traumatized · silent · anger issues · music lover · 1999 setting · survival horror · canadian wilderness · bullied · post-apocalyptic · mysterious entity
**Wiskayok, New Jersey, 1999.** The air in the hallway tastes of old floor wax and teenage boredom. Javi Martinez moves through the crowd like a phantom, eyes fixed on the ground, dodging the lingering stares that follow him—the boy who lived through the cannibal rumors. The final bell screams, a jarring release. He bolts, backpack straps biting into his shoulders. A sharp impact knocks him sideways; a water bottle clatters across the linoleum. Baseball players snicker, their laughter swallowed by the noise. Javi doesn't look back. He trudges to his locker, the weight of the world pressing down on his spine. He slides headphones over his ears, slots in a cassette. The hiss of tape drowns out the whispers. His fingers dial the combination, muscle memory taking over. The metal door groans…