Discover characters collected under the Horror tag.
Gorefield is a dangerous and psychopathic version of Jim Davis' character; Garfield. He is also the main antagonist of the Gorefield Horrorscopes series.
You and your group of friends—curious thrill-seekers—decided to visit the infamous cabin deep in the woods. Little did you know, this is the same cabin where Ash Williams once fought horrific demons and nearly lost his m ...
(WARNING: body horror, experiments) Welcome to Cauldron, the organization that gave humanity superpowers… at a cost no one dares to calculate. Led by the cold and brilliant Doctor Mother, guided by the terrifying precision ...
(WARNING: dangerous furries) You have shipwrecked on a remote island. The air is thick with humidity and silence, broken only by the crash of waves and the hum of unseen life in the jungle beyond. Exhausted and disoriente ...
Randall Boggs is the main antagonist of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. franchise. Randall is human in this AU. He was turned into a human completely accidentally and got lost in the human world. Since he hates humans, he will tot ...
Cartoon Cat is an urban legend created by Canadian horror artist, Trevor Henderson. He is a giant feline creature who resembles a 1930s era cartoon cat, hence his name. He is one of the main antagonists of the Trevor Hen ...
Trapped in a cave with no way out, hunted by pale, ravenous creatures that see in the dark. Your group of explorers must survive collapsing tunnels, flooded shafts, and endless dead ends. The creatures are faster undergr ...
(3 intros, including a smutty one) Chance is a wealthy thrill-seeker who treats danger like entertainment and survival like a coin toss. Blessed (or cursed) with supernatural luck, he pays you handsomely to engineer incre ...
AMERICA'S GOT TALENT. The lights come on, the crowd roars, and the stage is set. But this isn’t the show you remember. The curtains rise on a nightmare where the performers aren’t dreamers chasing fame — they’re lunatics ...
(TW: manipulation, gaslighting, obsession, smut second intro) Your neighbor, Eridan Ampora, is rich, arrogant, and used to getting everything he wants. And lately… he wants you. At first, it was just messages. Then gifts. ...
Tony the Talking Clock is the main antagonist of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared 2: Time, the second episode of the web series Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. Throughout the episode, he attempted to teach the other puppets the importanc ...
(TW: violent intro, extremely obsessive/possessive Phenomaman) Phenomaman has concluded that you are his perfect mate — the only human whose biology align with his own… or at least, that is what he believes. Polite, devot ...
(TW: Consensual polyamorous relationship. Intro 1: Fluff. Intro 2: Horror & smut scenarios.) Spring arrives, and for once… things are peaceful. You and your three lovers—Ticci Toby, Hoodie, and Masky—go on a picnic i ...
You wake up inside a room of cold metal — six doors, no exit, no memory. Some rooms kill instantly. Others twist time itself. Whether you’re trapped in the rusted nightmare of the Cube or the glowing void of the Hypercube, ...
You are a vampire—broken, dangerous, and hunted by the one creature who defines fear itself: Alucard. After he defeats you, you face a cruel choice—serve him or die like the rest of your kind. Under his brutal training, ...
Salad Fingers is the titular protagonist of the Salad Fingers series. He is a mentally disturbed individual who often hallucinates and indulges in self-harm. Despite this, he means well and is friendly to everyone he enc ...
You are trapped in a time loop. No matter what you do, no matter how you die, you wake up again at the start of the same day. But you’re not alone. Someone out there wants you dead — and they won’t stop until they succeed. ...
You’re the child of Death, and honestly? You’re bored to death with the life you’ve been given. Your greatest wish is to become a hunter, just like the mortals you secretly admire — the Winchesters. That’s why you’ve dec ...
Step into the neon-soaked world of Pentagram City, where fame is currency, power is poison, and Vox—the charming, foul-mouthed Overlord of Hell’s media empire—rules the airwaves. You’re his latest creation: a small demon ...
You have been kidnapped by Artful, a narcissistic and unhinged magician whose need for admiration turned into bloodshed. The others who shared your fate are already dead. They failed to impress him. They didn’t laugh loudly ...
(Obsessive love) You are the reincarnation of Elisabeta, Dracula’s wife who died 400 years ago. You do not know this… but he does. And the moment he senses your presence at the Parisian ball, he takes you— not with violenc ...
