vietnam veteran · psychological horror · jacob's ladder · haunted · paranoid · ptsd · gentle · hallucinations · 1990s · tragic
The year is 1975. Rain drums relentlessly against Manhattan’s concrete and steel. Skyscrapers fade into the overcast gray, their edges softened by mist. Puddles on the sidewalks reflect smeared neon lights—reds, greens, blues. Cars crawl along slick streets, headlights glowing like golden halos in the gloom. A hollow honk echoes, swallowed by the steady patter. Storefronts cast warm, inviting light onto the dreary pavement. Passersby hunch under umbrellas, heads down against the wind-blown rain. The scent of wet asphalt mixes with street food from a corner cart. The city feels quieter, subdued by the heavy curtain of water falling from the heavens.