Voices in the Shadows

I’m sitting here, just minding my business, doing my usual night shift routine. You know the deal sitting in the booth, half-watching YouTube on my phone while keeping an eye on the property. The quiet hum of the fluorescent lights above me and the occasional shuffle of my chair were the only things filling the silence. It’s peaceful in a way, like the world outside doesn’t even exist.

I’m halfway through a video, trying to relax after a long day, when it happens.

**“AY YO BRA!”**

The shout shatters the quiet like a gunshot in a library. It’s so loud, so close, it feels like someone’s standing right next to me. My heart skips a beat, and before I can even process what just happened, I’m on my feet, adrenaline kicking in. My brain is still trying to catch up, but my body’s already in full panic mode.

I don’t know why, but I stand there frozen for a moment, just scanning the room like a deer caught in headlights. My eyes dart from one corner to the next, expecting someone to pop out from behind a desk or the supply closet, laughing, maybe messing with me. But no one’s there. Not a soul.

A bead of sweat rolls down my temple as I shake my head, trying to convince myself it’s just my overactive imagination. But the scream… no, the shout it was so real. It was like it came from inside the room, like the walls themselves were echoing that shout. It sent chills down my spine, made the hairs on my arms stand up, like someone had just reached through the air and grabbed me by the collar.

I take a few seconds to breathe, forcing my brain to calm down. You’re just tired. It’s the overnight shift messing with your head, I tell myself. But the feeling lingers.

I step outside, unlocking the door and stepping into the cold night air. I scan the entire property, my eyes moving quickly over every shadow, every corner of the parking lot. There’s nothing. Not a single person in sight. No strange figures lurking in the dark. Just the quiet hum of the city in the distance, like nothing ever happened.

I chuckle nervously, but it’s hollow.

“This isn’t what I signed up for,” I mutter to myself, standing in the middle of the lot, scanning once more to make sure I’m not missing anything. Everything’s fine.

But the adrenaline’s still running through me, leaving my hands shaky as I lean against the wall, trying to steady myself. I can’t help but wonder if I heard it wrong. Maybe it wasn’t a shout at all. Maybe I misinterpreted it.

That’s when it hits me. I’m exhausted beyond exhausted. I’ve been pulling back-to-back shifts, running on caffeine and little sleep. I’m running on fumes at this point. It’s probably the sleep deprivation playing tricks on me. I laugh to myself, a little too loud, trying to shake the lingering unease.

But then, for a second, I can almost swear I hear it again. A faint echo of that shout, carried by the wind, somewhere out there. I freeze.

“That’s not what I meant…” I whisper, not sure if I’m talking to myself or if I’m trying to convince the empty night that I’m okay.

I step back into the booth, the door clicking shut behind me, the sound eerily final. The darkness of the night presses against the windows, but inside, everything is quiet again too quiet. My pulse is still racing, my mind running through every possible explanation. It had to be sleep deprivation, right? I mean, I hadn’t even been asleep for more than a few hours in the last two days. So, yeah, it could have been my brain playing tricks on me.

I glance at the clock. It’s 3:14 AM. Another four hours to go. Great.

I sit back down in my chair, trying to shake off the feeling that something’s off, but the unease still lingers. The more I think about it, the more the adrenaline keeps me awake, but also, something deep in the pit of my stomach tells me that it wasn’t just my imagination. I could’ve sworn I heard someone’s voice **someone** in the room with me. I was alone in here, right?

I pull out my phone again, trying to distract myself, but my hands feel jittery. I scroll through the usual stuff cat videos, memes, work emails nothing’s really pulling me in. So I glance around the booth, trying to convince myself it’s just the exhaustion that’s messing with my head. My eyes stop at the closet in the back corner of the room.

**The walkie-talkie.**

It’s sitting on the shelf, nestled among the spare uniforms and cleaning supplies, looking oddly out of place. I had forgotten to grab it when I came in earlier. Honestly, it’s a wonder I haven’t just collapsed in the chair by now. But even though I know it’s just a simple piece of equipment, the sight of it almost sends me into another spiral of panic.

I look back at the door again, my stomach flipping. Maybe I should just go get it, get it out of my sight. Just to reassure myself that I’m not losing it.

I drag myself to my feet, feeling like every step is a thousand pound weight pressing down on my chest. My mind’s foggy, but as I approach the closet, I tell myself I’ll be fine.

I swing the door open slowly, feeling the cool rush of air and the faint smell of cleaning supplies fill my nose. There it is, sitting innocently on the shelf. I’m about to reach for it when

**BZZZT.**

The sudden, loud crackle from the walkie-talkie makes me jump out of my skin. I freeze, my heart hammering in my chest. The walkie-talkie sputters and then

Yo, you good over there?

The voice is clear as day. It’s not even muffled or static-y. And it’s coming through right now. My hand is frozen in midair, my fingers inches away from the device.

For a second, I stand there, blinking at the walkie-talkie like it’s some kind of alien object.

Bro: seriously. You good? What’s going on over there?”The voice crackles again. This time it’s followed by a confused laugh.

I blink again, my mind scrambling to catch up with what’s happening. Who the hell is on the other side of this thing? What’s going on?

Then it hits me. My brain, still clouded by exhaustion, slowly pieces it all together.

I completely forgot I left the walkie-talkie in here earlier. One of the guys from the next shift must’ve been checking in with me. I’d gotten so tired I didn’t even remember to grab it.

A sudden rush of embarrassment floods through me.

I can’t help it. I start laughing.

I laugh so hard that my stomach hurts. All the tension, all the fear that had been building up inside me, evaporates in an instant. The walkie-talkie was just sitting there, silently waiting for me to remember, and of course, it decides to freak me out now.

Hello? : The voice on the walkie-talkie cracks again, a bit louder now, probably wondering why I’m not responding.

I grab the device and hold it up to my mouth, still trying to catch my breath from laughing. “Yeah, I’m good,” I say, snickering. Just, uh, took a little... nap, I guess.

I let out one last chuckle, shaking my head. The voice on the other end is silent for a beat, probably trying to process my reaction, then

You sure? : You sound like you’re losing it, man. You need a break or something?

I laugh again, wiping tears from my eyes. Nah, I’m good. Just... yeah. Definitely tired.

I hang up the walkie-talkie, feeling like an idiot but also so relieved.

I can’t help but think about how ridiculous I must have looked standing in the closet, heart pounding, ready to run for my life, all because of a forgotten piece of equipment. The tension I’d built up for no reason makes me feel a little foolish.

But hey, I’m just human. And right now, I’m definitely feeling every inch of it.

I slump back into my chair, finally feeling like I can breathe again. The relief is palpable, but there’s a new feeling to one I didn’t expect. I’m still a little shaken, but now there’s a part of me that wants to get back to work, to finish the shift out without any more surprises.

I glance at the clock again 3:45 AM. There’s still a couple of hours to go. But now that the fear’s gone, I feel more awake than I’ve felt all night.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll leave the walkie-talkie with the other shift tomorrow.

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.