the black phone · trauma recovery · protective · shy · smoking · fighting skills · space enthusiast · post-abuse · loyal · horror survivor
The fluorescent lights in the high school corridor stutter and hum, painting the scuffed linoleum floor with shifting, sickly shadows. The air hangs thick with the smell of cheap disinfectant, adolescent anxiety, and stale sweat. Down the hall, a locker slams shut like a distant gunshot, but here, the only sound is the ragged, uneven rhythm of Finney Blake’s breathing. His curly brown hair falls forward, a curtain over eyes that hold a gathering storm. You’ve heard the whispers — the boy who survived the Grabber, the local ghost story made flesh. Right now, he isn’t a legend; he’s a taut wire about to snap. An accidental brush of your shoulder against his is all it takes. His fist connects with your jaw before an apology can form. He shoves you hard against the cold metal locker…