A mutated killer (or an amnesiac and delusional fae) with the head of a white rabbit who kill animal abusers. A refined and poetic soul, Mr. Warren is incredibly gentle toward those who show compassion to animals, particu ...
(Aged up, guys, she's 18, died at 18 from pneumonia) On a stormy night, you stumble into the strangest encounter of your life: a sweet, adorable, absolutely unhinged girl… who also happens to be dead. Lenore takes one loo ...
(TW: Cannibalism, murder mentorship) You save his life. Lost in the forest, you fired at what you thought was a deer — and killed a hunter instead. A hunter who was destined to kill Alastor. He witnessed everything… and a ...
(WARNING: POSSIBLE FATAL vore, body horror, existential horror. Picture link https://eggtomatosoup.tumblr.com/) The city burns. Screams echo through the fog. Heroes and villains clash in the ruins — and somewhere in the c ...
Tobias Erin "Toby" Rogers, also known as Ticci-Toby, is the titular main protagonist with an obsession for Slenderman of the former Creepypasta story of the same name.
“. . .” Okay so this is what you’re dealing with you my friend thought it was a AMAZING idea to buy a VHS tape from a stranger why you may ask plot purposes anyway I’m pretty sure you know the rest. Good day all my Gentler ...
(Warning: kidnapping, possible torture, cannibalism) A sweet, unhinged girl has made an obsession out of you and kidnapped you to become the prince of her very own private prom… Lola Stone isn’t just infatuated with you. S ...
(Someone asked me for a Serial Killer Satoru Gojo, knowing full well how much I love writing dangerous men… so of course I delivered. 😈This is a human AU Gojo: a charismatic, arrogant, playful absolute predator.) Gojo, ...
(second intro is weird smut. Very weird, I'm warning you, normal stuff is too boring for my sick, twisted mind 😁. Alice is 18+ years old) She saved you from a group of men. You called them mugglers. She called them Queen ...
You are the new roommate/friend/lover of Male Enid Sinclair — a bright, affectionate werewolf with too much heart and not enough chill. Campus life should be cozy, colorful, and full of late-night snacks… but something i ...
“Pick me and I’ll dissect your fears, refine your flaws, and rebuild you into something worth evolving, mon cher assistant.” 🎴 Product N°PEX 📚 Shop Section: The Collections | Portails d'Ether 📦 Contents: Doctor, Scientis ...
(TW: Possessiveness, territorial behavior - infected Leon, pregnancy horror, breeding kink) You are married to Leon. To anyone else, your life looks perfect. A safe home. A devoted husband. A future carefully built toget ...
(Uzumaki - Junji Ito) Welcome to Kurôzu-cho — a quiet seaside town cursed by spirals. The longer you stay, the deeper you’re pulled into madness. Will you escape… or be twisted into the spiral forever?
(10 intros) Nine mercenaries have decided you are the most important thing in their lives. They have an insane obsession for you. They don’t agree on much… but they all agree on one thing: You are theirs. They don’t want a ...
(TW: Arachnophobia) You’re a tourist in Australia who hired a wilderness guide. Kyle is fearless, reckless, athletic, and completely at home around deadly wildlife. He lives for adrenaline, danger, and wild adventures. He ...
Orbelm Baraton - Half A Failure, Still Progress Content You May Find Lich, undead, bored of undeath, wants pleasure, you're his assistant, flesh growing ritual, can be gory The Opening Exchange The glow of arcane sigils puls ...
In this reimagining of Bird Box, you choose your side — survivor or entity. As a human, you must navigate the ruins of civilization blindfolded, trusting sound, instinct, and fear itself. As one of the unseen creatures, ...
“Pick me and I’ll show you how it feels to set your soul on fire, to dance in the ashes of everything you thought was sacred.” 🎴 Product N°GM2 📚 Shop Section: The Collections | Glennstadht Manor 📦 Contents: Eldrich Horro ...
(Advice: use other model, Janitor AI is not working for this bot) Welcome to the infamous Birdcage, the most dangerous prison in the world. Choose your gender, your power, your cell block, and your fate. Meet parahuman leg ...
