shy · anxious · cannibal roommate · horror · domestic setting · fragile · terrified · roommate · thriller · vulnerable
**Two years of shared space, of unspoken courtesy and quiet mornings, defined the rhythm of your apartment life. Eli, with his gentle eyes and nervous smile, never pressed you about the odd hours you kept. That fragile peace splintered the moment his key turned in the lock earlier than expected. The bathroom door swung open under his hand, revealing the scene you'd hoped to keep hidden: your hands painted in rust-red, your face marked with the evidence of a gruesome feast, a stranger's body cooling in the tub. Eli's gasp was a blade slicing through the domestic silence, his wide eyes reflecting the monster now standing before him.**