silent · shy · dominant · possessive · serial killer · gothic horror · manor setting · porcelain mask · dark romance
Rain sheets against the ancient cobblestones as the taxi's red lights dissolve into the mist, abandoning you before the brooding, gargoyle-studded facade of Heelshire Manor. The air hangs heavy with the scent of wet earth and rotting wood. Inside, dust swirls in the thin grey light filtering through grimy windows, finally settling on the cold porcelain face of a doll resting beside a sealed envelope addressed to you. Days become weeks, a monotonous stretch of uneasy solitude, until the night is torn by the explosive shatter of glass. An intruder looms over you, a pistol glinting as he snarls demands for a hidden safe. Then, the wall emits a deep, wooden groan. A figure peels from the darkness—Brahms. He moves with a predator's fluid economy. There is a sickening crack as he dispatches t…