Real Horror Story Empty Apartment – Submitted by: Daniel M. from Edmonton, Alberta
I’ve always been a night owl. As a freelance graphic designer, my work hours are weird—I’m usually up until 3 or 4 in the morning, headphones on, coffee in hand, designing logos or editing campaigns. That’s why I noticed it.
I moved into my Edmonton apartment building in early 2021. Quiet place, mostly older tenants. The landlord told me the unit above mine was unoccupied. It had been that way since late 2020 due to some water damage they were still repairing.
So imagine how I felt the first time I heard footsteps above my ceiling at 2:17 AM. At first, I thought I misheard. But then I heard them again. Slow… pacing. From one side of the apartment to the other. I muted my music. Dead silence. Then, again… creak… creak… creak.
I didn’t report it right away—figured it might be plumbing or heating pipes. But it happened again the next night. And the next. Always between 2 and 3 AM. And always followed by a low dragging noise. Like furniture being moved… or something being dragged across the floor.
I finally called the building manager. He was confused and promised to check it out. The next day, he told me the door was still locked with the original padlock. No one had been inside. No one could’ve been. There was dust on the floor—undisturbed.
I didn’t sleep that night.
A few nights later, I decided to record the sound. I placed my phone on the ceiling-facing shelf and let it run. When I played it back, it was mostly silence. Until minute 43:
a loud bang,
the unmistakable sound of something crawling,
and then,
a whisper.
Right next to the mic:
“Don’t look up.”
I moved out within the week. Never looked back. I still don’t sleep with music on anymore. And I never… ever live beneath an empty apartment.
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