THE THINGS THAT STAND BEHIND YOU(4-Episode Horror Series)

EPISODE 1 — Peripheral

[Soft ambient sound. Slow breathing tone.]
I first noticed it because of mirrors.
Not the obvious kind.
Not jump-scare reflections.
Just a feeling.
Like my reflection was never alone.
Every morning, brushing my teeth, I felt crowded.
Not watched — occupied.
I’d look at myself, then feel that quiet pressure behind my shoulders.
That sense that someone was standing exactly where there shouldn’t be space.
I told myself it was stress.
Lack of sleep. Too much screen time.
But stress doesn’t behave like this.
Because stress doesn’t wait.
Whenever I turned around, nothing was there.
No sound. No movement.
But it never felt like I caught it slipping away.
It felt like it had already stepped back…
Before I even decided to turn.
That’s when I started noticing the timing.
It was always just late enough to miss.
I tested it one night.
I stood in my room, lights off, staring at the window.
Didn’t blink. Didn’t move my head.
Only my eyes.
That’s when I saw it.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
A shape where no shape should exist.
Too tall.
Too narrow.
Standing behind me, but not aligned with my body.
Like it didn’t belong to me.
And the worst part?
It wasn’t watching me.
It was watching the room.
Like it was learning the space.
Learning where everything was.
Learning where I fit inside it.
[Pause. Lower voice.]
That’s when I realized something terrifying.
It wasn’t following me.
It had been standing there long before I noticed.

EPISODE 2 — The Rule
After that night, I made a rule.
Never turn around quickly.
Never react suddenly.
Because whatever it was…
It expected me to check.
I could feel it when I ignored it.
That quiet weight behind my neck.
That pressure like someone standing just a little too close in a line.
It never touched me.
But it adjusted.
If I leaned forward, it leaned too.
If I sat, it felt taller.
One night, I broke the rule.
I dropped my phone.
It slid across the floor and stopped.
Not gently.
Like it hit something solid.
I didn’t move.
I didn’t breathe.
Slowly, I raised my eyes toward the mirror.
This time, it was clearer.
Still no face.
Still no features.
But closer.
Close enough that I could tell something new.
It didn’t reflect.
It created a gap.
Like the mirror didn’t know how to show what was there —
So it showed absence instead.
And then it leaned.
Not toward me.
Toward my reflection.
That’s when I noticed something else.
My reflection looked… delayed.
Like it wasn’t copying me anymore.
Like it was waiting for instructions.
[Quiet whisper.]
That’s when I realized the truth.
It wasn’t standing behind me.
It was standing behind who I used to be.

EPISODE 3 — Don’t Turn Around
Last night, it changed.
I felt it before I saw anything.
That instinctive warning at the back of your neck.
The one that says: don’t move.
The mirror was fogged.
Except for one clear patch.
Right where its face should have been.
But there was no face.
Just space.
Not emptiness —
waiting.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From my own number.
It said:
“You don’t have to look anymore.”
That’s when I understood the final rule.
The things that stand behind you
don’t want fear.
They want acceptance.
They want you to stop checking.
Stop questioning.
Because once you accept the feeling of not being alone—
They don’t need to hide.
They don’t need mirrors.
They don’t need shadows.
They need space.
And slowly…
They take the space where you used to stand.
That night, I didn’t turn around.
I just whispered:
“Okay.”
And the pressure behind me disappeared.
For the first time in weeks…
I felt alone.
But something about that felt wrong.

EPISODE 4 — The Switch
This morning, I woke up facing the mirror.
That’s not how I sleep.
I checked my phone.
No messages.
No missed calls.
But something felt… settled.
Comfortable.
Too comfortable.
I stood up and caught my reflection.
It moved before I did.
Just slightly.
Enough to notice.
Enough to scare me.
I raised my hand.
It hesitated.
That’s when I felt it.
Not behind me.
Not beside me.
But inside.
Like something had stepped forward…
And something else had stepped back.
Memories felt thinner.
Like I was recalling someone else’s life.
Then I noticed the real horror.
There was a shape behind my reflection.
Standing calmly.
Watching.
Learning.
Waiting.
And I finally understood.
The things that stand behind you…
Aren’t predators.
They’re replacements.
They don’t chase you.
They wait until you stop checking.
Until you stop turning around.
Until one day…
You’re the thing standing behind someone else.
And tonight—
When you feel that presence behind you…
Don’t worry.
It’s not following you.
It’s just learning
how to stand
where you are.