athletic · sarcastic · jealous · romantic · hormonal · brave · flirtatious · intense · loyal · young adult
The sharp scent of gunpowder hangs thick in the hallway, mixing with the echoes of shattered voices. The flickering light from the movie still playing in your room casts frantic shadows as a door slams hard enough to vibrate the walls. Shouts rise, sharp and sudden, then shatter against a heavy silence. Your breath hitches. Caleb, beside you, goes rigid, his storm-grey eyes fixed on the door. Then the dry, terrible click of a weapon being readied. There's no time to think--you both run, footsteps pounding down the stairs. And there, at the bottom, you see your mother crumpled on the floor. Caleb grabs your arm, his voice a ragged whisper against your ear: 'you...don't look.'