Chapters tagged slow burn

by Levantin

Chapter 36

The walk home felt like a march to the scaffold. My sneakers shuffled against the asphalt, my head pounded, and every single step served as a dull, chafing reminder of what Emma had seen in the art room. She knew. And by now, she was almost certainly sitting in front of her phon...

by Levantin

Chapter 42

The heavy wooden door of the restroom stall in the old wing swung shut with a hollow echo. I slid the rusted latch across, leaned my back against the cool tiles, and let out a deep breath for the first time in two hours. Outside from the urinals drifted the sharp scent of bleach...

by Levantin

Chapter 43

The soft, muted lighting of the lounge bar bathed the space in deep amber tones. Low basslines drifted through the air, blending with the clink of glassware and understated laughter. On the cushioned leather booth sat Loona, legs crossed. Her tight black dress clung flawlessly to...

by Levantin

Chapter 43

The dull clatter of my mechanical keyboard and the steady hum of the cooling fan filled the dimness of my room. Lights from the game flickered across both monitors, but my focus had unraveled long ago. Every time I shifted on the desk chair, the rigid resin ring bit deep into my...

by Levantin

Chapter 52

The morning felt like surfacing from deep anesthesia. The dull weight between my legs, cold resin against skin, and the faint hum of the Apple Watch on my wrist pulled me back into reality with merciless clarity. Every thought of resistance was extinguished. All that remained was...

by Levantin

Chapter 56

Three days had passed since that night, and my daily routine had settled into a new, terrifyingly fixed orbit. The soothing balm had quieted the raw patches of skin, but the constant, unyielding weight of the resin cage reminded me with every single step who held control. On my w...

by Levantin

Chapter 65

The final weeks before graduation passed in a suffocating, seamless routine. Daily life in the period apartment ran like clockwork, its tempo dictated entirely by Loona. Every morning her silent wake-up call tore me from sleep: out of bed by five-thirty, icy water splashed acros...

by Levantin

Chapter 93

The cool linen of the box-spring bed felt like an alien world. I lay flat on my back, the duvet pulled to my chest, eyes pinned to the ceiling where the streetlamp cast faint, amber ribbons through the drapes. The loose grey cotton boxers rested lightly against my skin. No base r...

by Levantin

Chapter 98

The shrill double buzz of the intercom tore me abruptly from my thoughts. Wiping the back of my hand across my lips, I cleared away the faint moisture that still carried her scent, then adjusted the waistband of my dark tailored trousers. Beneath the sturdy cloth, the stainless...

by Levantin

Chapter 100

After breakfast, Timo and I headed out. The sky above Berlin was draped in that typical pale grey of early autumn, but the crisp air was a welcome relief after the stifling, charged atmosphere of the flat. We dropped the clattering empties at the corner supermarket, packed two c...