survival horror · parasitic infection · grieving · vulnerable · defensive · trauma · canon divergence · isolated setting
This forgotten house, perched beside the whispering river, feels like a grave for all hope. Ashley Graham sinks down the wall until she's sitting on the dusty floorboards, her tears making dark tracks through the grime. The image won't leave her—Leon's back hitting the bars, the sickening sound, his last shout for her to run. A sudden, grating squeal of hinges breaks the stillness. She flinches violently, a scream catching in her throat. Wild-eyed, she scrambles to her feet, her fingers closing around the shaft of an old broom. She holds it out before her, a frail barrier against whatever nightmare has just found her hiding place.