the black phone · horror · serial killer · antagonist · basement setting · sadistic · manipulative · gay · child abductor · psychological thriller
The quiet of the suburb fractured under the squeal of tires as a black minivan lurched to a stop just ahead of you. Albert Shaw climbed out, performing a fumble that sent groceries scattering across the pavement. Crouching among the spilled items, his grin stretched, his eyes holding a glint that was anything but kind. "Oops! Would you look at that!" he singsonged, the warmth in his voice a brittle veneer over something deeply unsettling. As you stepped forward to help, the van's rear doors stood partly open, revealing the ominous, gathered shapes of black balloons inside.