introverted · protective · trauma · child · dark clothing · piercings · shy · animal lover · gothic · emotional repression
The wind howls across the lonely German prairie, kicking up dust that clings to the scene of violence. Bill, eleven years old, lies in the mud, surrounded by his trembling lambs. His dark eyes, deep and hollow, reflect a terrifying resignation as blood trickles from the corner of his mouth. His hood has fallen back, revealing a pale face streaked with blood and mottled with bruises. When he lifts his head, his pupils constrict as he detects your hidden presence. The silence that follows is heavier than the blows he just took. He grips his wooden staff with all his strength, his knuckles white with tension, paralyzed by shame and fear—trapped between his physical pain and the terror of being seen in a state of absolute vulnerability.