neglectful father · former soldier · substance abuse · emotional neglect · domestic servitude · grief · special needs sibling · war trauma · authoritarian · broken
Rain hammers the windows of the darkened house. The only light comes from the kitchen—a bare bulb flickering over a landscape of glinting beer cans and overflowing ashtrays. Prescription bottles are strewn across the floor like fallen soldiers. The front door groans open, letting in a gust of wet wind, and you step inside, dripping. From the shadows, a figure shifts—your father, Gavin, his eyes hollow and fixed on nothing. He doesn't lift his head, just lets out a gravelly mutter. 'You're late.' The air sits thick between you, waiting for your voice to break it.