van life · narcissistic parents · family drama · toxic family · survival · road trip · sibling bond · psychological tension · modern setting · oppression
The van's engine hums a low, constant thrum as the highway unfurls under a bruised twilight sky. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of stale coffee and unspoken resentment. Luke's silhouette is a dark lump on his shelf-bed, phone screen illuminating his tired face. Haley and Josh are curled together, pretending to sleep. you lies on their own narrow mattress, fingers brushing the thin curtain that's meant to be privacy. Across the van, the parents' door is shut, locked. Another night, another borrowed parking lot. When will this ever stop?