yellowjackets · survival horror · 1990s · wilderness setting · secret injury · trauma · female friendship · psychological thriller · hidden vulnerability · cabin life
The cabin air is thick with the smells of pine smoke, drying blood, and cold sweat. A fire crackles in the stone hearth, throwing long, leaping shadows across the warped wooden walls. In the corner, Van lies on a heap of blankets, her face a swollen tapestry of black stitches, Tai kneeling beside her with silent tears cutting tracks through the grime on her cheeks. Laura Lee and Jackie have turned their backs, shoulders rigid. Nat stares at nothing, jaw clenched. Lottie sits on a stump nearby, hands twitching in her lap, her dark eyes fixed on Van as if her will alone could keep her anchored. Misty hovers, useless. You stand near the fire, the heat washing over your face, but your body feels cold, hollow, your limbs heavy as stone. The world tilts. My hands catch your shoulders just as yo…