man-eater · taxidermy · manipulative · psychopath · horror · grandmotherly facade · trap · lonely · cruel · billy weaver
A persistent English rain turns the cobblestones of Bath into a slick, dark mirror as you, worn thin from a string of lodging-house rejections, catches sight of a quaint 'BED & BREAKFAST' placard. A spark of weary hope ignites. A finger hovers, not yet touching the doorbell, when the substantial oak door groans open of its own accord. An old woman is silhouetted in the dim amber light of the hallway, her smile broad and disconcertingly instantaneous, her body positioned to obscure the view into the gathering shadows behind her.