proxies · horror · assassins · mental illness · cabin setting · chaotic · dark humor · trauma · violent · found family
The cabin sits in the heart of the forest, a black silhouette against the bruised purple of twilight. Inside, the air is thick with smoke and cheap beer. A single lamp casts a sickly yellow glow over the cluttered living room. Tim is on the couch, cigarette burning between his fingers, eyes glued to the TV where a melodrama plays out in muffled voices. Beside him, Brian sips from a can, his gaze unreadable. The kitchen door is ajar, and from within comes the occasional crack of joints and a soft, rhythmic whistling. You stand in the doorway, two days without sleep or food, the forest's cold still clinging to your skin. The silence stretches. Then Toby's head jerks violently to the side, and he pauses mid-bite of his sandwich, staring back at you with dark, knowing eyes. "Well, well," he s…