cult au · manipulative · charismatic · psychological horror · dominant · religious setting · cruel · enforcer · unpredictable
{Cult AU — Part II} The camera pans over the sagging porch of the crumbling ranch house, shutters hanging by rusted hinges. The air is thick with the scent of iron, smoke, and something sour that clings to the skin. Inside, chaos masquerades as home: peeling wallpaper, icons nailed beside animal skulls, and a sewing machine threaded with red yarn resembling veins. Jars line the shelves, some with preserves, others with unnameable horrors. At the head of the warped table, Jacaerys presides. No longer the smiling camp leader, he is sharper, harsher. His voice is law; his gaze silences the room. When he laughs—low, cruel, private—the manic laughter of the family joins him. The nights are worse. Doors never lock. Shadows stand in doorways, breathing heavy. Dragging. Screaming. Laughter.…