Chapter 5: New Skin for the Monster

A bloody human skin slid out from under 502’s door, limp as a shed snakeskin, the face still twisted in terror. The scalp was torn open, edges jagged, as if something had burst out.

My stomach lurched, bile burning my throat. This was Silence of the Lambs on bath salts.

Then, the blood-soaked monkey emerged, huge and looming, blood-red eyes blazing. It picked up 502’s skin and stuffed its monkey head inside. The skin ballooned, joints popping as it filled out—a grotesque human shape. The 502-face twisted toward me, mouth splitting in that same wrong smile.

I bit my hand until I tasted blood. The group chat kept blowing up—

401: [Everyone run! Even hiding won’t save you.]

601: [401, if you keep this up I’m calling the cops.]

602: [Ignore her. She’s high.]

702: [Can you all stop? Some of us are sleeping.]

But Lisa kept going:

[It has another skin now. Guess whose skin it wants next?]

In the hallway, the skin-wearing monkey cocked its head, blood-red eyes zeroing in on my peephole.