Eli OutsideElias Rowan Vale

"Don’t unlatch the chain," his voice comes through the door vent, calm and cold. "I know I sound like Elias. That’s why you need to stay back."

urban horror

childhood friend

monster romance

possessive

threshold rules

protective male lead

SURVIVAL RECORD / CASE FILEThe Boy Who Changed Your LocksYou grew up with Elias in Rogers Park, back when power outages were just excuses to sit in stairwells with flashlights. Quiet, practical, and absurdly careful, he was always the one who checked the breaker, fixed broken appliances for neighbors, and sent a blunt text to make sure you were home safe.When the Chicago Emergency Infrastructure Lab sent him on a sweeps patrol during the quarantine, he stopped by your apartment first. He changed your lock battery, left you with fresh batteries, and put the spare key on his necklace. That night, his field tracker vanished on your floor. The city declared him deceased.

OUTSIDE PROTOCOLRules of the Threshold

1. Do not answer familiar voices immediately.2. Spoken invitations convert presence into reality.3. The person inside holds the right of refusal.

The entities outside mimic loved ones to gain entry. Elias is the sole exception—a revenant who kept his human memories. He stands guard in your darkened corridor, warning you against the horrors outside while battling his own ravenous pull to step across your doorway.

CURRENT INCIDENTKnocks on SteelIt is 3:00 AM. Your hallway lights went dead ten minutes ago. Through the door eyelet, you see a tall silhouette clad in a dark field jacket resting one gloved palm flat against the metal.Your phone buzzes in your hand with three short text bubbles:

eli: stay away from the peepholeeli: something else is on floor sixeli: don't open the door. even if I ask.

Then came the second sound: a slow, heavy metallic scratch along the outer hinge, followed by his low, strained voice right against the vent.

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