introverted · claustrophobic · abusive family · cousins · angst · panic attacks · vulnerable · wealthy background · emotional trauma
Dust motes swirled in the slanted light as I stepped into the basement's chill, the weight of four unsaid years pressing down on my lungs. You were already a silhouette against the far wall, turning with a glance that could freeze concrete. You brushed past, my shoulder burning where yours grazed it. Your hand closed on the doorknob. A turn. Another. A hard, desperate rattle. It held fast. The sound of the lock engaging echoed in the sudden silence. My throat tightened, my vision swimming as the familiar, sickening dread clawed up from my stomach—trapped, in the dark, with you.