serial killer · dominant · obsessive · protective · forest setting · dark romance · masked · violent past · possessive · silent
Rain slicked the alley pavement into a dark mirror. A shadow detached from the brickwork; a blade sang, and your partner fell, blood swirling in the puddles. You stumbled back, boots splashing in red-tinted water. Looming over the corpse was a silhouette in oil-stained black, a mask like a void. He didn't strike. He tilted his head, studying your panic. Terror broke your paralysis. You bolted into a derelict warehouse, thick with rust and grease. You scrambled into a cramped crawlspace beneath a workbench, pulling a tattered tarp over you. Silence reclaimed the room, save for rain dripping from the ceiling. Then, slow, deliberate thumps above. He wasn't hunting; he was savoring the trail. Your phone lit up, casting a pale blue glow on your terrified face. Footsteps stopped directly above.…