The Sleeping People

I'm Greg. And I have one hell of a week ahead of me. For some reason, our supervisor had placed me on the night shift for five days in a row. Well, initially that was fine. I'm a security guard in a compound down south. And usually I'm one of the day shift security guard, but since one of the night shifts' gone sick, I replaced him for the time being.

On the first night, things were quiet. The sky was clear and stars filled the sky. The air was cold and only the sounds of crickets filled the guard house I was in. The small screens that filled my desk all emulated a quiet scene. The black and white features showed no movement. I yawned and checked my clock. It was five minutes to two o'clock. I stretched my arms and straightened my cap. I walked to our cupboard and made myself some coffee.

The camera screens all remained calm and motionless. But as I filled my cup, I saw flicker from one of the screens. I approached my desk and stared at the screens. No flicker. I swore I saw something there. I turned around and from the side of my eyes, I saw a flicker on the left uppermost screen.

My eyes locked on it. It was a view of the back of the compound. Nothing. What was that? I shook my head, dismissed the incident and blamed it on my sleepy head. I drank my coffee after. The night went uneventful.

The second night was pretty much the same. I was kinda drowsy during this night because my brother had a part for his daughter and I had to come, although I really needed the sleep. I yawned and rubbed my eyes after a long while watching the screens, and decided to get myself some coffee.

The moment I drank my coffee, I saw it again. This time, the flickering happened longer. Long enough for me to register it even with my drooping eyes. It was the same camera, from the back of the compound. After a few seconds the flickering happened again, and this time at the center of the screen I could make out a figure. At first it was a smudge, then it formed into a sort of shadow, then it sharpened into a form of what looked like a child sitting on the grass, leaning on the wall, with his head over his hands and knees up on his chest.

"What the hell?"

Without thinking about it, I took a swig from my cup, pulled out my flashlight and made my way to the back of the compound. I followed the grass outline and the building wall, with the grass at my left and the wall at my right. If I followed it accordingly, I would reach the back in no time. The air was cold, but I was used to it. My flashlight beamed the concrete in front of me, trying to reach the intruder. Then as I turned the last corner to the back, it hit me like an airgun.

The air shifted from zero degrees to negative fifty degrees in a second. The hair behind my head stood up and I felt my feet froze. It was impossible. There should have been snow, but there wasn't. There should've been ice, but there was not a single ice flake. I breathe, and a soft mist came from my mouth. What the hell is going on? I beamed my flashlight forward where the intruder was supposed to be, but I saw nothing.

I made cautious steps to the camera's range. I saw the camera, and from where I was standing, I was exactly where I saw the kid. I flashed my light to the wall. No windows opened. No footsteps. The intruder must've been left or...

He must've circulated the compound.

The cold crept through my feet and arms. Another mist came as I exhaled. I shook my head and then made my night rounds around the compound. So far no signs of the intruder. I glanced at my watch and it was five minutes to two o'clock. I felt an even colder chill run up my spine. I swallowed hard and forced myself to make one rounds around the compound.

I found no one.

The third night, I was vigilant. I stared at all my screens. I didn't know what to think. I wanted to catch the intruder, at the same time I want to prove to myself that the sudden change in temperature was nothing but a drowsy dream.