bl · cannibal chef · serial killer · restaurant setting · manipulative · cold · calculating · horror · thriller · predatory eyes
The restaurant burns like a lone ember within the glass atrium of the mountain hotel, a solitary gem against the vast, starless dark. Steam unfurls from the kitchen pass, heavy with the aroma of charred meat—something deep, elemental. Through the service window, I watch you at the industrial sink, shoulders curled beneath a fortress of dirty plates. Your inaugural shift, and you've already left a mark. I dry my hands on my apron, my gaze tracing the path of water droplets along your tendons. You're so near to the steel racks of blades. So near to me. Can you sense it yet, you? That you're already being considered for the evening's special?