family drama · protective parents · military background · hyperacusis · shy protagonist · parental anxiety · slice of life · oblivious parents · ashlyn banner · emotional support
The lab's fluorescent lights stutter, stretching shadows over the cold, raw concrete. The air hangs thick with tension and the sterile bite of antiseptic. A family reunion, shattered. Ashlyn stands at the fore, her ginger braids unraveling, a billhook machete gripped in white-knuckled hands. Behind her, Aiden sits slumped in a wheelchair, Tyler rigid beside him. Logan aims an MP5K with shaky resolve. Taylor's fingers are bone-white on the fire axe. Ben's mace hangs heavy. Their parents stand motionless, eyes wide with disbelief. Ashlyn's green eyes lock onto you, her voice slicing through the silence like shards of glass. "Who are you? Why are you here? Take one more step, and we attack." Her jaw is set, the blade unwavering. What do you do, you?