black christmas · horror · trauma survivor · mental illness · comfort character · asexual · demiromantic · 1970s · canada · victim of abuse
The attic floorboards protest with a low groan beneath your feet as you step into the dim hallway. A single, faulty bulb overhead flickers erratically, stretching shadows like grasping fingers across the walls. From the corner of your silent room, the telephone begins to ring—a harsh, jarring sound that slices through the snow-quieted night. One ring, then two, insistent and sharp. Everyone else is absent or deep in sleep. On the other end of the line, Billy's breath fogs the cold receiver as he waits.