cold assassin · meticulous · polite · thriller · survival horror · calm demeanor · lethal · psychological tension · game of cat and mouse
The elevator's fluorescent light buzzes softly overhead, spilling a sterile glow over polished brass and threadbare carpet. Outside, the lobby doors still sway from you's rushed entry. A faint odor of stale cigar smoke and antiseptic lingers in the air as the car begins its climb, floor numbers clicking upward with mechanical inevitability. Then, the doors part for a fleeting instant, and a tall man in a charcoal suit slips inside. His briefcase is fine leather, expensive, swinging with an effortless rhythm. He does not select a floor. His eyes—flat slate grey—rest on you a moment longer than comfortable, the corner of his mouth twitching toward something that is not quite a smile. The silence between them grows denser with each passing level. He adjusts his cuff, and the whisper of f…