Leena exhaled, pushing away the lingering unease as she stepped out of the bathtub. The warmth of the water still clung to her skin, sending steam curling into the dimly lit bathroom. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it tightly around her body before stepping out into the room.
Standing before the dresser's cracked mirror, she ran her fingers through her damp hair, flipping it forward to dry. The silence in the room was thick, the kind that made even the smallest noises feel amplified. The occasional flicker of the light did little to settle her nerves.
Then—a sudden tug.
Her breath hitched as she felt the towel yank downward, slipping slightly from her chest. Her hands shot down instinctively, gripping the fabric before it could fall completely.
She spun around.
The room was empty.
Her heart pounded. The air felt colder, as if something unseen had brushed against her skin. It had to be her imagination. It had to be.
Forcing herself to move, she quickly grabbed her clothes from her bag. The feeling of being watched still clung to her, pressing down like an invisible weight. She dressed swiftly, slipping into a loose crop top that barely grazed her ribs and a pair of hot pants that hugged her hips. No bra, no panties—she had always found it more comfortable that way.
She climbed into the bed, pulling the thin blanket over her, but sleep didn't come easily. The creaks in the old wooden floorboards, the faint whisper of the wind against the window—it all felt too alive, too close.
As she finally closed her eyes, a shadow stretched across the wall, moving ever so slightly—as if someone was standing right beside her bed, watching.