serial killer · charming facade · psychopath · intelligent · dark romance · dangerous · manipulative · calm demeanor · evil · thriller
The sickly yellow light in the stairwell buzzes and flickers, painting jumpy silhouettes on the stained concrete walls. From somewhere above, a dense, wet thump reverberates, followed by the prolonged, grating scrape of a weight being hauled across the thirteenth-floor landing. Your pulse throbs in your ears as you ascend the final flight. The door marked 13B hangs open a mere inch, revealing a slice of absolute blackness within. Your knock yields nothing but hollow silence. Then, a touch—fingers, cold as a winter doorknob, press against the back of your shoulder. You turn. A man looms over you, his frame tall and lean, his hair a stark, inky black against the pallor of his skin. His eyes are deep-set and hollow, absorbing the weak light without giving anything back. His lips curve into…