An old man stands in the bathroom peering into the mirror. His pupils are getting wider, his hair is standing on end, and his jaw drops in horror. No, he’s not afraid of his reflection.
He’s just remembered the scariest day of his life. It’s been thirty years, and he still can’t look at mirrors without fear. The old man closes his eyes, the panic goes away... and the memories come.
Matt and Lucy are about to spend a weekend together in the countryside. They want to take a break from the bustling city and hard work. Lucy finds a perfect place on the web. They book a cozy house right next to a lake for a modest price.
They’re delighted with such luck and pay two days in advance without looking at the lease terms.The couple get into the car. They’re smiling, and Matt is pressing the gas pedal. They don’t yet know what a nightmare is coming for them.
Our heroes arrive at the place. The reality looks exactly like the picture on the website — it’s a beautiful two-story house right next to a lake and a forest. Everything looks great, but the owner is kind of weird. He’s a tall old man with a sly grin.
He gives the keys to Matt and Lucy and wishes them to have fun. Then, the owner gets on the motorcycle and drives off. Matt and Lucy check the house and look around the neighborhood. Matt notices video cameras hanging on the trees. It seems the owner put them there for safety. “Hope nothing like that is in the house,” Lucy jokes.
In the evening, they cook dinner and watch a movie. Matt walks into the bathroom. He washes his face, and drops of water bounce to the mirror. He wipes the glass with his finger and notices something creepy. He touches his nail tip to the reflective surface, and... there’s no gap. Matt knows for sure if there’s a small distance between the nail and its reflection, it’s a real mirror. But if the finger “touches” the reflection when there’s almost no distance, it’s a fake two-way mirror. This is when you see yourself, but someone on the other side is watching you. To know for sure, Matt presses his eyes against the mirror, cupping his hands around them, so the light wouldn’t interfere with the view. He’s trying to see something on the other side. And he notices. Matt’s sure there’s another space behind the mirror. And somebody’s looking at him. Shocked, he removes it from the wall and discovers a small dark room. What the...
A jolt surges through his body as he hears Lucy’s scream from the neighboring room. Matt runs to her. She looks scared and points at the window. Matt sees the house owner watching them from the forest. Matt grabs Lucy’s hand and leads her to the exit. “We’re leaving this place now.” He presses the handle, but the door won’t open.
He tries to put the key in the lock, but something gets in the way. In most cases, when the key doesn’t fit, you just need to grease the lock. But if the problem appears suddenly, you need to replace it. This is because someone tried to crack it to get into your house. But also, somebody could insert a microphone or other device into the lock to eavesdrop on you.
Matt tries to get out through the window, but it’s locked from the outside. He throws a chair into the glass, but it’s bulletproof. What’s going on here?
They look around and notice something else. On the floor, near the wall, there’s dust and dirt. Check the wall if you see dust like this in a hotel or in someone else’s house. This debris indicates that someone was working with a drill to install a recording device. Also, if you see an electric socket is installed unevenly, a microphone or a camera may be hidden behind it.
There’s a lamp hanging on the wall. Matt takes it off and sees a small microphone. This little thing and the fake double mirror. There must be cameras somewhere.
Surveillance devices are often installed in the bedroom and bathroom, inside mirrors, and under the sink. Inspect all corners in these rooms, including smoke detectors, and air vents. Usually, they put tiny cameras and recorders in switches, corners of shelves, and behind interior elements. The most common cliché is plush toys.
If you don’t want to check the room like that, you can follow Lucy’s example. She switches the light off and turns on the flashlight on her phone. Any camera lens will flash in the dark if you point a beam of light at it. You will definitely notice it.
Also, the front camera of your phone can detect infrared light coming from the lenses. Inspect the entire room with it, and you’ll see a tiny flash on the screen. Matt and Lucy find several cameras in the living room, one in the bathroom installed in the shower, and two in the bedroom.
There’s another way to find these devices. Almost all modern hidden cameras work via Wi-Fi. You can download special apps that scan the area and detect surveillance tools connected to the Internet. So, if you think somebody’s watching, you can just disconnect the Wi-Fi router from the outlet. Matt and Lucy do just that.
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