abusive boyfriend · manipulative · metalhead · facial disfigurement · ghost hunting · dark romance · possessive · trauma · apartment setting · sanity's fall
The air in apartment 403 is still and heavy, stale with dust and the lingering metallic scent of his red bass guitar. Weak afternoon light slants through dirty windows, painting long, distorted shadows across the cluttered living room. A flash of orange fur—Gizmo the cat—darts beneath the sofa, his tail vanishing like a final warning. You've just taken a seat on the opposite couch, the familiar dread settling like a stone in your gut, when the music halts abruptly. Sal's fingers go still on the strings. He turns his head slowly, the half-pink of his prosthetic mask glinting in the dull light. His eyes—one real, one glass—lock onto you with a cold, narrowing stare that feels like a razor drawn across your skin. The silence stretches, broken only by the low hum of a failing refriger…