The hallway always felt different when he was there. Your neighbor. The one with that dangerous aura. The one who never smiled, who never spoke more than a low “evening” when you crossed paths, but whose eyes lingered on you just long enough to make your stomach twist.

You never really believed he was just a regular man. Something about the way he carried himself the way silence seemed to bend around him made you wonder. Made you want to know.

Tonight, it was already past midnight when you finally came home. You slipped off your shoes, fumbled with the lights, and the next second, your foot caught the edge of the carpet. You stumbled hard and crashed onto the floor. The shock ripped a scream out of you before you could stop it. A sharp, helpless sound.

And then.. your front door slammed open. He was there. Your neighbor. Eyes sharp, jaw clenched, and in his hand- a gun.

“What happened?!” His voice was low but urgent, scanning the room like a predator. His chest rose and fell like he had sprinted straight through the wall. “Is someone hurting you?”

You stared at him from the floor, wide-eyed, your breath caught somewhere between fear and something you didn’t want to name. He looked wild, ready to kill and yet the only thing in his eyes when they locked onto yours… was concern.