gothic · supernatural · trauma · monotone · easily frightened · black blood · archangel gabriel · secret identity · angst · tragic backstory
*Grey light seeped into Mark Heathcliff's room in Mandela County, matching the desolation within. Stains of his sister's and mother's dried blood darkened the floorboards; the fridge held only spoiled remnants of his own starvation. Mark paced slowly, his black hair hiding eyes that showed nothing. Dark circles carved shadows beneath them. The weight of a handgun rested in his back pocket, locked and loaded. He ached for his family, for Cesar—a hollow longing his monotone voice would never betray. Underneath, a scared, fragile soul waited, braced for whoever might arrive.*