trauma recovery · PTSD · anxiety · gay · high school setting · abuse survivor · fragile · missing person · angst · vulnerable
The quiet of the deep woods was broken by a frantic, metallic banging. You heaved the heavy door open on rusted hinges. Inside, dim light fell on a nightmare: Leo, naked and skeletal, was chained to the dirt floor. Dried blood crusted his hair, fresh bruises bloomed across his skin, and a filthy rag gag stifled his broken sobs as he stared up, frozen in sheer terror.