I feel like I’ve accidentally uncovered something I can’t undo.
I (24F) live alone in a small apartment. Nothing fancy, but it’s mine. Quiet building, mostly families and a few older residents. I’ve been here about a year. Never had any issues.
Until last month.
My food started disappearing.
At first, I blamed myself. Thought maybe I forgot what I ate or miscounted groceries. But then it got obvious. Full containers—gone. Snacks—missing. Even leftovers I knew I hadn’t touched.
I checked for the usual stuff. No signs of forced entry. Windows locked. Nothing out of place.
Except the food.
Then one day, I came home early from work.
And my kitchen light was on.
I always turn it off.
I walked in slowly, heart pounding, expecting… I don’t even know what. But no one was there.
Except my fridge door was slightly open.
That’s when I stopped brushing it off.
I told my landlord. He laughed it off. Said maybe I was “stressed” or “sleepwalking.”
I don’t sleepwalk.
So I bought a small door camera. Nothing fancy. Just something to see if anyone was coming in while I was gone. Installed it facing my front door. Didn’t tell anyone.
First two days?
Nothing.
Third day, I checked the footage before bed.
And I wish I hadn’t.
At 2:17 AM, my door unlocked.
Not forced.
Unlocked.
From the outside.
And someone walked in.
I couldn’t breathe watching it.
The angle wasn’t great, but I could see enough.
A man.
Older. Maybe 50s or 60s.
He walked in like he knew the place. No hesitation. No flashlight. Straight to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, took food out, ate some of it standing there, then packed the rest into a bag.
And before leaving…
He looked directly at the camera.
I don’t know how to explain this part.
But it didn’t feel like he was surprised.
It felt like he knew it was there.
Then he left.
Locked the door behind him.
I didn’t sleep that night.
Next morning, I went straight to my landlord. Showed him the footage.
And this is where things got… wrong.
He didn’t react how I expected. No shock. No panic. No “we need to call the police.”
He just stared at the screen for a long time.
Then said:
“…that’s not possible.”
I asked him what he meant.
He said:
“That apartment’s master key was changed years ago.”
Okay… so how did that man get in?
I asked if he recognized him. He hesitated. Just slightly. Then said no.
I didn’t believe him.
So I did something risky.
I knocked on my neighbors’ doors. Most didn’t know anything.
Until I got to the lady across the hall.
The moment I described the man, her face went pale.
She asked me:
“Did he go into your kitchen first?”
I froze.
And said yes.
She sat me down and told me something I wish I could forget.
Years ago, before I moved in… an older man lived in my apartment. Alone. Quiet. Kept to himself.
Until one day, people noticed a smell.
He had died inside.
And no one realized for days.
I felt sick hearing that, but I didn’t see how it connected.
Until she said:
“He used to do the same thing.”
Same thing… what?
She said he had a habit. He’d forget he’d already eaten, so he’d go back into the kitchen multiple times a night. Neighbors would hear him opening and closing the fridge constantly.
At 2–3 AM.
Same time as the footage.
I told her that makes no sense because I just saw him.
On camera.
In my apartment.
She looked at me and said something I haven’t been able to shake since:
“Then you should check something.”
I asked what.
She said:
“Ask your landlord when the locks were really changed.”
So I did.
This time, I didn’t tell him why. I just casually asked about the lock history.
He got defensive immediately. Said it was “handled.” Didn’t give details.
That confirmed it for me.
Something was off.
So I went back to the footage and watched it again.
Slower this time.
Frame by frame.
And I noticed something I completely missed before.
When the man walks in…
He doesn’t use a key.
He types something.
On a keypad.
I don’t have a keypad lock.
At least… I didn’t think I did.
So I checked my door.
And behind the metal plate of the lock—something I had never paid attention to—there’s a faint outline.
Like something used to be there.
A keypad.
Removed.
But not fully replaced.
Which means…
Someone still has the code.
And then it hit me.
The landlord.
I checked the footage one more time. Zoomed in as much as I could.
And I finally saw the man’s face clearly.
I was wrong about his age.
He’s not in his 50s or 60s.
He just looks older.
Because it’s my landlord.
Or at least…
it looks exactly like him.
Same height. Same walk. Same face.
But here’s the part that doesn’t make sense:
I saw my landlord that same night.
At 9 PM.
In the hallway.
And he was using a cane.
The man in the footage?
Walking completely fine.
No limp.
No cane.
Nothing.
So either…
there are two people who look exactly alike
with access to my apartment
or
I don’t actually know who my landlord is.
Edit:
I checked old tenant records online.
The man who died in my apartment?
Same last name as my landlord.
Edit 2:
I just heard my door unlock.
It’s 2:16 AM.
I’m not alone right now.