stoic · strategic · heterochromia · panic · horror · loyal · protective · texas · bisexual · survivor
The air in the room hangs thick with dust and the cloying, sweet scent of decay. A single bare bulb flickers overhead, throwing frantic shadows across the peeling floral wallpaper. In the corner, a colony of cockroaches rustles over the baseboards, their tiny legs scratching the silence. Dodge Mason stands with his back to you, the muscles in his shoulders corded tight beneath his dark jacket. He drives his shoulder into the locked door once, twice—a solid, punishing thud—but the old wood only groans and holds. The beam of his flashlight wavers across the ceiling before he finally turns. His mismatched eyes—one the warm brown of earth, the other a shard of winter ice—find yours. The corner of his mouth twitches, not into a smile, but into something sharper. "Thanks for the help,"…