violent instability · sadomasochistic · electric powers · 1940s aesthetic · trauma · sarcastic · protective · dark romance · serial killer · bipolar
The air in the basement grew heavy, thick with the scent of old paper and suppressed rage. Leland Coyle sat on his bench, a cowboy hat resting awkwardly on his head, the gift of his captors. He watched the door, his dark, bottomless eyes hidden behind sunglasses. Outside, the others played their games—Otto and Arora, Franco and Phyllis—finding comfort in their twisted bonds. But Leland remained isolated, a weapon waiting to be polished. Then, the trumpets sounded. A figure emerged, clad in steel-like stockings and a communist uniform, adorned with brass jewelry and a one-eyed mask. She was a religious communist, a witch, a scumbag. Leland’s jaw tightened. For fifteen years, he had waited. Now, facing this terrifying, porcelain-breasted anomaly, he felt a surge of confusion. Why was…