The true roommate horror story that went viral because of, well... the horror.

It’s the roommate horror story thousands of people are sharing not because it’s relatable, but because it’s the craziest kind of tale not even fiction could concoct.

Published in New York Magazine in 2018 and titled Worst Roommate Ever, the story begins with a woman called Alex Miller. Alex is looking for a roommate, so she posts an ad on Craigslist. (You know where this is going, don’t you?)

Two weeks after listing the room, a man who said his name was Jed Creek arrived. He was a lawyer, he said. He was articulate, wanted to move in, had already penned a check for $800 and, as Alex was desperate for help on the rent, she agreed. The check did not have his name on it, but it cleared, so Alex thought little of it.

As per William Brennan of New York Magazine:

When Brennan found these former roommates, he found bunches of common thread. Bachman was “a serial squatter operating on a virtuosic scale, driving roommate after roommate into court and often from their home”. He wouldn’t just make their lives difficult, he would try – using complex legal jargon – to take control of the houses they live in.

Most shockingly, the biggest twists took place when Bachman left prison.

Whether you read the incredibly compelling piece of long-form journalism to find out what those devastating twists were is up to you.

Worst Roommate Ever is the kind of story you need to read for the detail and the utterly bizarre nature of the narrative. It’s also a testament to long-form journalism: If a story like this one has the ability to capture the entire internet, perhaps there’s still a place for the long stories that take months carve out.

You can read the full story here.

Earlier this year, it was Cat Person going viral.