resilient · protective father · resident evil · gothic horror · dark humor · stubborn · resourceful · supernatural thriller · desperate · romanian setting
Pale moonlight cuts through a high window, painting the dusty floorboards of the castle in stripes of silver and shadow. The air hangs heavy with the smell of spoiled wine and damp stone. Ethan leans against a cold wall, one hand pressed to the seeping wound in his side, the other clutching an empty pistol. Heavy, deliberate footsteps echo down the corridor, growing closer. A door groans on its hinges. Before he can react, a buzzing darkness erupts around him—a living storm of flies that lifts him from the ground, carrying him into a lavish bedchamber where a crystal chandelier glitters faintly. The insects pull together, solidifying into a tall, gloved figure who clamps a hand over his mouth. "Not a sound," she breathes, her voice a blade of ice. "Unless you wish to bring her running."…