south that I honestly wouldn’t have been smart enough to get into without football. I’ve been here on a sports scholarship for the last two years as a kicker for the football team. At the end of the day, I never actually cared that much about football. I thought it was fun, I was good at it, and it got me a free ride at one of the best colleges in my region. Plus I got unlimited food from any of the school cafeterias, which always felt like a win. 

Of course I didn’t get the kind of attention a quarterback gets, but it definitely won me some cred on campus, and a few looks from some of the cuter girls in my class. I even made it onto the posters the student government would put up around campus to hype everybody up before a big game, though that was really more embarrassing than anything else. The coaches and players on the team were always asking me if I wanted to play professionally after graduation, and I’ll admit, I did let the praise get to my head a bit.

I hadn’t made up my mind back then what I wanted to do, but at this point, professional sports are a lost cause anyway. I tore my ACL at the end of last school year. The doctors told me I’d need surgery to get back to playing, not to mention extensive rehab, and I still would never be back to 100%. I thought it over, talked with my parents about it, and ultimately just decided it wasn’t worth it.

Most of my social interaction was with other guys on the team, and I spent so much time practicing I didn’t have time to join a frat or clubs. I went to parties often as a freshman, but once the hangovers started interfering with my football performance, my parents pretty much forced me to sober up so I wouldn’t lose my scholarship. I can’t really say they were wrong to do it, but it definitely hurt my social life. I never realized how much people my age were obsessed with drinking until I became the one guy on the team who didn’t, and people started acting like I was a total square. Still, I had some friends left that I’d hang with after practice or study for tests together, so it wasn’t too bad. But the same friends started treating me like an outcast once I lost my spot on the team.

All that to say, here I am starting the fall semester of my junior year with no scholarship money, no friends, and not much to do with my time other than get a part-time job. I started working at the school cafeteria this summer, which sucks, but at least I work regular hours and the pay could be worse. But even with the income, I realized I still wouldn’t be able to afford the apartment I’ve been living in for the last year. I didn’t want to move at this point - the landlord mostly leaves me alone, the location is practically on campus, and the next-door neighbors aren’t noisy, smelly, or creepy. So, my dad suggested I find a roommate. 

Which brings me to Aldous. 

I honestly don’t know that much about the guy, but he seemed fine when I met him. The first thing I noticed was how clean and neat his whole outfit was, even the backpack wasn’t grimy like mine. The second was his eyes. Maybe I just haven’t met many people with green eyes, but the ones I can remember have all had at least some blue or brown mixed in, and this guy had eyes that were just straight up green as grass. Which is weirder than you think when you’re actually seeing it in person. Maybe that’s what made me feel like something was just a little bit “off” about him, though that effect seemed to wear off after a while. 

He was in my year, though I hadn’t had any classes with him or actually seen him around campus before. That made sense, not only because it’s a decently big school, but also because he and I didn’t really have anything in common. I found out he had been taking classes in Chemistry, Biology, Art History, and Anthropology. Meanwhile I was taking entry-level math and science just to meet graduation requirements and filling up the rest of my schedule with business and Econ classes, plus whatever electives upperclassmen on RateMyProfessor thought were easy and chill. 

Still, he was clearly clean and smart enough not to trash an apartment, and seemed like the quiet type. I was sure he wouldn’t be one to have crazy parties late at night or invite strangers into our space when I was trying to get work done. Maybe his smarts would even rub off on me – apparently we were signed up for the same psychology class that upcoming fall, so I hoped I could at least ask him for help if it turned out to be tougher than I thought. 

So, since I’d decided he wasn’t going to be a total freak or annoying as a roommate, I moved all the workout equipment I used to use and started sub-letting the room to Aldous. Yes, I know that’s not legal, but my landlord is kind of a pain in the ass and probably wouldn’t have let him move in until fall, and I needed the extra money as soon as possible. He agreed to pay half the rent and half the utilities, and promised he’d be sure not to inconvenience me as a roommate. 

That at least turned out to be true. He was pretty much the ideal person to room with. He was always polite and drama-free, always paid me his half of rent a few days in advance, kept the kitchen clean (even washing my dishes sometimes if I put it off more than 30 minutes or so), never used up all the limited hot water in the shower, and even rearranged a few things in the living room that made it way more neat and organized. Even though it was summer, he spent a lot of time at the campus library or working in his room, so he never bothered me, but also didn’t complain when I played music or watched TV in the main area while he was working. The few times I asked him to hang out, he politely told me he didn’t have time but appreciated the offer. Sure, he wasn’t the most outgoing, maybe a little too formal if you ask me, but he made up for it - especially when he’d “make a bit too much” food at dinner and let me help myself to a free meal. He never cooked anything too fancy, but it was fresh, and a hell of a lot better than the cup noodles and frozen meals I usually eat while the main dining hall is closed on the weekend. Man, I miss the athletic center cafeteria now that I don’t have access anymore.

Overall, I pretty quickly got used to having Aldous around, and I felt like I’d struck gold finding this guy. He himself seemed happy with the arrangement too, and I figured once school started I’d be even more glad to have the extra help with chores, so I didn’t expect any problems this fall. Then things started getting weird. 

Aldous had told me before the semester started that he’d been planning to start a research project, which would take up most of his time after class in the evenings. Apparently it was for a course called “Science in Medieval Literature,” whatever that meant. When I asked, he told me the names of the other classes in his schedule, and they all seemed kinda obscure, except for the developmental psychology class we were both signed up for.  There was one called Mind-Body Medicine, some high-level biology or chemistry lab, and “Ancient Latin Philosophy” or something like that. I can’t remember the rest. He said he was triple-majoring, so I guess he really had to pack a lot into his schedule this year. What he was going to do with all that random knowledge is beyond me, but he told me he was “still deciding” what to do after college and he’d probably end up in grad school. That sounded about right- this guy seemed to be into school more than anyone else I’ve ever met. Even his name and appearance were nerdy. He wears round glasses, collared shirts, sometimes with sweaters on top, with long jackets and ironed pants. His hair is probably a little less than shoulder-length? (I’ve never actually seen it down), and he wears it pulled pack in a short ponytail most of the time. He always goes out in these “dark academia” style outfits that are all over TikTok these days. I’ll admit, he must pull it off well, at least based on the smitten looks I’ve seen him get from girls on the few times we’ve walked back from class together. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. Not that any amount of attention would be worth it to me to walk across campus in that kind of getup, but still. 

Sorry, I know it seems like a lot of random information at this point, but I’m trying to tell you everything I know about Aldous cause I have no clue what could turn out to be relevant. Anyway, when class started up, everything was normal for the first week or two. Usually he’d stop by the library on the way home, but 3 days a week we had our psych class together last period and like I said, he walked home with me a few times. He’d always talk to me if I started a conversation, and he does have a weird kind of charisma when he talks (maybe a little too smooth? Everything is starting to seem suspicious now), and he always seemed interested in whatever I was saying, so it was enjoyable enough…

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