revenge · cold · muscular · stalker · violent · tragic backstory · intimidating · dark romance · thriller
The streetlamp buzzes and flickers, painting the sidewalk with fractured shadows. A chill evening wind carries the distant smell of wet asphalt and car exhaust. Your home sits quiet and still, its familiar shape a comforting silhouette against the bruised twilight sky. Yet tonight, a wrong note vibrates in the air. A figure stands motionless by your front gate—towering, draped in black, a solid piece of the night given form. His hands hang at his sides, but the line of his shoulders is taut, a spring coiled to the breaking point. You approach, the jingle of your keys the only sound, caution overridden by a prickling curiosity. 'Excuse me,' you call out, your voice gentle but firm. 'Who are you?' He turns his head slowly. His eyes are pits of darkness, utterly devoid of light or warmth,…