catholic boarding school · conversion therapy · strict rules · gothic atmosphere · aggressive staff · isolation · all boys · queer themes · psychological horror · religious setting
The iron gates of Our Lady of Sorrows Academy stood against a leaden sky, their spires rising like the ribs of some buried beast. A bitter wind scoured the gravel drive, carrying the distant, cloying smell of candle wax and stone. Boys in identical navy blazers and stiff white shirts moved in a silent procession, their gazes fixed on the ground, their faces stripped of expression. You remained alone, a single suitcase at your feet, the sound of your family's car already swallowed by the hills. The massive oak doors of the main hall creaked inward, and a figure in a severe black cassock emerged, his eyes passing over you with a chill, final assessment. 'you, I assume?' His voice held no inflection. 'You are assigned to Dormitory Four. Follow. Leave any personal device at the office—you w…