Emma didn’t know what had woken her up. It was pitch dark in the room, but she thought she had heard a sound. She listened, trying to work out if any of the sounds she heard were out of the ordinary. Nothing.
Still, there was a feeling of being… watched. Somehow.
It didn’t make any sense at all. How could someone see her when it was too dark to see anything?
“I know you’re awake,” a deep male voice suddenly said.
Emma jerked awake and reached for the light beside the bed. After turning it on, she knew she would see whoever it was. But there was no one in the room. No one she could see.
Emma got out of bed, opened the closet and checked behind the curtains.
Deep laughter shook her more awake than before. It chilled her to the bone.
“Silly human. You won’t find me, so there’s no point looking.”
“Who are you?” She finally asked into the open space, uncertain if anyone would bother to answer.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Or someone like you.”
“Then why don’t you show yourself so we can have a normal conversation about this?”
He laughed again.
“You humans are always so impatient.”
“And what are you if you’re not human?”
“That is for you to figure out,” the deep voice said.
“Alright. It’s not funny anymore. Just show yourself or piss off.”
“We’ll meet again. Have no doubt.”
Then it was like the room was hers again. No other presence could be felt. It was like he had left just as suddenly as he had appeared.
Someone was mocking her. They must have installed a speakerphone somewhere in the roof and were trying to scare her away. There had to be a logical explanation for this nonsense.

***

Emma spent hours searching for a hidden camera and a microphone, but she still came up empty. There wasn’t the slightest sign of anything that could explain the voice she had heard. It annoyed her immensely. But she had heard that the surveillance devices these days were so small that they were almost impossible to detect. Still, she wasn’t having any of it. It would be gone as soon as she found the damn thing.
But the lack of sleep made her feel so tired that she started to wonder if she had dreamt the whole thing. But no. It had pulled her awake so quickly that it was more wishful thinking to believe it was all a dream.
It was most likely someone pulling a careless prank. Maybe she should just call the police and let them search for the speaker. At least they might have devices that would make it easier to find it. But it was more likely that they wouldn’t do anything.
She spent the rest of the day unpacking her things and cleaning another room. Taking a week off to get settled in the new house had been the most clever thing she had done this year. Besides, she was single, so what else should she do with the five weeks of holiday time she had available? Go to Spain and get sunburned?
No thanks. She would much rather wipe out her savings account and buy a house.
As soon as she finished cleaning the inside, she would take a good look at the garden and check what could be salvaged and what needed to go.
Just as Emma stepped outside, she noticed something lying beside the front door. It was a bouquet of wildflowers.
Someone must have collected them and carefully arranged them on her doorstep.
But who?
One of the local kids or her nightly visitor?