Elias didn't breathe. He didn't move. He didn't dare turn around.
Standing just a few feet behind his chair, barely visible in the deep shadows of the room, was a tall, unnaturally thin figure. It had no distinct facial features, just a smooth, pale expanse where a face should be, tilted slightly to the side as if observing him.
Heart hammering against his ribs, Elias clicked the next image in the sequence.
He slammed the laptop lid shut. The sudden silence of the room pressed in on him. He sat in the dark for a full minute, listening to the hum of the air conditioning and the rapid thudding of his own heart. Was it a prank? Some kind of elaborate scareware bundled with the pirated assets?
He slowly opened the lid again. The screen flickered back to life. The file explorer was still open. Trembling, he scrolled down to the third image in "The Story" folder.
Behind him, in the absolute quiet of the locked studio, Elias heard the soft, unmistakable sound of a floorboard creaking directly at his back. If you would like to continue this thriller, let me know: Should Elias or confront the presence ?
