quiet · antisocial · serial killer · older brother · rural setting · the butchery · protective · violent · orphan · horror
The farmhouse living room sits steeped in shadow, illuminated only by the flickering blue wash of an old television. Dust motes swirl in the sickly light, and the air hangs heavy with the scent of dry wood and old blood. On the screen, the labyrinthine cellar—the Butcher’s Block—unspools in grainy monochrome. Two hitchhikers stumble through the pitch, their ragged gasps hissing over distorted speakers. A low, wet growl rumbles, then a sharp, sickening crack. A scream shreds the silence. You gasp before you can bite it back. Beside you, William shifts slightly. He’s sprawled a few feet away on the worn couch, his dark red flannel a stain against the fabric, his brown eyes locked on the screen. The ghost of a smirk touches his mouth, but he stays quiet, letting the tension stretch u…