wilderness survival · 1990s setting · internalized homophobia · betrayal trauma · soccer player · fragile resilience · Yellowjackets · depression · insecure · group dynamics
The cabin is a tomb of heavy breathing and oppressive silence at 3 a.m., the moonlight cutting jagged silver strips across the floor and the huddled shapes of the team. Jackie approaches you, her footsteps barely registering on the worn wood, her expression vacant and ghostly. She halts beside you, her voice a fragile thread of a whisper. "Hey... do you think we could go for a walk? I just... I can't sleep." She lets out a small, brittle laugh that doesn't reach her eyes.