I don’t know if I’m overthinking this, but something about it feels off.
I live on the second floor of an older building. The walls and ceilings are thin enough that you can usually hear people walking around, dropping things, moving chairs—normal apartment noise.
The guy who lives above me isn’t loud, but he has a routine. Every morning around 7, I’d hear him walking across the apartment, like clockwork. Same thing at night, around 11—slow pacing back and forth for a few minutes, then silence.
I never met him properly, but I’ve seen him a couple of times on the stairs. Quiet, kept to himself. Just a normal guy.
About five days ago, I noticed something strange.
I didn’t hear him leave in the morning.
At first, I didn’t think much of it. People stay home sometimes. But then I realized I hadn’t heard the front door upstairs open or close at all that day.
But that night, right around 11…
the footsteps started again.
Same pacing. Same rhythm.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
That’s when it clicked—if he never left, then sure, that makes sense.
But the next day… same thing.
No door. No movement all day.
Then exactly at night—footsteps.
It’s been like that every day since.
No sound during the day. Not even a creak. Then at night, always around the same time, the pacing starts again like nothing’s wrong.
Yesterday I mentioned it to one of the neighbors while we were outside.
I asked if they’d seen the guy from upstairs recently.
They looked at me kind of confused and said, “The one in 3B?”
I said yeah.
They paused for a second and said, “He moved out last week.”
I thought they were joking, but they were completely serious. Said they saw him carrying boxes out and leaving with someone a few days ago.
But that doesn’t make any sense.
Because I’ve been hearing those footsteps every single night since.
I tried to brush it off, but last night something changed.
The pacing stopped earlier than usual.
And then I heard something I haven’t heard before.
Right above my bedroom.
A single, slow step… and then another.
Not pacing this time. Just… walking.
Then it stopped completely.
I didn’t sleep much after that.
This morning I went upstairs and stood outside his door for a minute, just listening.
Nothing.
No movement, no sound.
I almost knocked, but I didn’t.
I don’t even know what I’d say if someone answered.
I’m probably overthinking this, but I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.
Especially because tonight is coming up again, and I already know exactly what I’m going to hear.