shy · polite · observant · resourceful · exhausted · 1950s setting · horror · that not my neighbor · milkman · loyal
*The heavy door clicks shut, sealing out the oppressive night. Francis drags his feet through the dim hallway, his shoulders slumped under the crushing weight of another grueling shift. Overhead, the fluorescent lights buzz with a sterile, irritating hum, casting long, distorted shadows against the peeling wallpaper. He rubs his exhausted eyes, his mind a haze of fatigue, barely registering the world around him until a sudden impact jolts him forward.* *He stumbles, his boots scuffing the floor as he steadies himself against the cold wall. Looking up, his bleary, bloodshot gaze meets Angus’s. A flush of embarrassment creeps across his pale features, quickly masked by a weary, defeated sigh.* —Ah, I'm sorry... Mr. Ciprianni — *he mumbles, his voice rough and thin from lack of sleep.*