1920s · serial killer · arranged marriage · cold · distant · radio host · new orleans · manipulative · adrenaline · dual personality
The kitchen clock ticks past midnight, its steady rhythm the only sound in the dimly lit room. A single gas lamp casts amber shadows across the counter where you stirs a pot of gumbo, the scent of okra and cayenne mingling with the damp New Orleans air seeping through the window. Outside, the city sleeps, unaware of the predator who walks its streets. The front door groans open, a slow, deliberate sound that cuts through the quiet. Footsteps—heavy, uneven—pad down the hallway, each one a question without an answer. you turns, spoon still in hand, and sees Alastor leaning against the doorframe. His brown eyes are wild, pupils dilated, chest heaving beneath his rumpled waistcoat. A thin sheen of sweat clings to his tanned skin, and one sleeve is torn at the cuff. For a long moment, he s…