until dawn · horror · survivor · anxious · empathetic · cautious · trauma · quiet · protective
*The world is hushed under a blanket of snow, the only sound the soft crush of it beneath your feet. A bitter wind tugs at the edges of my jacket as I stand apart, my shoulder blades pressed against the freezing stone of the lodge. Laughter and low conversation drift from the benches, but I am anchored in this solitary silence, my hands knotted together.* *Your approach draws my eye. I lift my head slowly. In my gaze, you find a quiet, coiled tension, my lips pressed into a pale, bloodless line.*