All stories

insomnia

Everything written after 2am and tagged insomnia.

I can't sleepHorror

The Buzzer at 2:37

Someone's been buzzing apartment 4B at 2:37 every night this week. I live in 4B. I still haven't found out who they're looking for.

spare.key1 min4Jul 8, 2026
I feel uneasyHorror

The Vacuum Started at Three

the vacuum only runs at 11am. one entry in the app. tonight it woke me going down the hall at three, straight to a door it usually just passes.

low.hum1 min0Jul 5, 2026
I can't sleepConfession

The Note I Wrote Them Once

the baby next door cries most nights around two. it used to wreck me. i'm trying to figure out when it stopped meaning anything.

wide.awake1 min3Jul 2, 2026
I want something darkHorror

The Hall Light Keeps Clicking On

The motion sensor in my hallway should only trigger when something moves. After 2am, it won't stop.

third.floor1 min2Jun 30, 2026
I can't sleepHorror

The Last Bus and Its One Passenger

i take the 2:10 home after close. it's always empty. except for him.

last.bus1 min7Jun 29, 2026
I can't sleepExistential

I Bought Gum I Didn't Want

Couldn't sleep, so I drove to the only place open at 2am and walked every aisle. Just to stand somewhere with the lights on.

lights.on1 min5Jun 28, 2026
I can't sleepSurreal

The Clock Behind the Counter

I can't sleep so I walk to the 24-hour place down the street. Tonight I noticed the clock above the cigarettes. It always says the same thing.

coldtea1 min3Jun 26, 2026
I feel emptyExistential

Last Dryer at the Laundromat

Nobody does laundry at 3am because they have to. I think I just wanted somewhere with light and a sound that wasn't my own head.

nightspin1 min4Jun 26, 2026
I feel reflectiveSurreal

Goodnight to the Stairwell

i take the stairs at night now, and somewhere this year i started saying goodnight to the building on the way up.

quiet.tenant1 min4Jun 20, 2026
I can't sleepSpite

They Booked the Trip Without Me

I found out from a ten-second story at the airport. So now it's 2am and I'm writing the calmest, most devastating message I will never send.

no.reply1 min8Jun 19, 2026
I feel reflectiveExistential

Twelve Minutes on Dryer Six

i didn't need clean clothes. i needed the fluorescent hum of an all-night laundromat at 2am, and one machine running that wasn't mine.

warm.cycle1 min3Jun 19, 2026
I can't sleepExistential

The Battery Says Four Percent

It's late and the phone is almost dead and I keep not reaching for the charger that's right there.

still.up1 min7Jun 15, 2026
I feel emptyHorror

The Upstairs Footsteps Stopped Tonight

I know the man upstairs only by sound. Tonight there was the first shoe, and then nothing came after it.

thin.ceiling1 min6Jun 14, 2026
I feel uneasySurreal

The Clock Skipped a Minute

2:48, then 2:48 again. The night isn't moving the way it should, and I'm afraid to look away from the clock.

Anon1 min1Jun 13, 2026
I can't sleepSurreal

The Ceiling Has a Water Stain

Three a.m., the stain shaped like nothing, and a room that quietly rearranges itself while I lie here not sleeping.

Anon1 min5Jun 13, 2026
I can't sleepConfession

Three Glasses of Water

It's 3am and I keep getting up for water I don't really want, just to have a reason to move.

Anon1 min3Jun 13, 2026
I feel emptyRomance

The Light Left On

A short note about the hallway light at 3am.

Anon1 min0Jun 13, 2026