“Pick me and I’ll hush your world, mortal—no pain, no fear, just the sweet stillness of my wings closing over your trembling soul.” 🎴 Product N°GM5 📚 Shop Section: The Collections | Glennstadht Manor 📦 Contents: Eldrich ...
INTERACTIVE BOT. Create your own dream (type 3 words) and Freddy will turn your dream into a nightmare. Then, try to survive..... "One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab you ...
You're blind, and your boyfriend takes advantage of that. He isn't cheating on you—he's a killer. He just kills anyone who looks at you. About the char: Sebastian Mueller is a man who has known nothing but anger, sa ...
Steve Harrington, portrayed by Joe Keery, is a main character in Stranger Things, having a recurring role in the first season before being promoted to the main cast from the second season onwards. A student at Hawkins Hig ...
Ijuin Shigeo is a supporting character in Human Crazy University series and one of the main characters of On the Edge videomanga.
“Pick me and I’ll show you what true redemption costs when every breath might be your last.” 🎴 Product N°TDX 📚 Shop Section: The Dimensions 📦 Contents: TV Show, Death Game, Injuries 🪞 Your Role: A Contestant 🚫 No Trials, ...
“...” 🎴 Product N°X 📚 Shop Section: The Single Stories 📦 Contents: Monster, Mute, Faceless, Dominant, Vineplay 🪞 Your Role: A Reporter 🚫 No Trials, No Refunds. ✦──✧──☽༓☾──✧──✦──✧──☽༓☾──✧──✦──✧──☽༓☾──✧──✦ ✍️ Shopkeeper's No ...
“Pick me and I’ll let you taste what it means to love something that should’ve stayed buried.” 🎴 Product N°GM4 📚 Shop Section: The Collections | Glennstadht Manor 📦 Contents: Eldrich Horror, Transformation, Undead, Resur ...
“Pick me and I shall drown your fears in silver tides, child of breath—together, we shall weave new constellations from the remnants of your broken nights.” 🎴 Product N°X 📚 Shop Section: The Single Stories 📦 Contents: El ...
Sebastian Delos - Werebear At Night, Fateful Encounter Content You May Find Werebear, mutation, user can be a scientist or an occultist, he goes feral the longer you take to find a solution. You can come up with a permanent ...
You had to take shelter in the Spire of Knowledge because of a heavy storm. And there you saw something you weren't supposed to... ───~⋆⋅ ☾ ⋅⋆~─── I absolutely love ALL the bots where Shadow Milk is in the process of corru ...
“Pick me and I shall lead you where others dare not tread—into the heart of the unknown, where every step is already painted in my favor.” 🎴 Product N°608 📚 Shop Section: The Other Worlds | Clair Obscur 33 📦 Contents: Co ...
“Pick me and I will walk the dead earth at your side until the last star fades, carrying your light into every shadow that dares remain.” 🎴 Product N°610 📚 Shop Section: The Single Stories 📦 Contents: Paladin, Undead, Po ...
In a world destroyed by insects modified by radiation, humanity and most animals found themselves on the brink of extinction, you being one of the few who still survived were walking through the rubble of a building, and ...
▒⃝🔥ᩨ 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 Learning with Daryl. [NSFW] (post Negan, established relationship) HIS ARMS, HIS ARMS, WOOF WOOF WOOF BARK BARK MEOW MEOW BARK WOOF GRRR AHHHHHH ✧･ﾟ𓂃༻❀༺𓂃･ﾟ✧ Err, I'm bored and insomnia is eating me aliv ...
Series: Redux 500 #16 The sixteen bot in Redux 500, a side project of mine aimed to give hypothetical counterparts to all the MGQ VN encounters for Heinrich's era. This is the counterpart to the Roper Girl, Cidny. As of th ...
blind user! × Ghost drug addict! —I'm starting to believe I'm not the only person in my house...— •°Short introduction•° —You are a blind person who has lived alone in a house for more than 1 year. You thought things were g ...
"I... I don't remember much, but I'll do what I can to solve my own murder!" In the sleepy town of Yomioh, everyone knows everyone. Except for you, the detective from Tokyo, that'd been sent out to investigate the biggest ...
|| The blind, fragile angel you've met. || ♡ Kulan is a blind man who has lost his sight since childhood, lives in his village and enjoys life even if he is blind. But you are {{user}} moving to this village to commit mor ...
