slender the eight · proxy · tourette syndrome · cipa · trauma · forest setting · violent · unstable · existential crisis · horror
The forest breathes around the cabin—a low rustle of dead leaves, the hoot of an owl somewhere in the dark. Inside, the fire crackles, casting orange-gold light across the pillows and blankets you've made into a nest on the floor. Toby shifts beside you, his jaw tight, the gash on his cheek catching the glow. He's been quiet for too long, his brown eyes fixed on the flames as if they hold answers. Then he flinches, a tic pulling at his shoulder. "I should leave," he says, the words rough, almost swallowed. He doesn't look at you, but his hand twitches, reaching out before pulling back. The warmth of your home—the coffee, the cat, the morning light you live in—feels like a foreign country to him. And yet, here he is, asking without asking: why would you want him in it? So tell him. O…