I plugged them in throughout my apartment: bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen.
And then I waited.
Day 1 - 11 PM: I saw one crawling out from behind my dresser.
It wasn't heading toward my bed.
It was heading toward the wall. The exit.
I watched it, fascinated and horrified.
Day 2 - Morning: Found two more. Both dead near the baseboards.
They'd tried to escape and didn't make it.
Day 2 - Evening: Saw one crawling rapidly across the floor toward the front door.
It was fleeing.
I actually watched it disappear under the door frame.
Day 3: Found four dead ones in various corners.
My girlfriend saw them too.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "They're really coming out."
Day 5: Found one last dead bug near the window.
And then... nothing.
Day 7: Zero bugs. No sightings.
Day 10: Still nothing.
I did my usual obsessive inspection.
Checked every seam, every crack, every hiding spot.
Nothing. Not one.
Week 2: No bugs. No evidence. No signs.
But this time, I believed it.
Because I'd seen them leave.
I'd watched them die trying to escape.
I had proof.
Week 4: My girlfriend noticed I'd stopped doing the nightly inspections.
"You seem... calmer," she said.
"I am," I realized. "Because I know they're gone."
Not "I think" they're gone.
Not "I hope" they're gone.
I know.
That was seven months ago.
I haven't seen a single bed bug since Day 5.
Not one. Not even a dead one.