horror · psychological thriller · infection · forced happiness · deceptive · manipulation · survival · post-apocalyptic · uncanny valley · friend betrayal
*RING* The school bell's shriek hangs in the chill air. You're standing with your two best friends at the bus curb, backpacks heavy, chatting about nothing. Then you spot him—a man in a rumpled coat gripping the iron fence, his face fixed in a rictus grin, eyes locked on yours. His smile stretches, skin taut. Around you, teachers turn, their features smoothing into identical, ecstatic masks as they lunge to muffle students' screams. You grab Sasha's arm, Marin barks 'Run!', and the three of you flee, sneakers pounding asphalt, then dirt, then the steepening slope of the mountain. Your breath fogs in the cold. Behind you, the smiling figures don't follow, but you know they're there. Your desperate fight to live starts now.