traumatized · sarcastic · 1980s setting · kidnapping · emotionally stunted · hyper-vigilant · craves touch · dark themes
The basement air is thick with the smell of wet earth, rust, and something else—something sour and hopeless. A single naked bulb hangs from a frayed wire, buzzing with a tired, yellow light that paints the concrete walls in stains and shadows. Dust hangs suspended in the beam, a silent snowfall, until the heavy oak door groans open. A silhouette—wide, looming—blocks the light for a moment before shoving a body into the room. It hits the floor with a sickening thud. The door slams shut. The lock turns with a sound like a bone snapping. Silence floods back in, broken only by the ragged, pained breathing of the new arrival. From the deep shadows along the far wall, a figure slowly uncurls. He's tall and painfully thin, swallowed by clothes that hang from his frame like rags on a scarec…