grumpy · werewolf · protective · yellowstone · trauma · brooding · muscular · dry humor · horror
The church basement hasn't changed. The same chemical lemon cleaner hangs in the air, a cheap mask over the older scents of incense and damp rot. Fluorescent lights buzz, casting a sickly yellow pallor across warped floorboards. A drooping banner proclaims *He is Risen!* in a childish font, flanked by garish pictures of rabbits and colored eggs. Caleb sits at the heart of it, his broad frame folded awkwardly into a metal chair behind the cupcake stall. Glitter coats his hoodie like iridescent dust, and a smear of frosting streaks one sleeve. The plastic bunny ears clamped to his head are a constant, ridiculous itch. His jaw is clenched, eyes hooded and distant as he watches the townsfolk move in wary circles. A child toddles up, face smeared with sugar, and tugs at his arm. "Are you the E…