Chapter 001: Nightmare

After confirming that there were no other abnormal phenomena, I took a deep breath and pressed the spacebar again. The screen above remained still, yet it was eerily suffocating, as I was frozen in place, leaning in front of the lens, staring at the camera.

I left work a bit early this afternoon and went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor examined me and said that I had no significant issues. He asked if I was under too much pressure from work and life, advising me not to push myself too hard and to relax a bit, which would naturally help. Of course, in the end, he still prescribed me some medication to soothe my nerves and aid my sleep.

At this moment, I only feel that the entire room is eerily frightening, as if it were a gaping maw ready to swallow me whole. I believe that the answers to these questions should lie within that segment of the video that was recorded and inexplicably cut off. Therefore, I removed the memory card, as my laptop was placed on the coffee table in the living room. I then went to the living room, but when I turned on the light, I saw my pair of slippers neatly placed in front of the sofa, just as they were yesterday afternoon. Thus, I removed the memory card, as my laptop was placed on the coffee table in the living room. I then went to the living room, but when I turned on the light, I saw my pair of slippers neatly placed in front of the sofa, just as they were yesterday afternoon.

It began in the autumn of 2013

After that, I no longer took it seriously, so I made plans with a friend to go out for a meal. The next day came without any further actions on his part. However, when I woke up in the morning, I noticed two cups with about half a cup of water left on the edge of the coffee table in the living room. This time, I became somewhat restless. At first, I thought there had been a burglary in my home, but after checking all the doors and windows, I found no signs of forced entry. Moreover, I live on the 11th floor, so it is impossible for anyone to climb in through the window.

At that time, because I had to rush to work, I did not spend much time concerning myself with this matter. I simply did not touch the pair of shoes, but left them in their original place, and went to work like that

After inserting the memory card, a portion of the video recorded for less than two hours. Because of the strange occurrences tonight, I did not dare to fast forward. Even though the entire screen remained still from beginning to end, I still watched patiently. After watching for over an hour, nothing particularly noteworthy happened; occasionally, I would shift my position or move a bit. As I noticed the video was nearing its end, I thought to myself that there probably wasn't much recorded. Just as this thought crossed my mind, I saw something different appear on the screen.

I saw myself sitting up from the bed, and soon after, I put on my shoes and walked from the room to the living room. Due to the limited angle, the scene after I arrived in the living room was completely absent. After about three minutes or so, I returned to the room, and I noticed that when I entered the room, my shoes were already gone.

After realizing that this was just a dream, I calmed down a little and then saw the camera I had placed on the table. I got out of bed, and the camera was still recording. I hadn't been asleep for long, just under half an hour, and it was still early for work. I removed the memory card and inserted it into the computer. At first, I watched it carefully, but after four or five minutes, I found that it was just a still image. So, I used double speed to quickly watch it again. After watching it once, I felt a bit more at ease because there was nothing unusual or strange in the recording. I then told myself that I might have been too tense and decided to visit the hospital after work to get some medication and see how it goes.

I suddenly felt a twinge of panic, and then quickly scanned the room, confirming that there was nothing unusual before I let out a sigh of relief. Almost in a few steps, I rushed to the camera, but when I picked it up, I found that it had long since stopped recording and was instead in photo mode. In the dead of night, this was somewhat unsettling, and I could feel my hand shaking as I held the camera. In that moment, I was both scared and somewhat excited; this surge of excitement seemed to come from nowhere, as if the mystery had finally found its answer, yet I was too afraid to look.

Of course, this perplexing matter has certainly made me distracted at work, feeling as if the entire day has been a blur. After work, I rushed home without even having time to eat. What brings me some comfort is that the pair of shoes has not been touched again. At that moment, I truly felt a sense of relief and reassured myself that perhaps I had just been overly anxious, urging myself not to frighten myself.

It was not a nightmare that woke me up that night, but rather the continuous shutter sound of the camera that disturbed my sleep. When I awoke, it seemed that I had just caught the last crisp "click" sound.

In the end, I still clicked on the photo. The "click" sound I heard was not an illusion; there were indeed photos just taken in the album. I was looking from the last photo backward, and basically, several consecutive images were of me sleeping on the bed. Suddenly, out of the blue, I saw a selfie of myself, which startled me.

I steeled myself and walked to the coffee table, yet I did not dare to touch those shoes. Even though I was barefoot at the time and the floor was quite cold, I still did not move them, as if my subconscious believed that touching them would lead to something bad happening.

