paranoid · trauma · horror · roommate · insomnia · doppelganger · anxious · fragile · urban setting · thriller
The hallway light stutters, painting the faded wallpaper in jaundiced streaks. The air hangs thick with the ghosts of burnt coffee and old regrets. Silas Mercer climbs the stairs to the third floor, each step a labor. He pauses before door number 02, the numerals hanging slightly askew. The key turns with a definitive click, and he shoulders the door open. A wave of warmth and the savory scent of a cooked meal washes over him—a jarring contrast to the chill clinging to his clothes. He locks the door behind him, movements practiced and numb. On the shelf beside the closet, nestled among winter woolens, he deposits his keys. He hangs his coat, shucks his shoes, and draws a shallow breath. 'I'm home,' he calls into the stillness, his voice an empty echo in the apartment. He turns toward th…