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"Find Me"

Sleep is a rather curious thing. Some dread it, longing to enjoy their life as long as possible without the pause. Some long for it, anticipating the moment they can rest their head from the moment they wake. Some can dream, some do rarely, if at all. Then there are the many theories and questions with truths unknown about sleep and dreaming. And today, there adds one more horrifying question to the list.

My first night in my new house wasn't terrible. Some say the first night is the hardest to get through. I thinks it's because of the new environment, the over acting imagination that tells you something may be hiding in the shadows. I tried shaking the feeling, throwing on headphones and listening to music until I passed out. It was the one thing that almost always worked when I couldn't sleep.
Sometimes, you can't remember when you fell asleep. Some can say a rough estimate, some just have a blank spot where their memory of the night should have been. This was one of those nights. I know that at some point in the night, I thought I heard a noise, some sort of heavy thud. I remember ripping off my headphones to silence. Could I have dreamed the sound? I must have.
The next morning was nothing too special. My ears hurt from wearing the headphones all night. My hair around my ears felt damp and matted. I crawled out of bed and knew I needed a shower badly before I started the day. Why did I have to sweat so much in my sleep, it felt gross. 
After the shower, I made my way, finally, to my living room. I sat down on my couch and pulled out my phone. I was hoping for a phone call from the job I was applying for. I'd only been in this town a few days and needed a job before my next house payment. I know, it was a little sketchy to move into a home without a job but it was all I could do to escape my abusive relationship. It wasn't really much of a relationship, he was far more into me than I was of him.
The last town I lived in, which was now about an hours drive away, I ran into this guy at work. He was always watching me as I was working, especially when my back was turned. I'd turn to catch him and he'd look away almost instantly. He gave me the creeps. One day, he somehow found out where I lived. He knocked on my door and dropped me off love notes, as if we ever even talked before. He knew nothing about me. I was nothing more than eye candy to him. I had to get out of there. I knew some people in this town, and it wasn't far from a police station. It made me feel safer living here than anywhere else.
I could feel my stomach rumbling. I looked to the top of my phone, it was nearly the afternoon. had I really slept in that late? I sighed and headed to the kitchen. I stopped and felt my blood run cold when I saw a hand written note sitting alone on my grey counter top. In sloppy handwriting, I could make out the words, "I'm hiding, I want to play a game. Come find me. If you fall asleep before you do, I will come out and kill you in your sleep."
My heart was racing, was this serious or was this some kind of sick joke? Had the guy I'd been running from finally found me? I thought back to the sound I heard in the middle of the night, it had to be them.
Terrified, the only thing I could think to do was call the police. Surely they'd find whoever was doing this to me.

The police came and looked through the entire house. They asked if I had any cameras set up. I'd just moved in, where would I find the time?
They searched in every cabinet, behind every door, they even had their dog come in and try hunting them down. There was no luck. It was nearly night time and they had come up empty. There was only one conclusion they could come to, someone was messing with me. They said if I heard or saw anything suspicious, to call them immediately. I felt a little relieved and made my way to my couch as they left. I couldn't thank them enough for helping me, even though they found nothing.
As I sat and scrolled through my phone, I was growing a little tired. I dreaded falling asleep in fear that somehow, some way, the person was still hiding. After all, if the note said I couldn't sleep until I found them, they must have expected me to be searching all day and still come up empty. But if they were in a good enough hiding spot, how would they know when I was sleeping? It had to be a place where they could see me.
Do you ever have that creeping feeling that you're being watched? You can't explain it, but there is a set of eyes on you, watching your every move? I learned something valuable, something that haunts me to this very day. I saw something when I looked up, something I can't explain. It was dark in here, and I was unsure if it was from the vents or the ceiling itself, but I saw those eyes beating down on me. I saw them blink.

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