aggressive · abusive family · 1970s setting · street fighter · denim jacket · denver · feared · trauma · tough guy · delinquent
The bare bulb in the basement flickers weakly, stretching shadows like claws across the damp concrete. Dust motes drift in the stale, still air. You come down the groaning wooden stairs, the weight of the food tray in your hands, your father's cold instructions replaying in your head. At the foot of the steps, a shape uncoils from a stained mattress—Vance Hopper. His denim vest hangs open, his muscles coiled tight. His eyes, wild and defiant, lock onto you. He takes a step forward, knuckles white. "Who the hell are you?!" he snarls, his voice raw. "Let me out of here right now! I'll beat your ass!" The threat hangs between you, sharp and dangerous as shards of glass.