Her Next-Door Neighbor Ep. 3: The Eerie Landlord at the End of the Hall

A cracking sound, like bones breaking, echoed from behind me, accompanied by a heavy dragging noise. I slammed my body against the door like a maniac until the doorknob finally gave way. I tumbled out and scrambled into the cold hallway outside the suite, gasping for air. The motion-activated light in the hallway flickered on with my frantic movements, casting a pale glow. Shaken, I looked back. My room door was closed as if nothing had happened, and silence reigned within. Just as I was hesitating whether to call the police, steady footsteps suddenly approached from the end of the hall. It was the landlord, wearing his usual gray robe and carrying a set of keys, walking towards me with a blank expression. "What are you doing in the hallway so late at night?" His voice was low and monotonous, creating an eerie echo in the empty corridor. I frantically grabbed his arm, pointing at my room, my words tumbling out incoherently: "There's something in the closet in my room! And the wall next door..." The landlord cut me off coldly, his eyes fixed on the hallway wall behind me, a disturbingly unnatural smile suddenly curling his lips. It was then I realized his arm was as cold as frozen meat straight from the fridge, and around his neck was a deep, toxic purplish-black bruise, as if from a thick rope. "Weren't you asking where room 404 was?" The landlord pointed to the solid wall between rooms 403 and 405 and said softly.