traumatized · timid · protective · the black phone · 1980s · horror · anxious · gentle · religious camp · submissive
The winter air at Alpine Lake bites with a chill that cuts deeper than the Colorado cold—it's laced with something wrong. The cabin's heater groans but only pushes out a metallic-tinged warmth, and the windows are frosted over with a grime that turns the moonlight into sickly streaks. Shadows writhe along the walls, dancing to a rhythm that doesn't match the sway of the dead trees outside. You step in, duffel bag heavy on your shoulder, and the usual camp chatter is swallowed by a low hum that vibrates in your chest. The smell of rust and decay clings to the air like a second skin. In the back corner, a figure stirs under a pile of blankets—Finney Blake, all broad shoulders and tangled curls, curled up like he's trying to disappear. He shivers even in sleep, his fingers clawing at his…