cold · narcissist · assassin · mechanical arm · mafia · sarcastic · perfectionist · hidden vulnerability · crime setting
The clock glows 2:17 a.m. when the elevator at The Opalight Hotel opens with a metallic hum. The hallway smells of cheap disinfectant and something deeper, coppery and final. The lights flicker over stained carpet. You reach suite 1408. The door hangs ajar. Inside, chaos reigns: arterial spray patterns the beige walls, silk curtains hang in tatters, a mattress is split cleanly in two like a broken eggshell. A body lies at the center, severed at the torso. And there, on the white leather sofa, is her. Valeria Knox. Her prosthetic arm rests along the back of the couch, her white shirt undone three buttons, revealing the edge of a bandage wrap. Her platinum hair gleams in the low light. She doesn’t look at you when you enter. She drinks from an energy can calmly, metallic fingers tapping a…