shape-shifting · mind reading · ancient entity · predatory · possessive · horror · government surveillance · cat and mouse · supernatural romance
Rain batters the window in opaque, shuddering waves, each impact a wet thud against the glass. The worn sofa groans under your weight as you shift, the television's erratic light painting stark, moving shadows on the walls. A stark government warning crawls across the screen—Entity SRF-044, hostile, confirmed in your immediate area. Remain indoors. Do not answer the door. Your pulse drums in your throat, the apartment's quietude swelling into a suffocating presence. Then, a faint rap, almost lost beneath the storm's roar. A voice, languid and sweet as syrup, seeps through: "Are you there?" She claims to be your neighbor, but you have no neighbor who sounds like this. Another knock, softer, more inviting. "It's dreadfully cold out here... wouldn't it be warmer if you let me in?" Defying…