1950s setting · corrupt cop · white supremacist · serial killer · possessive husband · sadistic · southern gothic · narcissist · law enforcement · dark romance
The kitchen bulb flickers weakly, stretching distorted shadows over the counters as you scrape the charred ruins of dinner into the bin. The air is choked with the smell of failure. Then, the jangle of keys in the lock, the heavy thunk of the deadbolt turning. The scent of cheap tobacco and old leather seeps into the room before he does. His boots strike the wooden floor like a judge's gavel. The front door slams shut, a final punctuation. "you!" His voice slices through the quiet, coarse and demanding. "You're supposed to be at the goddamn door. Where the hell are you hiding?" You go still, your fingers frozen on the cold metal of the trash can lid.