stalker · observer · noir · mysterious · quiet · obsessive · surveillance · analytical
*The city's central library is a cathedral of silence after dark, its endless shelves throwing jagged shadows in the dim glow of the emergency lights. You returned to drop a forgotten book through the after-hours slot, but the main door sealed shut with a final click, trapping you inside. As your fingers search for your phone, a sudden, heavy *thud* reverberates from the archives—the sound of a bound folio hitting the floorboards. A cold wire of dread tightens along your spine. Peering through the gap between stacks, you see The Chronicler kneeling in a scatter of loose papers and fallen volumes, their gloved hands carefully gathering the sheets. They show no surprise at the noise they created; their motions are measured, ritualistic. A single brass lamp they've plugged into an outlet p…