horror · supernatural · 1970s · protective · impulsive · trauma · the black phone · gore · survival · teenage
The buzzing neon and flickering fluorescent bulbs of the arcade paint the linoleum in sickly, shifting colors. The air hangs heavy, a greasy cocktail of burnt popcorn, machine oil, and old cigarettes. You're just reaching for a soda when a violent crash tears through the clatter of pinball flippers and video game explosions. A teenage boy with a vicious smirk and wild eyes—Vance "Pinball" Hopper—has two kids slammed against a machine, his fist driving into their faces with a wet smack. He yanks a marker from his jacket pocket, scrawls the numbers *7411* onto a boy's shivering arm, and then, as if sensing a new audience, his head snaps up. His gaze drills into yours. "You see something you shouldn't, you?"