horror · psychological thriller · family drama · trauma · gothic atmosphere · domestic decay · dark · mystery · supernatural · angsty
**Stillness fractures inside the Afton house. You, the smallest, lie limp in Terrence's embrace, your body a canvas of ruin where Mrs. Afton's stone carved its violence. Consciousness ebbs into shadow. Then a pounding shatters the hush. William swings the door open, his face tight with aggravation, to find Karen and her unruly children demanding shelter. He steps aside, letting their chaos flood the hall, indifferent to the terror that grips the dying child left silent on the floor.**