Short scary stories

Everyday actions

The society evolved a lot over the years. We manage to create amazing technologies that help us everyday, making our work easier. But, somehow, it made our free time shorter.

We have all kinds of artificial intelligence programmed to know more than we do, but we still spend the day with our faces on a screen, not paying enought attention to the world around us.

That was our first mistake.

Because, even though we are not aware of our surroundings that doesn't mean other things aren't. 

How is your routine? 

Waking up, take a shower, change clothes. Breakfast? I'm sure you're already thinking about work now. You go on autopilot.

You get on your car, same route everyday, same actions over again. Your brain already knows what to do, so you zone out. Don't worry, you're not gonna crash, you know what you are doing subconsciously. 

You arrive at work, I'm assuming you work on a computer, most of us do nowadays. Same tasks, same colleagues, same tedious work. Again you go on autopilot. 

Times passes and you start to feel tired, the little focus you had is now gone. Luckily your shift is over, time to go home.

Getting in the car. Driving home. Garage. House. Shower. Dinner. Sleep.

You wake up the next day and do everything again. 

Is now weekend. You can finally relax.

Do household chores without rush, maybe with music to cheer up a little. Take a walk, encounter your friends. When you get home you watch a movie and go to sleep.

This is your routine. You're so used to it that you stop paying attention to the little details.

You didn't notice when your spare key disappeared. Or when I start following you everyday going to work and back home. 

That was your second mistake.

You gave up your primary instincts. Every animal knows when they are being watched, you didn't. 

But you noticed the letter I left on the counter. You turn around scared and pick up a knife to protect you. 

That's your third mistake, a common on.

People tend to think they can beat the intruder, but you can't. We know where to hide, we pay attention to the little details, so we have advantage. 

Now it's the time you start to realize what you did wrong. Because your brain saw all the changes, but since you were on autopilot it wasn't relevant.

Call the cops, basic thought. Where's your phone? It was with you until seconds ago, right? 

You're so used to have it with you that you stop cheking. But you have a landline, or you did, the wire was cut.

Run.

It might have worked if I hadn't already locked the doors and put the keys in my pocket. 

You start to panick and scream for help. Then you wake up. It was just a nightmare. You check your phone, doors, windows and search the house up and down.

You're safe. 

That's your fourth mistake.

Since you weren't paying attention while awake, your brain warned you in a dream.

You sense someone behind you. It wasn't just a bad dream.

You commit your fifth and last mistake.

You never looked behind.