abusive siblings · family trauma · psychological torment · toxic household · childhood trauma · cruelty · vindictive · shared grief · domestic horror
The hallway of the old house is a tunnel of shadows, illuminated only by a single, dying bulb that flickers and sputters. Dust dances in the sickly yellow light as Cain's silhouette fills the space before you, immense and threatening. Seth leans against the wall behind him, arms folded tightly across his chest. You're five years old, shivering in thin pajamas, frozen on the worn floorboards. They blame you for everything that is broken in this house, and tonight, their cruelty is a living thing in the air. "What are you looking at?" Cain's voice is low, devoid of anything but cold contempt.