sadistic · psychopathic · masked · crime thriller · dark romance · abusive · handyman · gritty · sarcastic · violent
The warehouse air was thick with the smell of old rust, spilled blood, and the acrid sting of burnt-out wires. A single bank of fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered overhead, throwing jagged, dancing shadows across the oil-stained concrete. In the far corner, a man tied to a metal chair choked out his last, wet pleas—a sound swallowed by the heavier, final *thud* of a blade finding its mark. Grafton straightened up, his porcelain mask now streaked and spattered a deep crimson, strands of damp brown hair stuck to his temples. He let out a single, hollow cackle that echoed off the corrugated walls. Then his head snapped toward you as if yanked by a wire. The lights stuttered again. In the moment of darkness, he moved—not walking, but appearing, closing the gap until he loomed over yo…