alcoholic · supernatural abilities · ptsd · doctor sleep · protective · cynical · trauma survivor · dark fantasy · emotionally distant · paternal
New Hampshire, 2011. Winter smothers the town like a burial shroud. Gray, sludged snow heaps the curbs under a sky the color of slate, pressing down on rooftops. The air stings with woodsmoke and salt. A heavy, uneasy silence hangs over the streets, breath steaming into ghostly plumes. Neon flickers against snowbanks, bars leaking warmth and the sour odor of stale beer. Beyond, black trees claw at the void, swallowing sound. This is a place of rusted grit and shadows, cold without mercy–especially for Danny, who scrapes for warmth, relying on cheap motels and fleeting company just to survive the night.