However, after entering late autumn, there came a day when I began to frequently have nightmares, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I would fall into a deep sleep. During that time, I was very afraid of sleeping, afraid of the feeling of those nightmares. Yet, one cannot avoid sleep altogether, can one? The longer you stay awake, the more exhausted you become, and once you do fall asleep, the nightmares come even more fiercely.

What followed sent chills down my spine, as I felt a sense of being watched from behind when I saw that scene. I paused the video to give myself a moment to alleviate this oppressive fear, and at the same time, I turned around to see if there was indeed someone behind me

During that period, I felt both physically and mentally exhausted, lacking energy at work and often on the verge of falling asleep. What made me realize something was different was one day when I took a nap; that day, my nap was somewhat peaceful, and although I had some chaotic dreams, I managed to sleep more soundly. Therefore, when I woke up, I did not experience the usual fear of being startled awake from a nightmare. At that moment, I secretly rejoiced. I was feeling parched, so I went to the living room to find some water, but when I got out of bed, I discovered that my shoes were missing.

As for how much the camera can record, it will record as much as it can. I think it is unlikely to record everything in one night, after all, the memory card does not have such a large capacity. I believe having some is better than having none, and it also provides me with a sense of reassurance

I am not someone who dreams often; I can only say that I rarely dream. I cannot clearly explain the specifics of this phenomenon; it may vary from person to person. It could also be that I generally have a simple mind and think less. I do not dwell on this matter, as it is something I do not understand myself, and I do not expect to articulate any reasoning behind it.

I was astonished, and what followed was even more mysterious. I did not return to bed to continue sleeping; instead, I moved closer to the camera. At first, I thought I was going to turn off the camera, but upon checking the progress bar, there were still a few minutes left, indicating that there should be something else.

The light in the room was still on. I glanced at the clock; it was just before 3:30. Soon, I realized that I had set the recording mode before going to bed, so how could there be a shutter sound? I got up from the bed, but when I reached the bedside, I found that my shoes were missing once again

In fact, I was not such a boring person to begin with; every event has its cause. The reason I developed such thoughts and actually acted upon them was due to the recurring nightmares that plagued me during that period

I am one hundred percent certain that this photo was taken tonight, but the problem arises: to my recollection, I have not gotten up since I went to sleep. I even took a selfie in front of the camera, of which I have no memory at all. Even if I did get up, how can I explain the previous few photos? Did I set the camera to delayed continuous shooting and then go back to sleep?

I hastily put away the two cups, and at that moment, I couldn't quite articulate what I was feeling inside. It was just a sense of unease, somewhat strange, a kind of oddity that was difficult to describe. It wasn't exactly fear, but rather something peculiar.

I stood frozen in place, and a cold, eerie sensation gradually rose from the soles of my feet. Since I was the only one living in the house, I felt a bit scared at that moment, perhaps corresponding to the fear in my heart, and the entire room suddenly took on a sinister atmosphere

Because my workplace is close to home, I return home every day after work. After getting home at noon, I had the idea to record the situation in my room with a camera after I fell asleep. So, I set the recording mode before going to bed, found a good angle that could capture most of the room, and then fell asleep like that

After I fell asleep, I was once again plagued by restlessness. When I woke up, I could only feel waves of fear and bouts of heavy breathing. However, I could not recall what terrifying thing I had dreamed of. Those who have experienced nightmares surely understand that after waking, one often cannot remember the content of the dream, only the lingering feeling of terror and the racing heartbeat that had reached its peak.

I searched the room thoroughly and found no trace of my shoes at all. I distinctly remember that I took them off in front of the bed before going to sleep. So, I walked barefoot into the living room and then saw the slippers placed neatly in front of the sofa. I remember this very clearly; they were indeed placed perfectly, without any sense of disorder, as if someone had carefully set them there.

Before going to bed at night, I ate a little. However, after getting into bed, I got up again. I thought that since my sleep time during the day was short, even if something did happen, I would likely miss it. To alleviate my suspicions, I decided to take another shot tonight. However, my camera is not a professional video camera, and once the lights are off at night, there is completely no image. Therefore, in order to find an answer for myself and to satisfy a bit of curiosity, I slept with the lights on for the night. Thus, I decided to take another shot tonight. However, my camera is not a professional video camera, and once the lights are off at night, there is completely no image. Therefore, in order to find an answer for myself and to satisfy a bit of curiosity, I slept with the lights on for the night.