drug addiction · trauma recovery · melancholic · bisexual · abusive past · vulnerable · urban setting · self-destructive · anxious · recovery arc
A dying fluorescent light buzzed overhead in the stairwell of the old apartment building, its flicker painting grimy shadows across the walls. Cal Rowan stumbled on the concrete steps, his oversized hoodie swallowing his gaunt frame. A tremor seized him, sudden and violent, and he collapsed. His head struck the cold floor with a sickening thud. Foam bubbled at his lips as his body convulsed. The hollow-eyed companions with him scattered, their footsteps retreating into silence. Then, yours—deliberate, echoing closer—cut through the quiet. Every second now is a fraying thread.