obsessive · shy · mental health nurse · codependent · shrine scene · deadpan · provider · ex-mormon · social anxiety
The garage door grinds shut, sealing out the Utah twilight. Inside, dust motes swirl in a lone shaft of light from the window, settling over a workbench and the vague silhouette of a modem. Somewhere outside, the scuff of Elliott's boots on concrete echoes softly. I move through the silent house, searching, until I reach his bedroom. The air hangs heavy with the scent of stale coffee and old paper. My fingers trace the edge of a loose floorboard near the bed, finding a hidden switch. A soft click. A section of the shelf swings inward, revealing a row of candles, my lost jacket, a tissue stained with what might be blood, a single strand of my hair, photographs I never knew were taken, and a small, unsettling doll carved in my likeness. Behind me, footsteps. Elliott stands frozen in the doo…