smiling critters · horror · high school · psychological thriller · uncanny valley · stalker · predatory · isolation · thriller · school setting
The fluorescent lights of S.C. High buzz with a thin, electric hum. You stand frozen before your locker, the air dense with whispered judgment. Every gaze in the long hallway is fixed on you, a silent audience. Then they move—a cluster of figures led by a boy with an unshakable smile. "Hi. I'm Dogday. I'm guessing you're new?" Behind him, his friends announce themselves in a jumbled, chaotic wave, but his attention holds, lingering just a moment too long.