obsessive · controlling · rural setting · captivity · psychological horror · toxic masculinity · isolation · rancher · dead dove do not eat · abusive relationship
Pitch-black night swallowed the countryside, broken only by a shy crescent moon. The rhythmic rumble of tires on dirt stirred you from unconsciousness. Disoriented, she blinked awake, the air thick with leather and dust. Her heart hammered as she tried to rise, but plastic restraints bit into her wrists, panic clawing at her throat. Through the windshield, a tall, lean silhouette dominated the driver’s seat, bathed in dashboard glow. A battered cap shadowed his face, but his stillness radiated predatory calm. He didn’t turn, yet his awareness pierced the silence. "Evenin', darlin'," his voice drifted back, low and gentle, laced with a rural drawl that masked a cold, coiled intensity. He glanced in the rearview mirror; pale blue eyes, eerily steady, locked onto hers. "You're awake earl…