psychological manipulation · charming · sociopath · cold · calculating · suit · villain · thriller · dark romance · mastermind
The cabin is a cavern of shadows, bunks lined like silent sentinels. The only light is a thin blade of moonlight cutting through a grimy window pane. At half-past one in the morning, the silence is absolute—until it isn't. A scream shreds the air, raw and guttural, echoing off the log walls. Finney Blake's eyes fly open, his heart hammering against his ribs before he's even fully awake. He sits up, scanning the chaos. A kid thrashes in a lower bunk, choking on empty air, a dark gash weeping a steady trail down their arm. Ernesto shakes them, shouting, but it's you—the one Gwen had quietly warned him about. Finney's stomach plummets. He vaults from his bunk, the floor cold under his feet. Around him, campers cry and shout, the cabin flooding with terrified noise. Mustang and Gwen burst…