The Shadow Man Follows Me

Afew years ago, I submitted a story called Caroline, Beth, and the Shadow Man. Ever since we had that experience, my life has never been the same.

A few months after I posted the story, I started feeling paranoid. I'd see things out of the corner of my eye. I believe he followed me out of that cemetery. I believe that he's everywhere I go. This is one of my most recent and most terrifying experiences.

About a month ago, my family and I moved into a new house in a different city. As soon as we moved into the house, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I'd never felt comfortable at our old house, but this was on a completely different level of discomfort. Not long after we moved in, my parents decided that they were getting a divorce. My mother has moved out and my father tries to stay gone as long as possible. So, I always find myself home alone, which would be fine with any other young adult, but not myself. I can't stand being alone, I feel very unsafe.

We don't have everything unpacked, so our computer is sitting on our dining room table. On the wall right to the computer is the doorway to the kitchen and on the wall behind it is the hallway to the bedrooms. From my bedroom door, you can see the kitchen doorway.

About a week or two ago, I had been sitting on the computer late at night, doing my usual 18 year old girl things (social networking, blogging, obsessing over a band, etc.) when I started to feel like someone was standing behind me. I'd look behind me and nothing would be there. My discomfort and paranoia grew until around 3 AM, I decided to lock myself in my room, as I've done every night since we've moved in.

As I started to fall asleep, I heard low banging in the kitchen. I started to breathe hard. I walked over to my bedroom door and unlocked it. For some reason, it wouldn't budge. I pushed on it so hard that I almost fell to the floor when it finally moved. I looked up, and there the Shadow Man stood in my kitchen door way. I stood/knelt (I don't really remember which I was doing, my mind was so blank) frozen as he slowly started moving through the dining room, towards me. I couldn't breathe or think. He moved so slow and lethargically, as if he were in great pain. When he got close to the hallway doorway, something blinked on in my mind. I ran back into my room, dropping my phone onto the carpeted floor in the process. I locked the door and hid in my bed. For some reason, I was overcome with emotion. I cried until I passed out.

When I woke up the next morning (or rather, early afternoon), I remembered what happened so clearly. I was going to call Nicklee and tell him what happened. I walked out of my bedroom door. I realized my phone was in the hall still. I looked down. My phone was trashed. The screen was scratched beyond repair, the battery was melted out of the back, and it looked like it had been stomped on.

When I showed my mom when she came home to check on me, she looked at it and shrugged her shoulders. Every time I try to tell someone about it, they tell me that it was just a dream. I know it wasn't a dream. My phone was out in the hallway, exactly where I dropped it.

Since that night, my closet has started opening on its own. Things have been moved and go missing. My clothes have gone and the brand new dryer I just purchased broke as soon as I tried to use it. I don't want to be scared, but I really am. I don't ever want the Shadow Man to get close to me. I just want someone to believe me.