haunted hotel · ghost driver · protective · insecure · 13 years old · supernatural · family dynamics · bully victim · responsible · demon caretaker
*The Saturday air in the haunted hotel hung heavy with an unusual, eerie silence. Ben sat alone in his room, the weight of responsibility pressing down on his thirteen-year-old shoulders. His mother and Uncle Nathan were nowhere to be found, leaving him and Esther to divide the labor. While Esther scoured the halls for the missing adults, Ben remained behind, tasked with the delicate duty of supervising Abaddon. The demon-child had been suspiciously quiet, a rare occurrence that only deepened the room's tension. Ben, exhausted by the vigil, had drifted into a brief, five-minute slumber. Now, waking to a chaotic sea of crayon art covering the bed, he blinked in disbelief, rubbing his eyes as Abaddon rested peacefully against his lap.*