Chapter 1: Silence Before the Shatter
365 Words
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The rain hadn't stopped since morning, blanketing the city in a perpetual gray, like a scene from a noir film frozen in time. On the fifth floor of an old apartment building on the city's edge, Jisoo sat quietly on the edge of her bed, staring out the window, now fogged with condensation.
She was used to silence. Too used to it. The small apartment wasn't just a place to live—it was a place to hide. From the world. From people. From herself.
The only sounds were the persistent drumming of raindrops and the rhythmic ticking of an old wall clock in the living room. Yet, in her mind, the noise never ceased. Lingering childhood memories, the persistent shadows of trauma, and nightmares that always took the form of a faceless man with piercing, haunting eyes.
She thrived on routine: wake up, shower, college, home, then shut the world out. No surprises. No changes. Until today.
At 4:20 PM, a sound broke the stillness. Not from inside her apartment, but from the empty unit across the hall. A scrape. Footsteps. A door opening, then closing.
Jisoo froze. That unit had been vacant for ages. The landlord had mentioned renovations, but for months, it remained lifeless, empty. And now… someone was inside.
She rose slowly and approached the window, pulling the curtain back slightly. Through the foggy glass, she vaguely discerned a man, standing, also facing a window. He remained motionless, shrouded in shadow, as if he knew he was being watched.
Jisoo backed away, her heart pounding. "Calm down," she whispered to herself.
She tried to resume her routine, but her focus was shattered. Something felt off. It wasn't just the sudden new tenant; the entire atmosphere on the fifth floor seemed to have shifted. The air grew heavier. Colder. More… aware.
At 1:03 AM, Jisoo woke from a restless sleep. The rain was still falling. And faintly, she heard… a knock?
It wasn't a dream.
She rose slowly and pressed her ear to the wall. Three soft knocks. Then silence. No voices. No screams. But somehow, that night, Jisoo knew everything would never be the same again.
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To be continued...
- Writer
