Home Alone

You’re home alone, and the house feels...off. The wind outside is howling softly, and you swear the floorboards creak more than usual. What do you do? [[Relax on the couch->Couch]] [[Go straight to bed->Bedroom]]

You sit on the couch, flipping through channels. Nothing catches your eye. After a while, you feel your eyelids grow heavy. But then, you hear it—a faint creaking noise. Do you investigate? [[Yes->Investigate]] [[No, it’s probably just the wind->Ignore]]

You decide to head straight to bed, locking the doors behind you. As you drift off to sleep, that uneasy feeling persists. Did you forget to check the windows? [[Double-check the locks->CheckLocks]] [[Fall asleep anyway->Asleep]]

You get up and slowly walk toward the sound. It’s coming from the hallway. The closer you get, the louder the creaking becomes, as if someone is standing just outside your room... [[Look around the corner->Corner]] [[Retreat back to bed->BackToBed]]

You brush it off, telling yourself it’s nothing—just the wind, or the house settling. You turn up the volume on the TV to drown out the quiet, but something still nags at you. The feeling of being... watched. A shadow moves across the window behind you. [[Turn around->TurnAround]] [[Stay still, pretend you didn’t see it->StayStill]]

You get up, moving through the house to check each door, each window. They're all locked, just as you left them. But when you reach the back door, something feels wrong. The air is different here, heavier, like someone’s been standing in the doorway. You notice a faint, lingering warmth on the doorknob... as if someone touched it recently. [[Look outside->LookOutside]] [[Lock everything tighter and go back to bed->BackToBed]]

You drift into an uneasy sleep, feeling the weight of exhaustion dragging you down. The darkness outside feels like it’s pressing in, suffocating. But just as you close your eyes, you hear it. A click. Like the sound of a door unlocking. Your heart skips a beat. [[Get up and check->GetUp]] [[Stay in bed, too afraid to move->StayInBed]]

You round the corner cautiously, your heart hammering in your chest. Every step echoes in the unnerving silence of the house. But when you look, there's nothing there. The hallway stretches out in front of you, dark and still. But something isn't right. The air feels too thick, too heavy. You can’t shake the feeling that, while you don’t see anyone... you are being watched. The silence almost hums with it, pressing in from all sides. [[Return to the couch->BackToCouch]] [[Check the windows->CheckWindows]]

You return to bed, your heart still racing, thoughts spinning. You lie in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, but sleep doesn't come easily. The feeling that someone is near... watching, lingers long after you close your eyes. Eventually, you doze off, but it’s a light, troubled sleep. [[Fall asleep->Asleep]]

You crack the back door open and peer out into the yard. The darkness presses in around you, thick and impenetrable. The trees sway softly, and the wind whispers against the side of the house. Then you see it. In the distance, beyond the fence, a figure. Just standing. Still. Watching. [[Slam the door shut->BackToBed]] [[Keep watching->KeepWatching]]

You keep watching the figure, your breath held, heart pounding in your chest. They don't move. They don’t flinch, even as you stare directly at them. After a few moments, the figure raises its hand—slowly, deliberately. The hand waves, and then it stops, hanging in the air. A greeting, or a warning. [[Slam the door shut and lock it->BackToBed]] [[Step outside->Outside]]

You step outside, the night swallowing you in its cold grip. The figure is still there, motionless. But now, you realize with horror that it's not just watching from the yard... it's watching from just beyond the fence. Your throat tightens. The space between you feels too thin. The figure doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. [[Run back inside->BackToBed]] [[Call out to them->CallOut]]

Your voice cracks the silence: “Who are you?” The figure remains still, frozen. Then, after what feels like an eternity, it turns. Slowly, it walks into the woods, disappearing into the dark. You stand there, breathless, feeling like something just slipped away from you—something you can’t ever get back. [[Go inside and lock the doors->BackToBed]]

You whip your head around, heart pounding in your chest. The window is wide and dark, the reflection of the room barely visible. But just outside, standing motionless, is the figure of a man. He's staring straight at you. [[Rush to lock the window->LockWindow]] [[Freeze in place, too scared to move->Freeze]]

You decide to stay still, telling yourself it's all in your head. The figure outside isn’t real. If you just ignore it, it’ll go away. You sit frozen on the couch, barely daring to breathe. But you can feel the weight of the eyes on you, watching from the window. Watching and waiting. The silence stretches on. Then, after what feels like hours, you hear the faintest sound of footsteps retreating. The figure is gone, for now. [[Lock everything->LockEverything]] [[Go to bed->BackToBed]]

You rush to the window and lock it, your hands trembling as you slide the bolt into place. But the figure outside doesn't move. He stays there, his face barely visible in the dark, staring straight at you. Your pulse races as you back away from the window, every instinct screaming at you to get to safety. [[Go back to bed->BackToBed]]

