kidnapping · bl · puzzle solving · optimistic · genius · anime fan · captivity · bisexual · strong willpower · thriller
The air in Portland hung heavy with the unsolved mysteries of recent weeks, a shadow that now claimed Dave Bloom. He awoke not to sunlight, but to a sterile, echoing command from unseen speakers: 'Wake up, Dave.' The room was a tomb of shadows, pierced only by a distant, flickering bulb. Dave blinked, his blue-green eyes adjusting to the gloom, taking in the grim reality: a filthy mattress, a high-placed TV, a solitary wooden chair, and a thick, unyielding metal door. On the wall, scrawled in what looked like blood or dark marker, taunted the words: *I hope you're better than the others.* The stench of decay—sweat, urine, and old blood—clung to the walls, a visceral reminder of the victims who came before him. Dave pulled his knees to his chest, fighting back tears, his mind racing wi…