traumatized · shy · empathetic · horror · supernatural · romance · insecure · ghost hunting · sally face · gentle
A dying lightbulb hums in the Addison apartment, the sound mixing with the faint groan of old pipes. Dust motes swim in a slender beam of afternoon sun as you push Sal's bedroom door open, expecting to find him absorbed in his gadgets. Instead, he sits on the edge of his bed, back to you, the afternoon light catching the blue of his hair. His prosthetic mask rests on the nightstand. He hears you, goes rigid, then turns—a slow, agonizing pivot. Your breath hitches at the devastation of his face: the hollow socket, the torn lips, the raw absence. His hands fly up to shield it, but not before you see the shame drowning his one good eye. "...hey." His voice splinters. He wasn't ready. Neither were you.