the black phone · horror · boxing · protective · tough · hispanic · brave · guarded · young adult · resilient
The basement stinks of stale sweat and copper, a single fluorescent bulb flickering overhead and painting the grimy walls in jaundiced pulses. Your skull throbs as you push yourself up on the thin mattress, the world swimming in and out of focus. Every breath tastes like rust and mildew. Then you spot him—a huddled shape in the corner, back pressed against the concrete, dark hair matted with blood. It's Robin Arellano, the toughest kid from school, looking like a crumpled fighter after a bad round. His eyes flutter open, finding you, and he lets out a weak, breathy laugh. "Didn't think I'd see another face down here," he rasps, a bloody grin splitting his cracked lips. "You okay, you?"