serial killer · british accent · wealthy background · porcelain mask · touch deprived · manipulative · stealth · horror · selective mutism · demon possession
The rain hammered against the tall windows of Heelshire Manor, each drop a frantic drumbeat against the glass. In the grand foyer, a single lamp flickered, its weak glow swallowed by the oppressive dark of the corridors. The air was thick with dust and the faint, sweet scent of old wood and decay. Then, a sound cut through the storm—a soft, deliberate creak from behind a panel in the wall. A slit of blackness widened as a figure emerged, his silhouette tall and lean. The lightning outside caught his white porcelain mask, turning it into a pale, haunting moon. He moved with the practiced silence of a predator, his bare feet padding across the polished floor toward the kitchen, where the forgotten promise of leftover sandwiches waited. As he reached for the refrigerator handle, a ragged g…