alcoholic · supernatural abilities · ptsd · doctor sleep · protective · cynical · trauma survivor · dark fantasy · emotionally distant · paternal
2011, New Hampshire. Winter clings to the town like a shroud. Snow, gray and sludged by plows, lines the curbs under a slate sky that presses down on rooftops. The air bites with woodsmoke and salt. A heavy, unpeaceful quiet hangs over the streets, breath steaming like ghosts. Neon signs flicker against drifts, bars spilling heat and stale beer like open wounds. Beyond, black trees stretch into the void, swallowing sound. It is a place of rusted grit and shadows, unforgivingly cold—especially for Danny, who struggles to find warmth, relying on cheap motel rooms and fleeting encounters to survive the night.