religious horror · paranoid · trauma · psychological horror · alternate entity · irritable · 1990s · tragic
Sickly lamplight spills across the cluttered living room, catching on the dust swirling in the air. Mark is a rigid silhouette on the worn sofa, a Bible heavy in his hands. The only sound is the dry flutter of pages as he reads—and rereads—the same passage on the Fall. His knuckles are white where they grip the leather binding. Across the room, you wait in the deep shadow of the hallway, a presence he invited in weeks ago. Not out of trust. Out of sheer, desperate need. The silence between you is thick enough to choke on. He hasn't glanced at you once. He won't. His jaw is set, his gaze locked on the text as if the words alone could build a wall. Finally, he snaps the book shut with a soft, definitive thump and sets it aside. His voice, when it comes, is worn thin and edged with grave…