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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/HerScreams on 2024-10-15 18:06:12+00:00.

I had been sitting at home, flipping through a magazine and half-watching TV, when my phone rang. The woman on the other end sounded frantic, almost too eager to secure a sitter for the night. Her voice, tight with urgency, made me hesitate at first. But the pay she offered was hard to ignore.

“Please,” she had said. "I just need someone reliable. Just for tonight. “

I’d agreed, but as I hung up the phone, a strange feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. It was a babysitting job, nothing more. So why did I feel so uneasy?

The house stood at the end of a long, winding driveway, hidden among tall, dark trees. It wasn’t the kind of house you’d expect to feel unsettling at first glance. It was modern, clean, and neatly kept. But something about the place felt wrong, even before I stepped inside. The windows were dark and reflective, catching the last fading light of the evening sky. I felt a strange heaviness as I stood outside, staring up at the house.

I knocked, and within moments, Mrs. Winters opened the door. She was tall and thin, her blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her dress, a soft blue, was elegant but a little too formal for a quiet evening at home. Her face a mask of politeness, with just a hint of something unreadable behind her eyes.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, stepping aside to let me in. “I know it’s last minute.”

The house was warm, but not in a welcoming way. The air felt stifling, heavy. The scent of lavender lingered, but it couldn’t mask something else underneath. Something faint, like old wood or damp air.

“No problem,” I replied, forcing a smile as I stepped inside.

Mrs. Winters gestured toward the staircase, but then turned to me, her voice lowering. “Before you go upstairs, there are a few important rules you need to follow.”

She handed me a piece of paper, the edges worn, like it had been folded and unfolded many times. The rules were written in neat, slanted handwriting.

1. Do not open the window in Daniel’s room.

2. If you hear knocking at the door, do not answer it.

3. Keep the closet door in Daniel’s room closed at all times.

4. Do not go into the basement, for any reason.

The list of rules made my stomach twist a little. “These are… rather specific” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Mrs. Winters’ eyes flickered to the staircase again before she looked back at me. “Just… follow the rules and you’ll be fine.”

She didn’t wait for me to ask anything else. She grabbed her coat from a nearby chair, gave me a tight smile, and hurried out the front door. The click of the door shutting echoed louder than it should have.

For a moment, I stood in the foyer, staring down at the list in my hand. The rules felt odd … no, they felt wrong. But I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Taking a deep breath, I folded the paper and tucked it into my pocket before heading upstairs. Daniel’s room was at the end of a long, dim hallway. The door was slightly open, and the light from inside spilled out in a thin line across the floor.

I knocked softly, pushing the door open a little more. Daniel sat on the edge of his bed, his dark hair falling into his eyes. He didn’t look up when I entered.

“Hi, Daniel,” I said gently, stepping inside.

He didn’t respond, just sat there, staring at the wall across from him. His small hands clutched the edge of the bed, his knuckles pale. The room itself was neat, but something about it felt… off. The air was colder than the rest of the house, and there was a strange stillness to everything, like the room had been frozen in time.

I glanced at the closet door. It was closed, just as the rule had instructed. For some reason, the sight of it sent a chill down my spine.

“Do you want to play a game or read before bed?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

Daniel shook his head slowly, still not looking at me. “You can’t open the window.”

The bluntness of his words startled me. “I know. I won’t open it.”

“She doesn’t like it when it’s closed,” he added quietly, almost to himself.

I frowned, my heart beating a little faster. “Who doesn’t like it?”

Daniel’s grip on the bed tightened, but he didn’t answer. His eyes flickered briefly toward the closet door, then back to the window.

The silence in the room grew heavier. I could hear the faint ticking of a clock from somewhere downstairs, the only sound in the house. I sat down in the chair near his bed, trying to shake the strange sense of dread settling over me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, unsure of what else to say.

Daniel finally looked at me, his dark eyes wide and unnervingly calm. “She comes when it’s dark.”

