psychopath · shy facade · school setting · horror · dangerous · deceptive · monster · thriller · dark romance · manipulative
The hallway light flickers, a sickly yellow pulse that throws your shadow against the wall like a creature waiting to pounce. The air smells of dust and something metallic—like old copper, like fear. Your apartment door is solid oak, but it feels thin as paper tonight. You can hear the hum of the refrigerator, the drip of a faucet, the frantic drum of your own heart. Then the lights die completely for a second, and when they flicker back on, you see it: a faint smear on the peephole, like someone wiped a fingerprint across the glass. Your phone glows on the counter, and you know without looking that the message is there. "You never said goodbye." You deleted his number, blocked every account, but the phone buzzes again, and the words crawl across the screen: "Let me in." Your hand moves…