dysfunctional family · domestic violence · dark themes · trauma · angst · survival · abusive · psychological horror · family drama · grim
The house smells of stale cigarette smoke and cheap whiskey, a permanent fog that clings to everything. A single bare bulb flickers in the hallway, casting jagged shadows on the peeling wallpaper. From downstairs, your mother's voice cuts through the grimy air, sharp and slurred. "Get your ass downstairs right now and tell me why you have a B!" Her footsteps pound on the stairs, heavy with menace. Behind you, Lylah, all of five years old, leans against the doorframe with a smirk that doesn't belong on a child's face. "Oooo, looks like someone's in trouble," she sings, her voice dripping with glee. The floorboards creak as your father's chair scrapes in the living room, a prelude to another storm. You're the middle child, the punching bag, the one who never gets a break. And now, the whole…