A Friend of Mine Can't Sleep

For two months I've kept long notes about my close friend Alex. He has insomnia but swore to everyone that he didn't have it. He blamed it on a thing living in his house. He lived alone so I moved in to help him sleep, seeing as he only got sleep when he thought he was safe. For the two months before writing this I thought nothing was wrong. Just an insomniac having problems, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't find something weird. The following pieces are the best parts of my two month diary that I decided to take 1 week into living at Alex's house. Please read them with caution as they get pretty dark.

"October 12th, 2017 9:32 pm

I've been living here for a week. He just paces the house at night. I want him to know what he does so I've set up two cameras outside his door and in the main room of his house. I could only afford the two... This diary is a way to keep tabs on what happens in case I also start losing sleep. Today I watched the tape and I saw some kind of interference in the feed. It was small, like a shadow, but it was interference. Alex said it was the thing he blames his insomnia on. I think its the hallucinations he has sometimes being blamed on the small interference. I'll talk again later."

After reading this entry again. I feel so dumb. A stupid horror movie cliche... but what was I supposed to think? A week after this I kept the same habit. Help him get to sleep, go to sleep, wake up, watch the tapes, help him through the day, diary entry, repeat. Nothing eventful happened until 5 days later... on the 17th.

"October 17th, 2017 10:13 pm

So... I've noticed Alex has been taking my stuff. On the cameras he walks around at night and goes through my things but he swears it isn't him. I kinda wish he'd just admit to me that it was him instead of blaming "the thing". I showed him the tape and he just mumbled "He learned". Like, what the hell man? Don't blame this thing. Just return my stuff. So far he only took my favorite book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck", which I brought if I got bored, and a few shirts. Nothing else so far and it seems I'm helping him get some sleep. That's something. Be back tomorrow."

I know now that i wasn't him. I wish I'd have listened.

"October 26th, 2017 9:22 pm

I finally got him to agree to going out for Halloween. We're going as two Plague Doctors! Thought it'd be cool! He seems interested. On the cameras I've noticed a distinct pattern in Alex's movements. He seems jittery after he wakes up in the night. His movements become more erratic. He moves like he's got broken bones. I tried to bring it up but he yelled at me to stop asking him about what I see on the cameras. I'm going to let it go for awhile, just to let him relax. Be back soon."

"November 3rd, 2017 10:48 pm

It took longer than usual to put him to bed. Something is really scaring him about being here but he says he can't leave. I don't know what to do. I asked a few specialists online and they said it's just paranoia. Paranoia can do all this to one person? It seems far fetched. I decided to try and talk to him about starting medications. He seems really opposed. I think someone tried to break in last night. The cameras didn't show anyone inside by the door but the door was rattling. I'll check on that later."

For some reason I never finished this entry then I didn't write for 4 days. I can't remember anything from those days. Just bits and pieces. A whisper. A voice I heard before it went black. Then I read my next entry. I don't remember writing it.

"four days gone. NOthing seems important. nothing. there are Sounds in the house. Lots of thEm. Everything sPeaks at night. NO more wriTing is needed. Today should be the last. It won't be. i know he's heRE. Dying doesn't seem bad."

There's no date. Nothing. It only says four days gone. But if you look at the capitalized letters it reads "NO SLEEP. NOT TIRED." Its not even a diary entry. It makes no sense. After this entry, things return to normal.

"November 8th, 2017 11:57 pm

Nothing to really talk about. Things have been normal. Every once in awhile I get little nightmares. Nothing bad. Just a little unnerving. The most recent one was me watching myself, but it wasn't me. He had blank eyes... or white eyes... his mouth was an unnatural smile. He had black ooze coming from his mouth and eyes and he was eating Alex. I just stood and watched. I told Alex and he showed me drawings of a 'person' too thin to be human with the same details I named but he just looked like a kid. Maybe 16 or 17. He had blonde hair with stained reddish tips and freckles. Alex called him "Copy Cat". I told him that I wasn't talking about a character to which he look really offended and went off on a rant. I decided to leave the topic for another day. I'll be back tomorrow."

I don't remember that dream but I remember, for lack of a better name, Copy Cat. Alex kept asking me if I had seen him everyday. Nothing interesting happened until 13 days before Alex vanished.

"November 20th, 2017 3:22 am

I am only just now going to bed. I've been scared. I saw myself on the cameras. I was so confused. So... I don't know. I know I wasn't walking around in the morning I found weird black ooze on the counter. I showed Alex and he kept saying "Copy Cat". I called a mental hospital. He needed help. Help that I couldn't give him. I plan to watch his house until he gets back. He just needs some meds and therapy then he'll be fine. I readjusted the cameras so they focus more on the blind spots. I'll be back tomorrow."

From then on I got really depressed. I felt like I betrayed Alex. I just hoped I made the right choice. 8 days later I found out that they lost him. Alex had escaped the hospital at 4 in the morning. Just... Vanished. They didn't find him, never did. My final three entries are a blur. That's when I stopped sleeping.

"December 1st, 2017 3:33 am

Wow. The witching hour. Interesting. Well... I haven't really slept. I think I understand. The nightmares are so terrifying. They get worse and worse every night. SHit he's here."

"December 2nd, 2017 don't know the time

Fuck it. I can't keep track of this anymore. Time is a blur. He visits me every night. They aren't dreams, are they? Alex is gone. Just fucking gone. They lost hime but I know that Copy Cat got him. He likes to scare his prey. Thats what the ooze is. Rotten blood. He's coming for me but I don't know how ling I have. If I survive this week... I'll post this somehwere. Maybe... Maybe I'll live"

"He's here. Every night. Over my bed, glaring at me. He's hungry. So hungry. I'm too scared to eat or sleep, i'm going crazy. I'm sorry Alex, I shouldn't have put you in there. I'm so sorry."

It's the 10th... I don't think I'll make it through the rest of the week. If you can read this Alex I'm sorry. I should have listened. I should have gewfi;jnlkrd,g./fhb95vhcyync

NO LONGER HUNGRY