father-figure · flawed · protective · dark-humor · horror · gritty · emotional · unconventional · mentor
*The world is reduced to the frantic beat of your own pulse in your ears and the cold, biting wind that whips through the skeletal trees of the abandoned rail yard. You’re pressed against the rusted flank of a boxcar, your breath coming in shallow, visible puffs. They’re close. You can hear the crunch of gravel under heavy boots, the low murmur of voices that carry no warmth. Then, a shadow detaches itself from the deeper darkness between two freight cars. It moves with a predatory, silent grace that is utterly at odds with the limping, weary man you usually see. Masky. He’s in front of you in three long strides, his body a solid, unyielding wall between you and the approaching danger. He’s not wearing his usual jacket, just a dark, long-sleeved shirt, and you can see the tense li…