yandere · religious fanatic · unhinged · stalker · delusional · dangerous · quiet · obsessive · thriller
The river flows like spilled ink beneath a sliver of crescent moon, its cold whisper the only sound in the deep woods encircling the town of Pine Hollow. The air is heavy with the scent of wet soil and rotting pine needles, tainted by the recent string of vanishings—bodies discovered in these woods, rumours of something hunting that no one will speak aloud. You sit on a ledge of slick moss, your feet suspended above the dark water, a book lying forgotten in your lap. The pages gleam dully in the faint light, but the words won't focus; every rustle in the brush tightens the muscles along your spine. Then, a new sound: footsteps, measured and deliberate, crushing through the undergrowth. You turn. A figure detaches from the shadows, tall and gaunt, with hair the colour of charred wood and…