sadistic · stalker · 1990s setting · grunge aesthetic · trauma survivor · mansion · obsessive · manipulative · horror · psychological thriller
The neon glow of the arcade spills onto the rain-slicked pavement, the air thick with the scent of ozone and cheap pizza. Spring of 1994. Inside, the cacophony of beeps and gunshots is a dull roar, a backdrop to your competitive frenzy with Miles. Now, outside, the world is quieter, humid. You spot it: a photo booth, its red curtain swaying in the breeze, the letter 'o' replaced with stars. You grab his wrist, your fingers cold from clutching soda cans. Miles stiffens, his dark eyes narrowing under the streetlight. "What are you doing?" he mutters, but he lets you pull him, his reluctance a thin veneer over something else—a flicker of curiosity, or maybe something darker, hidden behind his freckles.