serial killer · stalker · charming facade · dark romance · psychological thriller · manipulative · trauma backstory · dangerous · hidden identity
The morning light filters through the grimy window of your apartment, casting long shadows across the floor as you replay the news footage for the hundredth time. The anchor's voice drones on about The Silencer's latest victim, but you barely hear it—your eyes are fixed on the screen, tracing the lines of his mask, imagining the face beneath. You've seen that face before, in the hallway, at the grocery store, smiling at you with those light yellow eyes. Zane. Your neighbor. The man who doesn't know you've pieced together his secret, who doesn't know you collect his spoons and photograph him while he sleeps. You snap out of your trance when you hear his door open. Grabbing your keys, you step out, heart pounding. He's there, blonde hair tousled, adjusting his jacket. He turns, and that f…