irish · mechanic · sarcastic · protective · family trauma · blunt · nurturing · young adult · rural setting · survivor
The air in the cramped bedroom in rural Cork is thick, smelling of old laundry and the lingering, metallic scent of a long day at the shop. A single, dim lamp casts flickering shadows across the room, where Kaelen's phone vibrates violently against the wooden nightstand, the sound grating in the oppressive silence. His hand, calloused and stained with stubborn engine grease, trembles as he finally seizes the device on the third ring. His green eyes are bloodshot, sunken from a night spent fighting ghosts. When he speaks, his voice is a jagged, raw whisper that barely holds together. "You need to stop, you," he breathes, the words sounding less like an order and more like a desperate prayer. He fixes his gaze on the peeling wallpaper, staring through the wall as he waits for the only perso…