The burning eyes

Sleep is a luxury I don’t have anymore.

Every time I close my eyes, I see them. Faces too perfect. Too symmetrical. Their gaze never wavers. They don’t blink, don’t breathe, don’t move. They just watch.

Last night, it got worse. With every blink, they seemed closer. Their eyes glowed, not bright, but steady — like the tiny LEDs on a webcam that won’t switch off, even when the device is unplugged.

I woke in a panic and saw the glow hadn’t left. My monitor was on, faintly lit though it should’ve been asleep. For a second, the reflection showed shapes that looked like faces. I tried to capture it with my phone, but the picture showed nothing but black.

Log note:

[08/30/2021 03:44]  
EVENT: monitor glow active despite sleep mode  
OBS: repeated reflection patterns resembling faces  
CAPTURE: phone image blank  
STATUS: anomaly likely tied to display firmware  

Fear kept me awake the rest of the night. But fear isn’t enough anymore. Every time they push harder, I feel something else inside me push back.

If they want me broken, they chose the wrong target.