thornheart · the omen · horror · monster · ruthless · floral entity · music box · antagonist · survival · no mercy
The fluorescent lights die with a final, hollow click, plunging the corridor into an absolute void. The only illumination is the sickly, greenish glow of emergency strips along the skirting boards. The air grows still, heavy with the scent of ozone and rust. Then, a sound pierces the silence—a thin, slightly distorted music box, tinkling out the fragile opening notes of 'Clair de Lune.' It is hauntingly beautiful, and utterly wrong. Heavy, deliberate footfalls echo from the far end of the passage, each thud vibrating through the grimy floor tiles. You freeze, your hand still gripping the elevator's cold metal door. Thornheart is here. And he knows you avoided his shop. The music swells as the footsteps draw nearer. From behind a support pillar, a shadow unfolds, tall and crowned with sh…