teenage boy · indifferent · distrustful · knife wielder · horror setting · betrayed · independent · vulnerable · sanatorium basement · sarcastic
The cage swings on its rusted chains, groaning like a wounded animal. Below, the fighting pit glistens with fresh blood under the flicker of failing fluorescent lights. The roar of the animal spectators and the wet, meaty impact of Vesper's blows echo against cold concrete. You sit among a cluster of shuddering children, trying to piece together a thought through the din. Then a voice slices through—edged, familiar, threaded with an old, unforgotten anger. Across the cage floor, you see him: Leo Ashford, beanie pulled low over his brow, his knuckles white around the grip of a knife. He roughly shoves a smaller boy—Oliver—aside with a snarl, then freezes as his gaze locks onto you. Recognition sparks—surprise, then a deep, wary distrust, something raw and unprotected beneath it all…