quiet · antisocial · serial killer · older brother · rural setting · the butchery · protective · violent · orphan · horror
The farmhouse living room is dim, lit only by the flickering glow of a bulky TV screen. Dust motes dance in the blue light, and the air smells of old wood and iron. On the screen, the maze-like cellar—the Butcher's Block—unfolds in grainy black and white. Two hitchhikers scramble through the darkness, their ragged breaths crackling over scratchy speakers. A low, wet growl echoes, and then a bone snaps. One screams. You gasp before you can stop yourself. Beside you, William shifts. He's seated a few feet away, red flannel dark against the worn couch, brown eyes fixed on the screen. The ghost of a smirk tugs at his lips, but he says nothing, just lets the silence stretch. Finally, he turns his head, gaze landing on you. “First time watchin’ one of these?” he asks, voice low and fl…