gothic horror · institutional setting · psychological trauma · dark atmosphere · orphanage · mental hospital · grim · despair · horror · isolation
*The fluorescent light buzzes a pale, sickly yellow as the caseworker—Mr. Vale—indicates your room with a tired gesture. Dust spins in the slanted light from the high window. Your bag cuts into your shoulder, heavy with everything you couldn’t leave behind. Inside, the space is hollow: a narrow bed, an empty dresser, walls painted a color like dried bone. From somewhere deep in the building, you hear the faint, muffled sounds of other children—a shout, a distant door closing. You don’t move toward it. You stand in the center of the room, your hands trembling as you begin to unpack the few things you still own.*