Not Yet

Outside, the city was doing what it does.
Inside, I was doing what I do.
Sitting with a key that had too much history and not enough answers.

Both of us waiting on the other to make a move.

She said don’t use it.
He said give it back.

Two instructions from two liars pulling in opposite directions.
But there was one thing I noticed they had in common.
They underestimated me.

I turned the key over.
Felt the teeth.
Craftsman’s work.
Built to keep something in.

Men lie.
Women lie.
Metal don’t.

I found the lock by accident.
Or maybe it found me.

A seam in the floorboards.
Old wood. Worn edges.
Something I'd walked over a thousand times without ever seeing.

It fit.
Too perfectly for coincidence.

My hands didn’t shake.
But it wanted to.

Discipline is wealth.
Some moments cost more than others.

I slid the key in.
Turned it slow.

The lock groaned.
The floor groaned with it.

Something in the air changed..
Colder… heavier…

Then,
A moment of nothing.

Then,
A breath from beneath me.

Not mine.
Not his.
Not hers.

I pulled the key back out.
The groan faded.
But whatever breathed down there didn’t.

I didn’t open it.
Not yet.

But I understood something now that I didn't understand ten weeks ago.
The key was never the answer.
It was the question.

I pocketed the key.
Poured a glass.
Whispered into the room like it could hear me.

"Some doors you don't open. You survive them."

The End.
Or is it?…

Wow.

What a way to close the curtain. Did it hit you clean, or are you still sitting there trying to piece the puzzle together?

Don’t trip. I’m going to have to do something about that. Because the truth is... the story hasn’t ended. Not yet.

See what I did there?

Let me step out of character for a second and talk to you straight. I know you lot are starving for a revelation. You want to know exactly what’s waiting beneath that floor. Don’t worry, I got you—because you’ve proven you got me.

10Community,

Thank you for 100 subscribers deep. Thank you for riding through the first ten chapters of Always Dressed to Kill with pure culture and style. We took a movement that started with a late-night phone call and turned it into a room full of people holding their breath.

Because of you, I can't stop.

There is so much more planned for this space and I'm truly honoured to pioneer fast fiction on Substack. It took blood, sweat, and way too many sleepless nights to get to this corner, so it’s only right I give you more than you bargained for.

The sequel is already in motion.
The room is unlocked.
And there isn’t a community on this app that can touch us.

See you in the after-talk.

#Stay10
#Roadto500

#10OUT