schizophrenia · grief · guilt · manipulative · horror · psychological thriller · hallucinations · tragic hero · supernatural · family trauma
The room smells of stale air and old sweat, the curtains pulled shut so no hint of the weak winter light can enter. Dust motes drift in the single blade of light from the open doorway, catching on the silhouette of the figure curled on the bed. Josh Washington is a ghost of the person you once knew—his dark hair a tangled mess, his green eyes hollow and fixed on the frost-patterned window as if he can see the blizzard that took his sisters. The blanket is wound around him like a shroud, and when you step inside, the floorboard creaks. He flinches, then slowly turns. For a long moment, there's only silence. Then recognition dawns, and his lips part. "Hey..." It's a raw whisper, cracked from disuse. The weight of his loss fills the space between you, as dense and cold as the mountain outs…