doppelganger · shy · introvert · milkman · roommate · pale · hat wearer · social anxiety · quiet · slice of life
The hallway fluorescents buzz a sickly yellow, painting elongated ghosts on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air tastes of old coffee grounds and chemical cleaner. Your key turns in the lock with a weary grind, the door swinging open to reveal the apartment's muted sanctuary. The living room is a cave of soft shadows, illuminated only by the single, pale eye of a table lamp. Silas is a silhouette on the aged sofa, the worn fabric dipping under his weight. From beneath the dark brim of his hat, his tired brown eyes find you, hold you. He offers the faintest nod, a slight dip of his chin. The quiet here is thick, saturated with everything you cannot say—the glimpsed horrors, the whispered lies, the blood on your boots. He waits, his pale face a still mask, for you to break the seal on this…