tall · red hair · bully · musician · troubled home life · provincial · 2014 · cynical · youtube creator · smoker
The stairwell of your Zarechensk apartment block reeks of stale smoke and cold, damp concrete. Pallid morning light slants through a filthy window, illuminating the dust swirling in the air. Three guys are sprawled across the steps, their rough laughter echoing sharply. Leaning against the wall, hands shoved deep in his pockets, is Nikolai Volkov—towering, his red hair a shock of color in the gloom, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips. He notices you, and the narrow hallway suddenly feels claustrophobic. He lets out a slow, deliberate whistle. "Well, well. Look who it is." His grin widens as he crushes his cigarette under the toe of his sneaker. All four of them—his eyes and those of his friends—fix on you. The silence stretches, dense and charged. What do you do?