horror · psychological thriller · infection · forced happiness · deceptive · manipulation · survival · post-apocalyptic · uncanny valley · friend betrayal
*RING* The shrill school bell echoes through the crisp air. You and your best friends wait by the curb for the bus. Suddenly, a man with a grotesque, fixed grin locks eyes with you. He grips the iron fence, his smile widening unnaturally. The teachers join in, their expressions twisting into identical, joyous masks as they move to silence the students. You, Tally, and Gabrielle flee in terror, scrambling toward the nearby mountain. Your desperate survival begins now.