Chapter 20: Unit 7B
Kai didn’t move at first.
Not because he was brave. Not because he was calculating. Just because his body had finally stopped agreeing to do anything without triple-checking with his brain, and his brain had long since checked out of office hours.
The reflection in the TV screen held for less than a second—a flicker of something behind him. Not clear enough to prove anything. Not vague enough to ignore.
Then it was gone.
The screen went back to black like nothing had happened.
Kai swallowed so hard it hurt. His fingers tightened around his phone without him realizing it, like the device was the only thing keeping him anchored to the idea that reality still had rules.
"Kai."
Luna’s voice came through the headset immediately. Soft. Controlled.
But not calm anymore.
"What did you see?"
He didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed locked on the television like if he blinked at the wrong time, something would step out of it properly.
"I don’t know," he said finally. "Something moved in the reflection."
Silence.
Not empty silence. Thinking silence. The kind that made things worse because it gave his imagination time to start building.
Then Luna spoke again, quieter.
"Don’t turn around."
Kai let out a short, humorless breath.
"I wasn’t planning to do a full spin like I’m in a horror movie, thanks."
A pause.
Then, almost gently, she said, "Good."
That should’ve helped.
It didn’t.
Because now it meant she was taking this seriously enough to track his movements like a live feed.
The chat was no longer joking. It had shifted into that ugly middle state between panic and obsession, where people stopped pretending it was entertainment.
BrickEater900:
BRO THIS IS ACTUALLY INSANE
NoSleepNoPay:
HE SAID SOMETHING MOVED INSIDE
WindowTaxCollector:
IF THIS IS A PRANK I SWEAR
Kai glanced at the chat and immediately regretted it. Seeing it made it real in a different way. Like the fear wasn’t just his anymore. It belonged to everyone watching.
Which somehow made it heavier.
Another notification popped up on his phone.
Not Discord.
Not stream alerts.
The building app again.
Emergency Notice Updated.
His thumb hovered for half a second before he opened it.
Unauthorized access detected.
Master key used on Unit 7B.
Security engaged.
Kai stared at the words.
"Security engaged?" he muttered. "What does that even mean, like... a guy with a flashlight and bad decisions?"
Luna didn’t answer the joke.
That’s how he knew she didn’t like what she was seeing.
Then she said, "Kai. Look at your hallway camera."
He blinked.
"We don’t have a hallway camera."
"You do now."
"...what?"
A soft exhale came through the headset.
"Open the app."
Kai hesitated. "Luna, if this is another thing where you casually know my apartment better than me, I’m going to start feeling emotionally violated."
"I’m trying to keep you alive," she said, still quiet, still controlled.
That landed differently.
Less comforting than it should’ve been.
More real than he wanted.
Kai opened the building app again.
A new tab had appeared.
Security Feed.
He didn’t remember installing it. He didn’t remember agreeing to it. He definitely didn’t remember his building having live feeds for residents.
But there it was.
Loading.
Buffering.
Then—
The hallway outside his apartment appeared.
Dim lighting. Beige walls. The kind of hallway every cheap apartment building in every city shared like a template for mild disappointment.
Empty.
At first.
Kai leaned closer without thinking.
"Okay," he whispered. "It’s empty."
No response from Luna.
The feed stayed still.
For three seconds.
Four.
Then the camera flickered.
Just slightly.
Like the image had been compressed too many times.
And when it stabilized, the angle was different.
Kai frowned. "Did it just—"
Something moved at the edge of the frame.
Not walking.
Not running.
Stopping.
Just barely in view.
Near Unit 7B.
A door that should’ve been vacant.
The handle was slowly turning.
Kai’s throat went dry.
"That’s not my apartment," he said, even though his voice didn’t sound convinced anymore.
Luna replied instantly.
"I know."
The handle turned further.
Stopped.
Then slowly began to open.
Not fast. Not forced.
Careful.
Like whoever was doing it didn’t want to disturb the building too much.
Kai felt something cold settle in his chest.
"This is insane," he said. "This is actually insane. That unit’s been empty for months."
A beat.
Then Luna said, "I think that’s the point."
The door on the feed opened fully.
Darkness inside Unit 7B.
No furniture.
No light.
Just a hollow space that looked wrong in a way Kai couldn’t immediately explain.
And then the camera glitched again.
Static ripped across the feed.
For half a second, everything broke into white noise.
When it cleared, someone was standing in the hallway.
Close to the camera.
Too close.
Not fully visible. Just the upper half of a figure.
Hooded.
Still.
Watching.
Kai stumbled back from his desk so fast his chair scraped across the floor.
"Nope," he said immediately. "Nope, I’m done with this, I’m actually done—"
The figure didn’t move on the feed.
But the audio—
The audio crackled.
And a sound came through.
Not loud.
Not distorted.
Just clear enough to make Kai’s stomach drop.
Breathing.
Right behind the camera.
Inside the hallway.
Inside his building.
Kai froze.
"That’s not possible," he whispered.
Then the feed cut to black.
For a second, nobody spoke.
Not chat.
Not Luna.
Not even Kai.
Then the chat exploded again, louder than before, like panic had finally broken its last restraint.
GamerOnRent:
BRO IT’S INSIDE THE BUILDING
SaltedKeyboard:
THAT WAS IN HIS HALLWAY FEED
NoRefundsLeft:
WHY DID IT BREATHE
Kai’s hands were shaking now. Properly shaking. Not adrenaline excitement. Not stream nerves. Something older. More primitive.
"I’m calling the police," he said.
No sarcasm this time.
No jokes.
Just decision.
Luna spoke immediately.
"Good."
That word should’ve reassured him.
Instead it made something twist in his chest.
Because she didn’t hesitate.
She didn’t argue.
She didn’t ask him to wait.
Like she’d already accepted that this was the only remaining option.
Kai grabbed his phone.
Unlocked it.
Paused.
Because something was wrong.
Not outside.
Not in the hallway.
Inside the apartment again.
The TV.
It wasn’t black anymore.
Light had returned to it.
Not static this time.
A single image.
The same hallway feed.
Replaying.
But a different angle.
Closer.
Kai slowly looked up.
The television was showing his apartment hallway.
From inside the apartment.
His breath caught.
"That’s not the feed," he said.
Luna didn’t respond immediately.
When she did, her voice was lower.
Careful.
"Kai..."
"What?"
A pause.
Then:
"Is your TV connected to anything right now?"
Kai stared at it.
The glowing screen.
The hallway.
The empty space behind where the camera should’ve been.
"No," he said slowly. "It’s not connected to anything."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then Luna said something that made his stomach drop completely.
"Then it shouldn’t be able to show live video."
The TV flickered again.
And this time—
the figure in the hallway turned slightly.
Not toward the camera.
Not toward the building.
Toward him.
And the screen went dark.
But the reflection didn’t.
Behind Kai, in the black glass of the TV, something was already inside the apartment.
Closer than the hallway.
Closer than Unit 7B.
Right behind him.