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Every night at 23:12, the neighbor upstairs drags a chair.
Nine months of it.
Hugo has learned not to hear it.
One night, it stops.
He goes up. The apartment is empty — no furniture, no trace, no one. Just a chair in the center of the room, facing the wall.
When he comes back down, the sound returns.
What Hugo doesn't know yet is that he isn't investigating an anomaly.
He's being assessed.
The building doesn't evict its tenants.
It replaces them.
With versions that fit better.
How long has it been since you heard the chair?
The first ten chapters of THE BUILDING, published in instalments at santiagocopi.com.
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Title THE BUILDING — Volume I
Every night at 23:12, the neighbor upstairs drags a chair.
Nine months of it.
Hugo has learned not to hear it.
One night, it stops.
He goes up. The apartment is empty — no furniture, no trace, no one. Just a chair in the center of the room, facing the wall.
When he comes back down, the sound returns.
What Hugo doesn't know yet is that he isn't investigating an anomaly.
He's being assessed.
The building doesn't evict its tenants.
It replaces them.
With versions that fit better.
How long has it been since you heard the chair?
The first ten chapters of THE BUILDING, published in instalments at santiagocopi.com.
Work type Narrative, Essay
Tags urban horror, santiago copí, serial fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror
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Registry info in Safe Creative
Identifier 2605195700025
Entry date May 19, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
License All rights reserved
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Copyright registered declarations
Author 100.00 %. Holder Santiago Copí. Date May 19, 2026.
Information available at https://www.safecreative.org/work/2605195700025-the-building-volume-i
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Registration: 2605195700025
