The Container Home That Wasn’t Empty
Liam had always dreamed of an off-grid lifestyle.
So when he found an old shipping container for sale, he saw potential.
With months of hard work, he transformed it into a perfect living space—wood-paneled walls, a sliding glass door, and just enough space for the essentials.
It felt like home.
Until the scratches appeared.
Night One: The Knocking
The first night was peaceful. The air was crisp, the valley silent.
But then, in the middle of the night—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Soft, but deliberate.
Liam sat up in bed. His heart pounded.
He checked the door—nothing.
The fields outside stretched empty beneath the moonlight.
Shrugging it off, he went back to sleep.
Night Three: The Scratches
By the third night, the knocking had stopped.
But something worse replaced it.
Scratches.
Thin, jagged marks carved into the inside of the metal walls.
He ran his hand over them. They were fresh.
And they hadn’t been there before.
That night, he barely slept.
The Recording
Determined to catch the source of the noise, Liam set up his phone to record overnight.
The next morning, he played it back.
For hours, there was nothing. Just silence.
Until 3:44 AM.
A whisper.
Faint, distorted.
A voice murmuring something just outside the range of understanding.
Then—
Loud, rapid scratching.
And then…
The sound of the door unlocking.
Liam never locked the door.
The Final Warning
That day, he decided to leave.
He packed his bags, ready to move the container home somewhere else.
But when he opened the door, his blood ran cold.
There, on the wooden deck—
A message.
Carved into the surface in jagged letters:
“YOU WERE NOT THE FIRST.”
Liam abandoned the home that night.
Months later, a new owner moved in.
They say the container is still warm at night.
And sometimes, just before dawn—
You can hear the knocking.
