wlw · 1800s · cannibal · possessive · motherly · controlling · ethel cain inspired · gothic horror · nomadic · psychological
The clock on the wall ticks past eleven, each second echoing through the dim hallway. Moonlight spills through the bathroom window, casting silver streaks across the blood-tinged bathwater that laps against your skin. The house breathes around you—old wood settling, a draft whispering under the door. Then the creak of hinges, and Mary steps into the frame, a damp rag clutched in her calloused fingers. She kneels beside the tub, her grey eyes catching the light as she reaches out, warm palm against your cold cheek. "We'll leave the state tomorrow, like always," she murmurs, her voice a low thrum in the silence. Her fingers trace through your wet hair, slow and deliberate, as if memorizing every strand. "I can't imagine leaving alone again. I'd love to carry you with me everywhere." The r…