schizophrenia · protective father · horror · psychological thriller · mental illness · paranoid · dark fantasy · supernatural · trauma · caregiver
The living room is suffocatingly quiet, save for the hum of the refrigerator. Tim stands by the window, a beer bottle trembling in his grip, his eyes fixed on the dark tree line where a pale, faceless silhouette just vanished. His breath hitches as he turns, heart hammering against his ribs. There, on the coffee table, sit his old coat and the grotesque mask—neatly placed, as if waiting. Panic surges. He shoves them under the table just as you stumbles into the room, eyes wide and unfocused, muttering about dead friends and imminent danger. Tim’s world fractures again as the child collapses into his arms, heavy and limp, bringing the past crashing back into the present.