The Lights Went Out, but Someone Was Still Breathing

This story isn’t one I tell often. But since you're here, and you're a friend, I’ll share it with you.

It happened on a rainy Tuesday night in April 2025.

I was home alone. And when the lights went out, I thought the worst thing I’d have to deal with was missing my favorite show.

I was wrong.

1. Just Another Quiet Night
It had been a normal day.

I ordered pizza. Put on some Netflix. Scrolled through my phone. Rain tapped softly on the windows.

I live in a small apartment—just one bedroom, one bathroom, and a living room/kitchen combo. Cozy and quiet.

The power flickered a few times around 9:00 p.m., then bam—everything went dark.

No big deal, I thought. The storm probably knocked something out.

I lit a few candles and sat back down, waiting.

2. The Breathing
That’s when I heard it.

Soft. Slow. Like someone was trying to be quiet.

Breathing.

Not mine.

It came from somewhere behind the couch.

At first, I thought maybe it was the wind. Or maybe the pipes?

But the sound was too… real.

Inhale. Exhale.

Like someone sitting still. Trying not to move.

I turned around.

Nothing.

But the breathing didn’t stop.

3. The Phone Light
I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight.

The beam cut through the dark.

The room was empty.

But when I swept the light toward the hallway… something moved.

Just a flicker. A shadow sliding out of view.

I froze.

Said aloud, “Hello?”

No answer.

Then from the darkness, I heard a whisper.

Not words. Just… breathing.

Closer now.

4. A Message from Nowhere
I backed into the kitchen, trying to stay calm.

I texted my friend Mia:
“I think someone’s in my apartment.”

She replied instantly:
“What? Are you joking?”

Before I could reply, the stove clock blinked. For a second, the power tried to return—then died again.

But something had changed.

There was a new note stuck to the fridge.

I didn’t put it there.

It said:

“Thanks for the pizza.”

I hadn’t opened the box yet.

5. Don’t Look in the Closet
I grabbed a kitchen knife.

Not to be brave. Just to not feel helpless.

I thought maybe someone had broken in. Maybe during the storm, someone slipped in when I took out the trash?

I checked the front door. Still locked.

The windows? Shut.

That’s when I noticed the hallway closet was open a crack.

I hadn’t opened it all week.

And from the dark inside… I saw a pale hand.

6. I Ran
I didn’t wait. I bolted out the door barefoot in the rain.

I called the police.

They arrived ten minutes later. Walked through the apartment with flashlights and flashbang confidence.

They found no one.

But in the closet?

They found a mask, a used fork, and a damp blanket that didn’t belong to me.

Worse?

There was a hole in the back wall. Small, like a vent.

And it led to the empty unit next door.

7. The Man in the Walls
The police said it wasn’t the first time.

That building had a history.

A year ago, a man had been evicted—but refused to leave. Instead, he lived inside the walls, moving between units through old maintenance shafts and air vents.

He only came out at night.

They thought he was gone. They were wrong.

They think he found a way back in.

Maybe through the attic. Maybe he never left at all.

8. The Aftermath
I moved out the next day.

Didn’t even sleep there again. Just packed a bag and stayed with a friend.

The landlord changed the locks. Blocked the vents. Called exterminators—not for rats… for people.

9. One Last Thing
A week after I left, Mia sent me a picture.

It was taken outside my old window.

Someone had written on the glass—from inside:

“Come back soon :)”

The smiley face was made with grease.

The Lights Went Out, but Someone Was Still Breathing
If you think you're alone during a power cut—listen closely. You might not be.

Would you like a Part 2 where someone else moves into the apartment?