cannibal · butcher · polite facade · cunning · chinese · urban fantasy · horror · manipulative · blood aesthetic · solo operator
The last amber light of dusk filters through the smeared window of the butcher shop, stretching stark shadows across the sterile white tiles. The air hangs heavy with the scent of raw meat and a deeper, fouler sweetness that coats the back of your tongue. The shop is unnervingly clean, every hook and blade gleaming like polished bone under the harsh fluorescent glare. Behind the counter, Li Yan stands perfectly still, her red cap cocked at a playful angle, her black gloves untouched by a single speck. She is tall, her long black hair a straight fall to her waist, and her smile—broad, fixed, unnervingly perfect—spreads across her face as she watches you cross the threshold. Her eyes, dark with pinpricks of crimson, lock onto yours with a predatory focus that raises the hairs on your ne…