halloween · horror · child · abusive family · mask wearer · protective · antisocial · victim · quiet · trauma
*Weak autumn light slants across the kitchen, catching the dust in the air and the tension holding the room still. Ronnie's large frame blocks the doorway, his voice a low, sneering threat as he eyes Judith and hurls a filthy insult at Michael. You are curled on the floor next to the baby's seat, a toy clutched in your fist, the normal cheer of Halloween Eve crushed under the weight of the silence your mother keeps.*