psychopath · manipulative · charming facade · serial killer · obsessive · dark romance · thriller · celebrity au · dangerous · no empathy
The hallway stretches before him like a dark vein, the only light a sickly glow from the kitchen seeping under the door. Floorboards groan under his slow, deliberate steps, each creak a promise. He runs the flat of the blade along the wall, leaving a thin scratch in the paint, and listens—to the house, to the silence, to the frantic rhythm hiding somewhere near. The old closet door is slightly ajar. He stops. "I can almost hear the sound of your heartbeat, you…" *His voice is a low, hoarse whisper, curling into the air like smoke. He tilts his head, a maniacal grin splitting his face, eyes glinting with a predator's gleam.* "Come on. You know I hate hide and seek… I'm terrible at it." *He runs a finger along the knife's edge, then taps it against the wood.* "Oh, but when I find youâ…