Man at 3:00 am.

Man at 3:00 am.

I lived some time on a old apartment building from the 60’s: it was a dark, humid and unpleasant dump to people short of money, and I’m honest to say it was really scary at night, at first from bandits later… From the man who always walked around at 3:00 am.

A gang of teens stormed the corridors every night, doing drugs and getting drunk, terrorizing people who walked by and making noise. They weren’t really dangerous, they were more of a nuisance, and would steal anything you left unattended. I didn’t knew that, I took them for real gang members and I would barricade me behind my door just before eight, the time they usually gathered in the stairs in my floor. I couldn’t sleep thinking in them breaking into my small apartment and would stick to the door until they leave, what always happened before 3:00 am. I didn’t bother much about why they would be so punctual; I would just thank god and go to bed.

One night I woke up to go to the bathroom, and in my way back I heard the sound of steps on the corridor. Curious, I looked through the magic eye. I regret it immediately.

I saw a glimpse of the image of a tall, large man, naked and white as paper. He had small childlike ears, too small for his big round head. His neck was large and muscular and his arms were very long. As the lights of the corridor are kept on all night, I could follow him for almost a minute as he slowly walked by the silent corridor.

I froze. I couldn’t scream or move for minutes, and I was shivering when I hid under my covers. I didn’t sleep that night, or the following. Too afraid to ask around for information on such strange creature, I convinced myself it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, and eventually I managed to sleep again.

But it was too strong and scary to be forgotten. Soon I started waking up at 3:00 am, every night. And every night I would hear the footsteps, slowly crossing the corridors of the apartment building. I started to follow the sound with my hearing. It would come from the upper floors, maybe even from the ceiling, would open the door of the stair case to my floor and walk calmly to the end of the corridor. Then it would come back all the way and disappear into the stair, probably going downstairs.

From the moment I would heard the first foot step to the moment the silence would return, I couldn’t move, and could barely breathe. The fear was so big I even started to lock my bedroom door, but it didn’t help me to sleep well again.

Night after night I would become more terrified and it started to affect my life: I couldn’t eat, sleep and even work. And I would only leave my apartment during day, to return home before nightfall.

One night, at 3:00 am, I heard the footsteps, and the sound of a crying voice. I recognized it as one of the girls who hanged around with the building’s gang. She was terribly scared and I could hear her banging in all the doors, asking to be let in. She would beg, scream, kick, and punch, no way she didn’t woke up half building, but no one opened any door, nor replied to her.

Soon the footsteps started, slowly as usual. She shrieked and I heard something falling on the floor. I think she felt and tried to drag herself away from the “man”. That night the sounds stop earlier. A hurtful silence did take place: nothing, no footstep, nor could cry be heard.

That girl was never seen again, and no one looked for her. They actually ignored her disappearance, but it was clear that everyone on the building knew that something bad happened to her. Just like me, they did she crossed the path of the man of 3:00 Am, and vanished.

I moved a week later. I had to pawn almost everything I had, and make huge long term debts, but I found an apartment far away from there. Every night I would stay awake to see if something strange happened in the new building, but thank god, nothing strange ever happened.

Within time I took my life back, and even start to go out at night. One day, by pure accident, I crossed the street where my old building was. Scared, but once again curious, I looked above, to the window of my old floor. Was 3:00 am and I saw a white figure standing at the window. With him, a white disfigured girl.