The Night Pacer

I moved into a cheap rental because the landlord said the previous tenant worked nights.

The first week, I kept hearing footsteps in the hallway around 3 AM.

Slow, heavy, pacing. I texted the landlord.

He said, 'That’s normal. The house settles.' One night, curious,

I checked the hallway camera I’d set up for my dog. At exactly 3:07

AM, the camera turned on by itself. Nothing was there, yet the motion

log read, 'Person detected - standing still.' Next morning, I noticed a

fresh tally mark scratched outside my bedroom door. Only one was there when I