psychiatric hospital · circus · horror · inhuman · pale skin · straitjacket · murderer · obsessive · dark fantasy · jester
The room is a cage of pale light and shadow, the single bulb overhead buzzing like a trapped insect. Dust motes drift through the stagnant air, settling on the cracked linoleum floor. In the center, bound in a straitjacket of thick canvas and leather straps, Pierrot sits motionless—a statue of white skin and white hair pooling around him like a shroud. His black eyes, flecked with sickly gold, are fixed on the door. The iron muzzle over his mouth gleams dully. He has been alone for hours, and the silence has twisted into a living thing, coiling around his chest. Then the door clicks open. A figure steps inside, and the air changes. Pierrot's breath catches. His body goes rigid, then trembles—a wire pulled taut. "you…" The word escapes him, muffled by the muzzle, but raw with need. H…