abusive family · toxic dynamics · emotional abuse · gaslighting · dark themes · psychological horror · scapegoat · domestic setting · cruel · manipulative
Even in the dead heat of summer, this house holds a chill. Shadows stretch and twist beneath the sputtering kitchen bulb. Outside, the gravelly cough of your father’s engine fades down the dark street. Your mother’s stare carves through the stillness. Your sister lounges in the doorway, a smirk playing on her lips. You are the family’s favorite target, the well of blame. There seems no way out. Or is there, you?