You freeze, your breath catching in your throat. The figure outside stands perfectly still, watching you intently. You can feel the weight of his gaze even through the glass. Then, slowly, he moves. He raises one hand and presses it to the window, fingers splayed wide against the glass. The moment stretches out in silence, and then, with a sharp turn, he vanishes into the night. [[Lock everything->LockEverything]]

You rush through the house, locking every window and door, heart racing in your chest. You try to convince yourself that it was just some random stranger, but you can’t shake the feeling that he’s still there, watching. [[Go to bed->BackToBed]]

You get up cautiously, your heart pounding in your chest. You walk slowly toward the hallway, the floor creaking under your feet. The sound of the door unlocking echoes in your head. But when you reach the door, it’s still locked. Was it your imagination? Or is someone already inside? [[Return to bed->BackToBed]]

You lie there, frozen in place. You tell yourself it’s just your imagination, just a creak, nothing more. But the feeling of being watched won’t go away. Then, the floor creaks. A footstep. You feel something heavy in the air, the weight of someone else in the room. It’s closer now. You can feel it—just beyond the bed, someone is standing there, watching you sleep. [[Open your eyes->OpenEyes]] [[Don’t open your eyes, pretend it’s a dream->Pretend]]

You open your eyes, barely daring to breathe. The room is dark, the shadows deep and looming. And there, standing at the foot of your bed, is the figure. Tall. Unmoving. His eyes locked on yours. For a moment, you can’t tell if you’re awake or still trapped in a nightmare. He leans forward, so close you can hear the shallow rasp of his breath. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move. He just watches. [[Run->Run]] [[Stay frozen->Frozen]]

You squeeze your eyes shut tighter, every instinct telling you to stay still, to not make a sound. But you can feel it—the presence. The air is thick with it. The sound of slow, deliberate breathing fills the room. The figure shifts closer. You can feel it now, looming over you. A whisper, so close it feels like it’s inside your head: *“Don’t wake up...”* [[Scream->Scream]] [[Stay silent->Silent]]

You open your mouth and scream, but the sound dies in your throat as soon as it leaves your mouth. The figure leans in closer, his breath cold against your skin. His eyes are wide, unblinking, fixed on yours, as if savoring the terror you're emitting. Then, just as quickly as he appeared, he’s gone—vanishing into the darkness. [[The morning comes->Morning]]

You stay silent, paralyzed with fear, your mind screaming for you to move but your body frozen in place. The figure leans closer, his breath heavy and cold on your skin. But he doesn’t touch you. He only watches, studying every tremor, every twitch. Then, without a sound, he slips back into the darkness, leaving you trembling in your bed, unsure if he was ever there at all. [[The morning comes->Morning]]

You bolt from the bed, heart racing. You stumble toward the door, nearly tripping over yourself in the dark. Behind you, you hear a soft chuckle, a sound that chills you to the core. But as you fling the door open and rush into the hallway, you realize... he’s already gone. [[The morning comes->Morning]]

You can’t move. Your body is locked in place, paralyzed with fear. He stays there, leaning closer, eyes fixed on yours. His lips curl into a faint, grotesque smile. And then, without warning, he’s gone. The room is empty again, but you can still feel his presence, lingering in the darkness. [[The morning comes->Morning]]

The sun rises, casting a dull, cold light into the house. You haven’t slept. The events of the night cling to you like a nightmare you can’t shake. Was he real? Did it happen, or was it just a twisted dream? You check the house, but there’s no sign of him. No forced entry, no broken windows. But as you sit on the couch, trembling, you notice something chilling. On the window, a single, perfect handprint, pressed against the glass.

You sit back down on the couch, trying to pretend that everything is fine. The TV drones on, but it’s hard to focus. Your eyes keep darting to the window, half-expecting to see a shadow moving behind the glass. But the room is still. And yet... the feeling of being watched only grows stronger. The air feels thicker, almost suffocating. Then, suddenly, a shadow shifts by the window. You freeze. [[Get up to investigate->TurnAround]] [[Stay still and pretend you didn’t see it->StayStill]]

You walk through the house, checking each window, one by one. Each lock is secure, just as you left it. But the further you go, the more anxious you become. At the last window, you pause. The curtains are slightly parted, and beyond the glass, standing in the yard, is a figure. They’re standing perfectly still, watching you. Your heart skips a beat. [[Close the curtains->CloseCurtains]] [[Run to lock the door->LockDoor]]

Your hand shakes as you reach for the curtains. Slowly, you pull them closed, cutting off your view of the figure outside. The room falls into silence again, but the unease lingers. Even though you can’t see him anymore, you know he’s still out there. Watching. You step away from the window, hoping the night passes quickly. [[Go to bed->BackToBed]] [[Check the doors again->CheckLocks]]