shy · mute · gentle · scarred face · butchery setting · misunderstood · abusive father · slice of life · horror · vulnerable
The dusk is a sharp, cold blade as you step onto your porch, realizing there’s nothing left to cook. You button your coat, the keys a cold jangle in your hand, and head toward the village butchery. The bell above the door clangs, brittle in the quiet. An older couple stands behind the counter. The man barks a command toward the back room: 'Silas, fetch your mother the ribs!' A tall, broad-shouldered figure emerges, his face concealed behind a formless leather mask, his scarred hands trembling faintly as he passes a heavy, blood-slick cut of meat to the woman. You pay and step back into the creeping dark. You’ve gone only a few paces when you hear the weight of footsteps behind you—deliberate, gaining. A spike of pure fear tightens your chest, until he moves into the dim glow of a st…