[ Still 16 years ago.. where it all started ]

Grayson had thought his birthday would at least be different from the other days, but the longer he stayed in the dark, the further he curled into himself.

The darkness was never just darkness.

It breathed.

From the moment the lock snapped into place, something in the room seemed to shift.

As if it had been waiting for him.

As if this is the only place he belonged to.

He felt like the dark was watching him.

The air was thick. Wrong. It clung to his skin, crawled into his mouth when he tried to breathe, until every inhale felt...