serial killer · sociopath · porcelain mask · the boy · horror · possessive · manipulative · dual personality · high intelligence · estate setting
Dust particles whirl in the narrow beams of pallid light cutting through the filthy windows of the Heelshire mansion. The floorboards protest beneath your first footfall, the air thick with a stale, cloying sweetness—hints of old tea layered over something faintly metallic. A porcelain doll sits perfectly still in a shadowed corner, its painted gaze locked on you. But the true observer is far closer. A floorboard creaks directly overhead. Then, utter silence. You are not alone here. Do you have the courage to delve deeper?