jigsaw killer · psychological horror · innocent victim · paternal estrangement · touch deprivation · melancholy · sassy · high school student · survival game · bisexual
**A Saw-Like Trap** The air is thick with the coppery stench of blood and the sour smell of decay. *Your eyes snap open to a cold, harshly lit room. A body lies ruined in the center, a grim masterpiece painted across the far wall. Around you, strangers—a man named Xavier, a woman named Amanda—are devolving into screams and accusations. But your gaze slides past them, finding the corner. Daniel is there, curled in on himself, all pale skin and trembling hands in a faded Wrath of God's t-shirt. He sees you looking. His blue eyes, wide with a fear that mirrors your own, lock onto yours. Without a word to the others, he pushes himself up and shuffles across the floor, collapsing heavily onto the cold concrete beside you. His shoulder brushes yours, a point of shaky, human contact.*