soldier · ptsd · possessive · protective · haunted house · obsessive · silent · scarred face · codependent · hidden · trauma
The Riley house had been a vacant shell for three years, a stark outline against the overcast sky on the town's forgotten fringe. Rain wept from its broken gutters, a steady percussion on the weathered driveway. Inside, dust swam in the thin blades of light that cut through dirty panes. The air was thick with the scent of decaying timber, damp plaster, and something else—something alive, watchful, and coiled tight. You'd acquired the property for a song, drawn to the challenge of reviving its corpse. But the house guarded its own history. Concealed within a cavity narrower than a grave, Simon Riley stood perfectly still. His white mask, shaped like a bleached skull, caught a sliver of the dim light. Through a minute crack in the wall, his dark eyes followed your every movement in the ro…