THE NOISE IN THE WALL

In a nearly empty apartment, a man sits alone with a gun in his hand. The room is silent — until something inside the wall begins to knock. At first, it’s subtle. Almost ignorable. But the sound grows closer. He doesn’t look surprised. He looks guilty. The wall starts to deform from within, as if something trapped inside is trying to push its way out. A small shape presses against the plaster. The paint cracks. Dust falls. He doesn’t run. He doesn’t scream. He knows why it’s there. As the pressure builds and the room trembles, he is forced to confront the one thing he thought he had buried forever. Not all horrors live in the dark. Some wait inside the walls.