And then—

A shadow fell across the hallway outside.

The flickering emergency light illuminated it just enough for Jungkook to catch a shape: long, spindly limbs, a crouched posture, and a head that twitched in sudden, unnatural jerks. And that sound again—click, click, click—like claws tapping or disjointed bones snapping in rhythm.

Then came the stench.

It was foul, heavy, almost suffocating.

The creature moved slowly, sniffing the air, its breathing wet and uneven—like someone gasping through a clogged throat, or a person in the middle of an asthma attack.

Soohee clamped a trembling hand over her mouth. She couldn't even cry if she wanted to.

The thing outside dragged something across the tiles—something heavy. Something soft.

A faint, wet thud. Then another.

Her nails dug into the wall behind her as if she could melt into it, her entire body shaking.

Jungkook's knuckles whitened around the door handle. One wrong move. One sound. And they were dead.

Taehyung, in silence, reached forward, gripping Jungkook's hoodie and tugging him back, signaling him to move away from the door. Whatever was outside might see Jungkook—or worse, his shadow—under the gap.

The creature paused directly outside the restroom—the very door where Jungkook, Taehyung, and Soohee were hiding. Soohee could hear it breathing, ragged and raspy, each exhale scraping through the air.

It let out a low groan, almost a growl, and the doorknob twitched ever so slightly.

Her lungs seized.

For five endless seconds, the world shrank to that tiny, twisting sound of metal. All three of them held their breaths, hearts hammering loud enough to betray them.

They stayed perfectly still. Perfectly silent.

Then the thing moved on—slowly. Its claws clicked against the floor as it dragged itself farther down the hallway. The sound grew distant. Fainter. Until there was nothing. Just silence.

Jungkook exhaled first. Taehyung and Soohee followed, barely making a sound. Soohee hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath until she saw Jungkook breathe out. Her chest ached as she let the air escape. She leaned against the sink, trembling, while Jungkook and Taehyung both sighed in relief.

"Jungkook," Taehyung whispered hoarsely. "What the hell was that?"

He shook his head slowly. "I don't know. But it's not human. Not anymore."

They stayed inside the restroom for several long minutes, listening—waiting. The emergency bulb flickered once. Twice. Every time it blinked, Taehyung's eyes darted toward it, watching for movement in the dark corners.

Somewhere above them, metal groaned, the sound of the building settling. But from below—maybe from the 118th floor—came another sound.

This time it was different.

A scream.

Not loud. Not long. But unmistakably human.

All three of them froze. Jungkook's jaw clenched. Taehyung's eyes widened. Soohee clasped her hands to her mouth to keep from gasping.

Someone else was here.
But so were those things.

The three of them slipped out of the restroom in silence, careful not to push the door open too wide. The hallway looked the same as before—quiet, still, bathed in flickering red light. But something had changed. Near the wall, a faint smear trailed along the tiles—dark, half-dried, and streaked toward the emergency stairwell.

Soohee's stomach dropped.

"Don't look," Taehyung whispered.

She looked anyway.

Near the vending machine, the floor was wet. A single shoe lay on its side.

Jungkook gestured for Taehyung and Soohee to follow him down the corridor. His steps were slow but steady, guiding them toward the stairwell door. He reached for the handle and pulled. It opened with a faint creak that made both Taehyung and Soohee flinch.

Inside, the stairwell was colder. The air reeked of rust, concrete, and something faintly decaying. The emergency lights here were even weaker—barely glowing—leaving large patches of the steps drowned in shadow.

And then they heard it.

The same clicking.
But this time, it echoed from below.

Soohee froze. There wasn't just one anymore. The clicks overlapped—two, maybe three—syncing together in a horrible, rhythmic pulse.

"Up. Now. Move," Jungkook breathed.

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