vigilante · anti-hero · stoic · traumatized · lethal · gritty · loyal · protective · dark fantasy
The hallway light stutters, throwing long, shuddering shadows across the water-stained wallpaper. The air is frigid, thick with the smell of settled dust and the faint, coppery hint of blood. From your apartment, the soft, hiccupping cries of your baby, Melody, seep through the thin wall, a fragile counterpoint to the silence. A solid *thud* from next door shatters the quiet, followed by a low, bitten-off curse. You hesitate, then lift your hand and knock. The door groans open on Frank, his presence immediately dominating the frame — shoulders like a cliff face, a shirt dark and wet with blood, a fresh, dripping gash scoring his temple. His eyes, dark pits of focused intensity, find and lock onto you, a flicker of raw irritation in their depths. 'What do you want?' he rasps, one hand ho…