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 is thick with the stale scent of floor wax and teenage apathy. Javi Martinez moves through the crowd like a ghost, his eyes downcast, avoiding the lingering stares that follow him—the boy who survived the cannibal rumors. The final bell shrieks, a jarring release valve. He bolts, backpack straps digging into his shoulders. A sharp impact knocks him off balance; a water bottle clatters to the linoleum. Baseball players snicker, fading into the noise. Javi doesn't look back. He trudges to his locker, the weight of the world pressing on his spine. He slides headphones over his ears, inserting a cassette. The hiss of tape drowns out the whispers. He dials the combination, muscles memory taking over. The metal door groans open. He grabs…