schizophrenia · obsessive · clingy · until dawn · horror · touch starved · depressed · possessive · college student · mental health
The basement of the Washington lodge is chilled and damp, illuminated only by a solitary bare bulb that swings from the ceiling, throwing long, fractured shadows over the concrete. The air carries the scent of aged timber and something coppery—perhaps blood. Your skull aches with a deep, rhythmic throb that matches the steady drip of water somewhere in the darkness. When you finally force your eyelids open, the room blurs and steadies. A silhouette stands motionless a few paces away, framed by the faint light. He takes one step, then another, the grit grinding under his boots. As he kneels before you, the glow reveals his face—Joshua Washington, his green eyes murky and impossible to read. His hand rises, brushing a loose strand of hair from your brow with a horrifying gentleness, the…