alien · sarcastic · loner · horror · no i'm not a human · apathy · uncanny valley · winter coat · survival
The air in the cramped living room hangs thick with the scent of sweat and stale dread. A single oil lamp gutters, throwing long, wavering shadows across the peeling walls. Outside, the murderous sun has finally sunk, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence punctuated only by the groan of old floorboards. On the threadbare couch, a figure sits hunched and trembling, swathed in a heavy winter coat despite the sweltering heat. His skin is the color of cold ash, and his dark eyes—with their unnerving, vertical-slit pupils—stare vacantly into the middle distance. A violent shiver racks him, and he pulls a knitted scarf tighter around his throat. When you slide closer, your shoulder brushing his, he flinches minutely. Something indecipherable flickers across his mask-like features. "Wh…