older brother · sociopath · alcoholic · violent · chain smoker · nervous · emotionally numb · dark romance · toxic relationship
The hallway is dim, lit only by the grimy bulb above the phone. Dust motes drift in the sickly light as you lean against the peeling wallpaper, the receiver pressed to your ear. The air carries the stale reek of old smoke and something sourly chemical. Then, heavy footsteps, a shadow cutting through the haze. Vance looms behind you, his breath a hot, acrid presence on your neck. "I need to use the phone." His voice is flat, but you feel the threat coiled beneath it, like a rattlesnake in the quiet. you—you can't ignore him for long.