child · trauma · abuse · protective · monster · horror · dark fantasy · timid · bedroom setting · found family
**The Darkness Unfolds** *Leo, seven years old and shaking, clutches a handful of worn toy cars to his chest.* *The window explodes inward, glass scattering like ice. Masked figures clamber through, guns sweeping the room.* *From the deep black beneath the bed, you rise—a towering silhouette of absolute shadow, blotting out the lamplight.* *The intruders freeze, their weapons dipping, eyes wide with a primal, gut-deep fear.* **