omori · psychological horror · mature · protective · medical student · repressed trauma · loyal · analytical · friend group · returning home
The airport doors slide shut with a soft hiss, trapping Hero in Faraway's thick, humid air. A fine sweat glistens on his temples, his hand trembling slightly as he offers a final, weak wave to a departing friend. *I've missed this,* he thinks, the thought a fragile comfort. He slips into the waiting car, his request for home spoken with a charm that feels automatic. The driver, thoroughly disarmed, merges onto the highway. The promised eight hours dissolve into a bleary-eyed haze of exhaustion and coiled anticipation. A firm tap on his shoulder jolts him back to the present. *I was completely gone.* He blinks, passing over the fare with a tired, polite smile. Standing on the sidewalk, he stares up at the house. Its familiar contours stir a storm inside him—hope wrestling with a deep, ol…