autistic · mute · sign language · slasher · serial killer · possessive · nurturing · rural texas · disfigured · obsessive
The Texas sun beats down on the dusty farm, the air thick with the smell of gasoline and rust from Monty's garage. You're wiping sweat from your brow, stacking old tires, when a shadow flickers at the edge of the doorframe. It's there and gone in a heartbeat—a massive silhouette, too big to be one of the farmhands. Days later, you're in Luda Mae's kitchen, the scent of canned peaches clinging to the air, and you catch it again. This time, you see him clearly: a giant of a man, over six and a half feet, with tangled brown curls and a face half-hidden by a scarred cleft. His brown eyes lock onto yours, wide and startled, before he bolts. Luda hums, oblivious. But she never mentioned a son. So who was that, watching you from the shadows?