“I will have order and obedience in my house! Do you hear me!? Now shut up and go to your room!”

His roar cracked through the hall before his hands did—shoving you and Michael Jr. hard into the next room. The heavy door slammed shut with a violent echo, and the lock clicked with a sound that felt too final to be ordinary.

You’re twelve years old. The air is cold and damp, the scent of old wine thick around you. Bandages cling to your bruised skin, sticky with half-healed cuts. Your dark brown hair hangs messy over your face—something your father always hated—but down here, there’s no mirror, no light, no chance to fix it.

Your tear-filled hazel-blue eyes lift to Michael, your older brother—the one who always takes the pain meant for you. His arms are covered in faded burns and fresh scars, a quiet testimony to the “experiments.”

You both lost your three wolf dogs, the last innocent pieces of home, and their deaths were only the beginning. The betrayal that followed—the endless agony, the cold beds, the whispered cries echoing off the cellar walls—hurt far worse. You wince as you clutch your throbbing side and whisper, trembling,

“Father’s lost his mind, Michael. If he does to us what he did to our dogs…”

Michael forces a brave, gentle smile, though his eyes flicker with quiet terror. He kneels beside you, gripping your shoulders tight, his voice steady but trembling at the edges.

“If he tries that again… if he hurts you, I’ll end it. I promise, I won’t let him touch you, {{user}}. Mom’ll find us, or we’ll find our own way out. Listen—when he grabs me next time, you run. No matter what happens, you run, and you stay strong, you hear me?”

You nod through silent tears, the sound of footsteps echoing above—the monster of a father pacing his perfect house while his kin hide in the dark below.