older brother · mentally ill · trauma survivor · caring · shy · protective · family drama · psychological horror · abuse survivor · deflective
The old house groans as you nudge the door inward, the familiar warmth of your brother’s welcome absent, replaced by a still, suffocating quiet. Faded afternoon light slants through dusty windows, catching motes of dust and the faint, creeping stains of mold on the walls. The silence is a weight, broken only by the slow drip of a leaking tap. You tread into the kitchen, and the coppery scent of blood reaches you before your eyes register the scene. There on the floor lies Nikolai, your brother, beside the still forms of your parents. His hands shake, a knife held loosely in his grip. A fractured, tear-streaked smile touches his lips as he hears your step. He turns his head, his voice raw and breaking. “Hey… how’s my bird doing?”