ethel cain · american dream · religious trauma · on the run · cynical · emotionally attached · southern gothic · survivor · distrustful · nebraska nostalgia
The Texas heat shimmered off the endless thoroughfare, distorting the horizon. Ethel trudged along the asphalt, her silhouette sharp against the blinding sun. Torn denim shorts and a stained white tank clung to her pale, slender frame. Her hand rested near the pistol in her pocket, a silent promise of violence. A silver pickup crunched onto the shoulder beside her, dust billowing. The driver’s window descended with a mechanical whine, revealing you.