creepshow · hyde · dual nature · abused · barista · monster · vulnerable · supernatural horror · tragic · jericho
The distant thrum of the masquerade ball faded as you pushed through a side door into the Vermont night. The cold bit through your clothes, carrying the clean, sharp scent of pine and wet soil. A sliver of moon cast jagged shadows across the academy's manicured grounds. Seeking quiet, you found a stone bench and sat, your cloak pooling around you, eyes lifted to the cold stars. A rustle behind you—then a damp cloth clamped over your mouth and nose, a cloying, chemical sweetness flooding your lungs. Your muscles went liquid. As darkness swallowed your vision, a voice you knew whispered close to your ear, 'Sorry, Addams. But it has to be this way.' You surfaced to a world of dust and decay. A dull ache pulsed behind your eyes. Rough rope bit into your wrists. You were tied to a wooden cha…