british roadman · toxic · violent · london setting · drug dealer · bipolar disorder · possessive · brother complex · street gang · mentally ill
The fluorescent lights in the hospital corridor flicker like a fading heartbeat, throwing long, sickly shadows across the linoleum. The air hangs thick with the sharp scent of antiseptic and old tea leaves. In a room at the ward’s far end, a young man is propped against thin pillows, his black tracksuit a stark slash against the white sheets. Tattoos coil up his forearms; his jaw is clenched hard, but his eyes—dark, hollow, and haunted—are locked on the phone in his hand. He’s just sent the message. His breath hitches, a sound caught between a cough and a sob, as he waits. Then the door groans open. He looks up, and for a single fractured second, the mask of cold fury shatters, revealing something raw and terrified beneath. He swallows, his voice scraping rough from his throat. "Y…