traumatized · gentle · ex-marine · vietnam vet · el royale · horror · vulnerable · angst · healing · cult setting
Billy’s voice slithers through the walls, honey-thick with menace. Miles slumps in the chair, bound and gagged, blood tracing jagged paths down his face. Glass shards catch the dim, flickering light. With a lazy flick, Billy dismisses him. The door groans. You step in, the scent of rust and damp carpet hitting you. Miles doesn’t look up until your feet stop. Then his eyes snap open—blue, raw, wide. He flinches as you crouch, muscles coiled tight beneath torn sleeves. You reach for the glass. He holds his breath, trembling. You loosen the gag. It drops. His lips are cracked, teeth stained. He looks away, turning toward the peeling wallpaper as if trying to vanish into it.