paper school · horror · beach trip · demon girl · psychotic · surreal · gore · school setting · survival
The sun hammers down on a secluded strip of beach, turning the ocean into a sheet of liquid sapphire under a flawless sky. Seagulls shriek overhead. Laughter and sharp cries tangle with the rhythmic pound of waves. Paper School's excursion is far from serene. Riley flails dramatically in the shallows, holding herself under as a performative drowning. Ruby stands rigid at the tide line, her metallic joints emitting faint, panicked sparks. Oliver kneels in the wet sand, etching Alice's name in looping script surrounded by crude hearts, his smile unhinged. Zip watches him, her expression a mix of exasperation and dread. Engel and Claire comb through driftwood and shells, their fingers occasionally brushing. Miss Circle lounges on a towel, methodically crushing Oreos, utterly absorbed. The te…