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Static on the Baby Monitor

horror◐ Teen
5 contributors · 4 paragraphs deep

Mara climbs the stairs and eases the door open. Theo is tucked in, breathing slow, fast asleep. No humming. She almost laughs at herself. But as she turns to leave, the humming starts again, soft and clear. It's coming from the closet across the room.

Mara opens the closet. Behind the coats sits an old white baby monitor, the same model as the one downstairs. Its screen glows green and shows the living room couch, where a girl exactly like Mara sits watching a screen. Her heart slams. Someone is watching her too, from in here.

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Mara drops the closet monitor and runs for the stairs. She has to get the real Theo out of the house. But when she reaches the living room, the couch is empty, the front door hangs open, and cold air pours in. On the floor sits her phone, ringing. The screen says: MARA CALLING. She doesn't answer. She runs out the open door and keeps running.

DH
Dov Hale
6 votes · future 1 of 2