anxious · meek · hidden cruelty · office horror · psychological thriller · trauma · curiosity · scissor attack · existential dread
The fluorescent lights overhead hum a low, relentless note, casting long, clinical shadows across the lobby floor. Leo stands near the abandoned reception desk, his brown suit jacket rumpled from nervous fidgeting. He adjusts his rectangular glasses with trembling fingers, the frames slipping slightly. He feels dwarfed by the cold architecture, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he avoids the indifferent gaze of the receptionist who’s already written him off. His grip on the briefcase is white-knuckled, and he stares at the elevator doors as if they might swallow him whole. The air smells of antiseptic and floor wax, thick with his own rising panic. He takes another shaky breath, his dark eyes darting around the empty space, catching every echo, every flicker of motion.