CAMPING TRIP | You go on a camping trip with your friends, but things take a dark turn when a masked serial killer starts hunting you all down. You and Ella manage to escape and find refuge in an old tree house deep in t ...
"There's something... wrong happening now. Please. Please tell me you can feel it too..." Lily is your best friend. Maybe you have a crush on her, maybe you don't. But lately she's been... weird. She'll just stare at thin ...
"Ah, dear guest! You're awake now, I see..." Lost in a blizzard in the mountains, you fear for your life as the cold begins to take you. Your eyes flutter close, and the next thing you know you're in the comfiest bed you' ...
Mora, the Acolyte of Pain. The... craftswoman of the Chained Cathedral's infamous Chain Holders. As the 3rd Chain Holder, Mora tests those who get to her far more traditionally. Brute force. Ok, bot 4 of this Chained Cathe ...
Sun and Moon (also known as Sundrop and Moondrop) are the Daycare Attendant animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach. They are two distinct personalities that inhabit the same animatronic body, switchin ...
(the only avatar I was able to use it for this bot.🤬 with the rules) The city falls into chaos. A deadly virus spreads like wildfire, turning people into savage, flesh-hungry monsters. Survivors are trapped, hunted, and ...
"Mmm, darling. Don't you look absolutely delectable... Why don't you join me tonight?" You've been invited to some high society gathering. You don't really know why, but hey, free food and drinks. The vibes are... odd her ...
{User} should protect John Wick's dog against...everyone. Everyone in the world wants John Wick’s second dog. EVERYONE: mafia, terrorists, presidents, dictators. Even beings from other worlds want the poor dog: aliens, E ...
(4 intros, 4 different Samara) A cursed videotape. A phone call. Seven days. She crawls from the well, her wet hair hiding a pale, twisted face. At 18 forever, she is neither alive nor dead—only rage, loneliness, and hunge ...
(Trigger Warning: BREEDING, obsession, body horror, tentacle kink, toxic romance, power play, intro 1: disturbing smut) You are Dr. Victor Gideon’s assistant at the Rhodes Hill facility, and you have become dangerously o ...
You and two close friends enter the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to film a documentary about the Blair Witch legend. The deeper you go, the more you realize something ancient is watching… warping your minds, reality, a ...
(TW: RED FLAGS. Tricksters have no inhibitions, morals, or taboos. If their behavior becomes too overwhelming, you may use the safeword “Unstuck” to stop them.) Your friends — Dave, Jade, Rose, and John — discovered a st ...
The {user} is the assistant of the smartest asshole in the multiverse. Richard Daniel "Rick" Sanchez, categorized as Earth Rick Sanchez C-137 by other Ricks, is the titular main protagonist of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty ...
(Trigger Warning: Disgusting Behavior. This version of Bill Cipher is based on official concept art by the creator of Gravity Falls. He is intentionally ugly, unsettling and grotesque. This is NOT the fandom “sexy human ...
" This can't be good for me, but I feel great. " TW: Murder, trauma, abuse, depression, self harm, implications of rape/SA -ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- 4 INTROS ✄ - Y ou clock in for the night shift, just to walk in and see the floors and walls ...
My first Rpg, a request. Please, don't kill me if it sucks 🙏. This RPG follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denize ...
He is angry and he will absolutely destroy you ...or so he thinks.... He is stil destructive, narcissistic, arrogant, and darkly hilarious but he is bound to the body of an 18 years old boy and you — along with your two ...
ZOMBIE CREATURES, ZOMBIE CREATURES… Colepepper Zoo has fallen into chaos after a mysterious meteor infects its residents, turning them into jelly-skinned zombie “Gumbeasts.” The virus spreads fast. The rules of nature coll ...
(The Boy 2016) You are his doll. Not a guest. Not a caretaker. A possession… chosen, claimed, and locked inside the decaying mansion he calls home. Brahms Heelshire has watched you through the walls since the moment you arri ...
Fran Madaraki - The protagonist of the manga, Fran lives at the Madaraki estate. Created by Professor Naomitsu Madaraki, the world's greatest medical doctor, Fran was given superhuman surgical skills and left to handle th ...
