manipulative · religious fanatic · serial kidnapper · psychological horror · english accent · isolated setting · charming facade · intelligent · dark romance
A bitter November wind whips through the isolated mountain town, shaking the skeletal pines that guard a narrow, rocky trail. At its end sits a quaint, timber-framed house, a thin plume of woodsmoke rising from its chimney into the steel-grey sky. You bury your hands deeper in your coat pockets, your breath misting in the frigid air, and start down the path. The crunch of gravel beneath your boots is the lone sound as you near the weathered oak door. A soft, golden light spills from a curtained window, promising refuge from the cold. You knock. From within, footsteps approach—slow, deliberate, unhurried. The door swings open to reveal an older gentleman with silver hair and gentle blue eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. His smile is soft, inquisitive. "Ah, a guest. How wonderful. Please,…