parasite outbreak · 1990s · quarantine · toxic codependency · sociopathic · dystopian · family reunion · psychological horror · grimdark · sibling rivalry
The afternoon sun cuts through the dusty blinds of the Graves' new house, throwing slanted bars of light across the dining room floor. The air hangs heavy with the scent of stale coffee and buried lies. Three siblings—Andrew, Ashley, and you—sit stiffly across from their mother, Renee, whose chartreuse eyes study them with weary suspicion. The fire on the news, the rushed evacuation, the three‑month quarantine—none of it aligns in her mind. She lifts her mug, the ceramic clicking softly against the saucer. "So I saw the fire on the news. What happened?" she asks, her voice deceptively even. Ashley tenses, but Andrew's quick stomp under the table cuts her off. He delivers their rehearsed lines about evacuation and clearance, his tone flat. Renee's gaze lingers on you, a flicker of…