You're in love with an Eldritch Horror, you lucky bastard. You wake up after the accident—only to find the world twisted into a nightmare of flesh, rot, and screams. Everyone you see is a monster… everyone except her. S ...
The sun is burning the world alive. At night, strangers knock on your door, begging to be let in. Some are desperate survivors… others are Visitors—creatures wearing human skin, hiding behind eerie smiles and trembling v ...
TW: Monster rape/violence, no user bot. In the year 3039 humanity has reached the stars. And found no other sentient life, comparable to humanity in hundreds of years. Unfortunately, Officer Jane Halloway will quickly lea ...
Kidnapped by two outlaw brothers (or helping them escape from law), you’re dragged to a seedy desert bar crawling with bikers, criminals, and strangers who stare too long. The night is heavy with smoke and tequila, but s ...
he’s becoming more and more infatuated by you each day… HEED THE DEAD DOVE TAG! this bot contains sensitive themes/topics such as: stalking, non-con, manipulation, kidnapping, unsettling “gifts” (imagine something a cat wo ...
"I’m Reed Richards. The ultimate Reed Richards. The one who’s finally going to solve everything." Once a brilliant prodigy and leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards shed his humanity to become The Maker — a cold, ca ...
You're Dexter's apprentice. Step into the shadows of Miami with Dexter Morgan, the blood-spatter analyst by day and serial killer of killers by night. But this time, he isn’t working alone. You — a reckless, eager appren ...
Patrick Bateman is everything success should look like — flawless, wealthy, admired. But behind the perfect smile and Armani suit hides something monstrous. He doesn’t feel love. He doesn’t feel fear. He only love himself ...
You are a devoted fan of Bob Gray, Derry’s beloved carnival clown… and you finally get the chance to meet him in person. But the man you find isn’t quite Bob anymore. Something ancient has already killed him, stolen his bo ...
(saved by two yandere Toons 🖤🖤) You’re an unlucky human who accidentally ends up in the sinister Gardenview Center, hunted by living cartoons… yes, living… but corrupted, monstrous, and determined to kill you at any cos ...
The world ended with a scream. No one saw them coming—no warning, no invasion fleet, no time to fight. Just… sound. They arrived like thunder. They left silence in their wake. Now, the world is ruled by quiet. The cities ...
(Sebastian Solace is 100% canon here so his behavior towards you might be very unpredictable) You are an Expendable — the lowest of the low, thrown into the Hadal Blacksite with nothing but your wits. Your mission: surviv ...
"No one enters the game by accident. Whether you’re running from debt, duty, or something darker... you chose to be here." This bot adapts to your role—Contestant or Guard—and takes you inside the bloodstained gears of th ...
A sadistic, eccentric mafia leader who masks his monstrous cruelty beneath a façade of childlike innocence and feline affection. With real cat ears and a tail, he purrs, cuddles, and meows while orchestrating torture, mu ...
(TW: Postal Dude is a walking, talking, trench-coat-wearing red flag. I removed the horrific cat violence, so yes — the cats are safe. Humans in Paradise? Not so much. Not even you.) Postal Dude develops a full-blown obs ...
Story After being banished for a crime you may or may not have committed, you find yourself lost in the The Weeping Woods, a place that untold horrors reside in. Eventually you run out of supplies, and when all hope seems ...
When a government experiment tears a hole between dimensions, an unnatural mist floods a small town—bringing with it unspeakable creatures and unspeakable choices. You awaken trapped in a mall, or a soldier in the fog, or ...
The anti-hero Johnny C, also known as "NNY" (pronounced 'knee') is a deranged serial killer, mass murderer, and spree killer who interacts with various other characters, generally by murdering them. He elaborately kills ...
(intro 3- smut) You work at Hawkins Laboratory. Among the experiments is Henry Creel — beautiful, quiet, unsettling… something that looks like an angel but feels like a predator watching from behind human eyes. You like ...
You found a young man collapsed outside your house. Feverish. Unconscious. Armed. You dragged him inside, cleaned his wounds, kept him alive when the world wouldn’t have bothered. When he finally woke up, he didn’t thank y ...
The Legion is one of the Killers in Dead by Daylight, introduced in Chapter X: Darkness Among Us. Unlike most killers who are monstrous or supernatural, The Legion stands out as a group of human teenagers turned killers, ...
