NYXBLACK

After a failed career move and a desperate need for a fresh start, Lena Carter moves into Oakwood Apartments—an old, quiet building on the edge of the city. The rent is cheap, the neighbors keep to themselves, and everything seems normal.

Until she meets Damien Hale, the enigmatic tenant in the apartment above hers.

Damien is strange, intense, and knows far too much about Oakwood’s secrets. Secrets like Apartment 3B, which has been empty for months—despite Lena hearing noises from inside. Secrets like the mysterious disappearance of Ryan Thomas, the last person to live there.

Then one night, Damien gives her a key.

To Apartment 3B.

Inside, Lena finds more than just dust and forgotten walls. She finds footsteps that don’t belong to her. A chair that vanishes when she looks away. And whispers in the dark that seem to know her name.

Now, trapped between paranoia and reality, Lena realizes she’s caught in something far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

And Damien? He isn’t just a neighbor.

He’s the only one who can help her survive.

But only if she follows the rules.

And rule number three is the one she’s already broken:

If you ever find a door open when you know you closed it—don’t go inside.

PS: it's parentally suggested cause it is really psychologically dark so read at your own mental risk muaaah :)

UNDER HIS SHADOW

INT. OAKWOOD APARTMENTS – MORNING

Every creak of the old pipes, every distant footstep in the hallway, every whisper of wind against the windows kept her awake. She told herself it was just first-night nerves. A new place always felt unfamiliar, like wearing someone else's skin.

But those blue eyes from the end of the hall she swore hadn't imagined them.

She glanced at her front door while sipping her coffee, half-expecting another knock. But the morning remained still.

Maybe the man had just been curious, same as she was.

Deciding she wouldn't spend the day spiraling into paranoia, she grabbed her coat and headed out.

As she stepped out, she nearly collided into him.

The man from the end of the hallway.

He was standing right outside her door, as if he'd been waiting.

Lena took a startled step back, gripping the strap of her bag. Up close, he was even more unsettling.

Tall, broad-shouldered, but unnervingly quiet. He had sharp, angular features, his face unreadable, and those cold, piercing blue eyes that had watched her last night. A shiver ran down her spine.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

Then, he tilted his head slightly, considering her.

"You're the new tenant," he said. His voice was low, smooth—yet void of warmth.

Lena forced a nod. "Uh, yeah. I—"

"You didn't sleep," Damien interrupted, eyeing the faint shadows under her eyes.

A flicker of something—amusement?—crossed his expression.

"I heard you moving around all night," he said.

Lena's fingers curled into her palm. So he had been listening.

She forced an uneasy chuckle. "Guess these walls are thinner than I thought."

Damien didn't reply. He just… watched.

Silence stretched between them, and she suddenly felt like a mouse caught in a cat's gaze.

Then, finally—he stepped aside, wordlessly allowing her to pass.

Lena exhaled, moving quickly toward the stairwell. She could feel his eyes on her back the entire way down. Heading to the cafe she saw along the way while moving, she thought.

Coffee right now is the only thing that can put my mind at ease.

Lena pushed aside her unease, losing herself in the café's warmth. The rich aroma of coffee, the quiet hum of conversation—it was grounding. Normal.

She had just started scrolling through job listings when a shadow fell across her table.

"You drink Americanos," he said casually, sitting down across from her—without asking.

He motioned toward her cup. "Americanos. You drink them."

Her grip on the handle tightened. "Are you… following me?"

A slow, lazy smirk tugged at his lips. "Would it bother you if I was?"

She studied him carefully. He didn't look threatening, but there was something off about him. Too composed. Too calculated.

"Do you always make a habit of creeping on your neighbors?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay light.

Damien leaned forward slightly, voice barely above a whisper.

She should have walked away. But she didn't.

And for the first time, Lena wondered if she was the one making a mistake.

The Neighbour