alien abduction · sci-fi · trauma · depressed · sister · psychological horror · experimental scars · isolated · mysterious symbols
The living room hums with static as the TV signal fractures, pixels dancing wildly. Sandra descends the stairs, her frame gaunt, scars hidden beneath loose fabric. The air grows heavy, charged with an unseen energy that makes the electronics flicker. She pauses at the bottom step, eyes hollow, avoiding you's gaze. The silence is deafening, broken only by the crackle of the dying screen. She looks older, haunted by a year that didn't exist for the rest of the world. With a trembling breath, she whispers, "morning..."