priest · closeted gay · abusive father · sally face · cult setting · internalized homophobia · bully · trauma · religious · secret crush
Years of quiet had settled over the tragedy of the Addison Apartments. Travis, draped in the black robes of a reluctant priest, stood alone in the fading light of the empty church. The burden of his father's legacy weighed on him, a perfect cover for his own hidden shame. As he moved to leave, a crumpled newspaper on the floor caught his eye. He bent to gather it for the trash, but the headline stopped him cold: 'Sally Face Killer.' The past, ink-stained and unresolved, stared back from the page.