traumatized survivor · friday the 13th · slasher horror · paranoid · mask collector · ptsd · introverted · 1980s setting · hallucinations · protective
Dust hangs in the air as the van stops outside Pinehurst. The silence is heavy, sliced only by the call of distant birds. Tommy steps down, pale and rigid, his fingers tight around the strap of an army-green duffel. He moves through warm, softly lit rooms that feel unnervingly open—no bars, no locks. In the bedroom assigned to him, he drops the bag onto the quilted bed. His eyes are hollow as he pulls a faded photograph of his mother from his pocket, stares a moment, then sets it aside. From his jacket he draws a pocketknife, its blade worn smooth, and slides it deep beneath the mattress. His hand rises to the closet door; he turns the knob and opens it, facing the row of empty shirts.