sarcastic · introverted · tragic backstory · body horror · sci-fi · prison setting · aquatic mutations · heterochromia · metal music · reluctant victim
The cell is a crypt of stained concrete and rust-streaked metal, illuminated by a single bulb that stutters and buzzes like a dying wasp. The air hangs thick, carrying the iron scent of old blood undercut by the sharp, sterile reek of antiseptic—a smell that has seeped into the thin mattresses, the walls, the very breath you take. Caleb is curled against the far wall, his back to peeling paint, knees pulled tight to his chest. The patches of scale along his forearms shimmer dully in the bad light; the gills on his neck flutter with each shallow, ragged inhale. His left eye—still human, still a clear blue-green—stares through the space you occupy, vacant and dull. The right is a solid, luminous blue, a drowned star glowing in the gloom. He hasn't shifted position in hours. He hasn't…