We’ve had quite a few short stories lately, and tonight’s will be short as well – we have a our big Birthaversary party tonight. Stories should start getting longer after tonight, though. Hopefully it makes up for its brevity with some spookiness.

Ian had a suspicion his house was haunted, but the pragmatic side of him chalked the weird noises and cold spots on the age of the house – foundation settling, pipes creaking, floors shifting. When his Ring doorbell camera started alerting him around midnight every night, he started to wonder whether it was just the inside of his house that was haunted.

He studied the Ring footage the first few nights, certain he could see a dark shadow where someone would have stood. After the fourth night his annoyance outweighed his reticence, and he swung the door wide as soon as the alert went off only to find his front stoop empty. He stepped out and looked around, hoping to find some teenagers engaged in some long-running prank.

No one was there.

Same thing the following night: doorstep empty, street empty.

By the sixth night he was genuinely agitated. Empty porch. Quiet street.

The seventh day he’d had enough and was ready to yell at the empty space as soon as his Ring notification on his phone went off.

But just when he expected the alert, three heavy knocks came at the door instead.

His irritation evaporated into fear as he knew there had to be someone on the other side of the door this time. He cautiously opened the door to reveal a tall, clean-shaven older man in a black three piece suit.

Ian opened his mouth to ask who this man was, but the man spoke first.

“Why haven’t you answered my knocking before tonight?”

Ian paused, surprised by the question. “This was the first time I heard your knocking,” he started to say.

But the man looked over his Ian’s shoulder, eyes widening as he took a step back on the porch. “It’s too late,” he said, stepping backwards again. “She’s already inside…”

Ian felt an icy breath on the back of his neck as the doorknob slipped out of his hand as the front door slammed shut.