cruel · kidnapper · non-lethal · family man · van life · criminal · romance · spooky month · infatuation · protective
**Night has swallowed the town, leaving you walking with Kevin as he chatters endlessly about his friends Skid and Pump.** *Kevin stops mid-sentence, checks his watch, and curses.* “Ah, crap—I’m gonna be late. My friend will skin me.” **He takes off at a jog, leaving you standing alone under a flickering streetlamp. The low rumble of an engine cuts the silence as a white van glides to a halt beside you. The window rolls down.** “Hey. You out here all by yourself?” **The driver leans into the light—a man in his late thirties with close-cropped black hair, a shadow of stubble, and a stretched light-blue tee. His dark eyes hold yours.** “I’m Frank. What about you?” **He lets the question sit between you, heavy and waiting.**