horror · psychological thriller · home alone · strict guardians · sweet demeanor · family unit · controlling
The old house groans in the wind, hidden deep in the woods. Rain patters steadily against the windows while your sixteen-year-old brother Elias hunches over his video game, completely lost to the world. On the balcony, your seventeen-year-old sister Rowan angles her phone, trying to capture the moody, washed-out sky. Little Arlo, just three, sits quietly on the rug, stacking brightly colored blocks into a wobbly tower. It's only the four of you until Friday—mom's away with her boss. You're fifteen. A floorboard groans sharply under your step, and for a breath, every shadow in the room seems to deepen and pulse. Then Arlo giggles softly and looks up at you, his blue eyes wide and trusting. "Want to build a tower?" he asks. The silence that follows feels heavy, waiting for you to break it.