I blinked, unsure if I had heard him correctly. “Who comes?”

He didn’t answer, just turned back toward the window. The air felt colder now, almost suffocating. I glanced toward the window, half-expecting to see someone standing outside, but the glass was empty, reflecting only the dim light from inside the room.

Minutes passed, the quiet stretching unnaturally. I found myself staring at the closet door again, the simple instruction on the list playing over in my mind. Keep it closed. But why? What could possibly be in a child’s closet that would require such a rule?

Without warning, Daniel crossed the room and stood in front of the window, his face inches from the glass.

My heart skipped a beat as I stood up, remembering the first rule. Do not open the window in Daniel’s room.

“Daniel,” I called softly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Please step away from the window.”

He didn’t respond right away. My pulse quickened as I took a step closer, my mind racing with the rule. Why wasn’t I allowed to open the window? What would happen if I did?

“Daniel, you need to stay away from the window,” I said, more firmly this time.

Slowly, Daniel turned to face me. His eyes were wide, but there was something off about his expression. He stared at me for a long moment, then shrugged and walked out of the room without a word.

He was already in the hallway, his small figure disappearing around the corner. I hurried after him, my heart pounding in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I expected him to do, but the house felt different now, like it was watching us. As I followed Daniel down the stairs, the floor creaked underfoot, and the air grew colder.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Daniel was standing in the foyer, staring at the front door. His hands were clenched at his sides, his head tilted slightly as if he was listening for something.

“Hey…what are you doing?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“She knocks sometimes,” he said quietly, his eyes still fixed on the door. “But you can’t open it. You know that, right?”

I swallowed hard, trying to calm the rising panic in my chest. “Yes, I know. Come back upstairs, okay?”

He ignored me, taking a step closer to the door. My pulse quickened. I took a deep breath and moved toward him, reaching out to take his hand. But before I could grab him, he spun around and darted toward the living room, moving faster than I expected.

I followed him into the living room, my breath coming in shallow bursts. The room was dark, the curtains drawn tight. Daniel stood in the center of the room, staring at the fireplace. The embers from a fire long since extinguished flickered faintly, casting strange shadows on the walls.

He moved toward the far corner of the room, where a small door was built into the wall. My heart sank as I realized what it was : the basement door.

He just stared at me for a moment, then pulled away from my grasp and walked back toward the stairs. My legs felt weak as I stood there, staring at the basement door.

When I caught up to him, he was already halfway up the stairs, his small hands trailing along the banister. He moved quietly, as if the house itself was watching him, waiting for something.

Back upstairs, Daniel walked into his room without a word and sat down on the bed, his eyes once again drawn to the closet. The doors were still closed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was moving behind it. There was a faint, almost imperceptible noise coming from it, like the soft scrape of nails against wood.

I forced myself to stay calm, my eyes flicking to the window. It was shut tight, the curtains still.

“Daniel … what’s inside the closet?” I asked, my voice serious .

“She is.” Daniel whispered.

The third rule said to keep the closet door in Daniel’s room closed at all times but I felt a strong , unnatural pull to open the doors . I had to see what was inside…

My hands were shaking as I moved toward the closet door, and just as I reached it a faint knock echoed through the house.

My heart stopped. I looked at Daniel, who was now staring at the door with an expression that sent chills down my spine.

The knock echoed through the house, soft at first but unmistakable. It wasn’t loud, but it carried a weight that made my stomach twist.

I froze, remembering the second rule. If you hear knocking at the door, do not answer it.

Without warning, Daniel stood up and walked toward the door. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he were drawn to the sound. My heart pounded in my chest, and I rushed toward him, grabbing his arm before he could reach the handle.

“We can’t open it,” I repeated, my voice tight with fear.

He turned to look at me, his dark eyes wide and unblinking. “She needs me”

His words made my skin crawl. I pulled him away from the door, leading him back to the bed, …

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