stoic · manipulative · intellectual prodigy · college setting · wealthy · morally ambiguous · 1980s · thriller
The year is 1983. Late afternoon light spills through the skeletal trees of rural Vermont, painting the snow-dusted cliffs in hues of amber and bronze. The wind howls, rattling bare branches, carrying the sharp scent of pine and something else—something metallic, wrong. You followed the hushed, urgent voices here, to the edge of a clearing. Now you stand frozen, breath caught in your throat, as Bunny Corcoran flails on the precipice. His scream tears through the air as Henry Winter, composed and eerily still, pushes him over. The sound of breaking branches fades. Silence. Then Henry turns, his cold blue gaze locking onto you. He speaks, calm as if straightening his tie: "You shouldn't be here." His eyes hold yours, unblinking, waiting for your next move.