The Window Across the Street
Every night at exactly 1:12 AM, Daniel noticed the same apartment window light up across the street in Chicago. A woman dressed in white would stand perfectly still beside the curtains for exactly five minutes before the light shut off again.
At first, he thought nothing of it.
But after weeks, curiosity consumed him.
One stormy night, the woman suddenly waved at him.
Daniel froze.
He had never waved first.
The next evening, he watched again. This time, the woman pointed downward toward the street.
Confused, Daniel went outside.
Rain poured heavily as he crossed the road toward the apartment building. The front door was locked, but an elderly janitor noticed where he was staring and quietly said:
“You shouldn’t go in there.”
Daniel asked why.
The janitor’s face turned pale.
“That apartment has been empty for three years.”
Daniel laughed nervously and insisted someone was clearly living there.
Without another word, the janitor led him upstairs.
Apartment 7B smelled like dust and mold. Furniture was covered in sheets. No electricity. No signs of life.
Then Daniel noticed the bedroom window.
From inside the room, he could see directly into his own apartment across the street.
On the dirty floor beneath the window sat dozens of photographs.
All of them were pictures of Daniel sleeping.
The final photo was taken earlier that night.
And in the picture, someone was standing behind him.