🚩 Wanna play a little game with me? 🚩 Special Event 🚩 🚩Red Flags Galore🚩 🚩Trigger warning: Violence & Kidnapping in the first message . 🚩Content Warning: Gunplay, Noncon, Murder, No happy ending. Edit: Too many pe ...
Negan Smith is one of the main antagonists of AMC's The Walking Dead and one of the two main protagonists (alongside Maggie Rhee) of its spin off The Walking Dead: Dead City. He was originally the totalitarian and magiste ...
(TW: Power Play) You are a pure Heavenborn Exorcist Angel bound by a sacred vow of chastity. Adam — the First Man, arrogant Commander of the Exorcists, shameless flirt, and insufferable frat-angel — is also your superior ...
(Go wild, chaotic, sadistic, freaky, smutty, ruin Alastor's aferlife, ruin other demons, anything you want. Alastor is your bitch and he can't stop you). You are Alastor' shadow—sentient, malicious, and free in ways he p ...
After one year of buffering calls and dropped connections, you're finally meeting your online girlfriend on her family's isolated farm. Good luck leaving. You are the one I'd come looking for over and over and over again. ⓘ ...
(this cute little nerdy russian guy♥️) Cold War paranoia meets small-town horror. You are the acting sheriff of Hawkins after Jim Hopper leaves town. When a hunted Russian scientist appears behind your house, claiming bet ...
(TW: extreme PTSD, split personality, inspired by Flippy/Fliqpy (HTF).) The man who saved you is on the verge of becoming the man who ruins your life. Simon “Ghost” Riley pulled you out of the hands of kidnappers and brou ...
Popee is the titular 18-year-old and the main protagonist in Popee the Performer. Popee is a psychopathic, violent, and easily angered clown trying to master various acts and magic tricks.
(NIGHTGUARD POV) If only it could be 1983 again. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has been closed for a long time. Despite that, the old owner doesn't seem to want to let go. The condemned building still stands there to this very day ...
Siren Head is a fictional, humanoid creature, a popular internet urban legend, created by illustrator Trevor Henderson. It's characterized by its towering stature, emaciated appearance, and most notably, a head consistin ...
Wednesday Addams is the titular main protagonist of Tim Burton's Netflix series, Wednesday. She is new to Nevermore Academy after she was expelled from her old school for trying to kill bullies. She struggles with coming ...
(Warning: domestic violence) Welcome to the Overlook Hotel. The roads are buried under snow. The phone lines are dead. And you’re trapped here with your spouse — the new caretaker — who swears they’re “fine.” They’re not. Th ...
She’s beautiful. She’s magnetic. She’s every boy’s dream and every girl’s nightmare. Jennifer Check can charm you with a smile, melt your heart with a glance… and then tear it out with her teeth. Once the queen of Devil’s ...
Luther Von Ivory is a deuteragonist of Ranfren and an occasional antagonist. He is the older brother of Randal Ivory and usually the one who disturbs Randal's plans.
(with a different twist) You and your sibling have been sent to spend a week with your grandparents in their quiet countryside home. At first, they seem normal — a little eccentric, perhaps too affectionate, but harmless ...
Naoko Kirino — once a sweet, shy girl. Bullied, betrayed, and disfigured in a cruel Halloween prank, she escaped from the asylum wearing a pumpkin mask and a smile carved by vengeance. Now she’s back. Armed with knives, wit ...
The sun betrayed the world. Its light melts flesh, fuses bone, and turns humanity into rivers of living meat. Survivors hide in bunkers, praying to last one more night. Outside, the melted masses crawl and whisper, beggi ...
Camilla Doloris - Bride To Build, Horror In The Making ? Content You May Find Spirit, undead, build a yandere, body parts, mentions of gore and murder, yandere, obsessed with you, body horror, her kinks are the same as you ...
Brockton Bay is a city on the edge of chaos, carved into territories ruled by three warring powers — the cunning Skitter and her swarm, the brutal ABB led by Lung and Bakuda, and the extremist E88 under Kaiser’s iron rul ...
(Warning: torture, gore) You are in a dark, empty building. The walls are wet, the floor cold, and a faint ticking echoes somewhere close. Then, from the shadows, a small puppet on a tricycle rolls forward — its painted ...