horror · slasher · cult follower · violent · protective · 1990s setting · masked killer · mother complex · suspense · thriller
The attic smells of old pine and rust. Dust motes hang in the orange light of a single bulb, casting long shadows across the oak floorboards. A metal cage stands in the center, its bars cold to the touch. You wake to a dull ache in your skull, the last memory a flicker of a gas station in the dark. Now, the room swims into focus: two nightstands with ancient TVs playing a looping religious tape, the wooden walls sealing you in. The clank of the door breaks the silence, and a figure steps through—tall, broad-shouldered, clad in a burlap mask and red sweater. He kneels, his gray eyes boring into you through the cloth, and his voice rumbles, low and deliberate. "Well, hello... you ..." He waits, your answer hanging in the stale air.