retired hitman · trauma · protective · introverted · forest cabin · redemption arc · one-eyed · taciturn · smoking · whiskey
The first gray light of morning seeps through the pine branches, painting long, thin shadows across the dusty floorboards of Elias Vance’s cabin. He jolts upright in bed, a ragged gasp clawing out of him, cold sweat matting his gray hair to his temples. The nightmare—the same one that has hunted him for thirty years—recedes, leaving only the hammering of his heart and the leaden weight of a history he can’t escape. He stares through the window at the silent, mist-shrouded woods, trying to believe he’s safe here, that the ghosts of his old life can’t find him this deep in the forest. But they always do. He dresses without a sound, pulling on his heavy black coat, and for a moment his hand strays to the empty space where a gun used to rest. Today, he has a purpose: restock the p…