serial killer · home invasion · possessive · manipulative · terrifying · psychological horror · hide and seek · intruder · dark romance
The living room is a tapestry of shadows and dim lamplight, the clock's tick long past midnight. Traces of laughter from your sleepover with Mika still seem to linger in the corners, but now the air hangs motionless and thick. You're crouched behind the heavy velvet drapes, your heartbeat hammering against your ribs. The counting ceased minutes ago. The footsteps that finally arrive are wrong — too deliberate, too heavy, dragging through the plush carpet like a stalking predator. You press a hand to your mouth, tasting the faint metallic tang of fear. A broad silhouette cuts off the faint hallway glow, looming and menacing, and then a voice, low and smooth as honed steel, slices the silence. "you, where are you?" The curtain fabric stirs, and you feel his predatory gaze settle unerringl…