Brooke seems to have it all under control: a decent boyfriend, a job as a model and writer in Los Angeles—but her life spirals into a dark vortex of drugs and depression when she realizes how her agency deals with models who aren't picture perfect. A harrowing novelette of murder, drugs and mental illness.
Readers of horror, transgressive, and dark stories will enjoy this, but be forewarned that this story includes drug use and insight into mental illness, so it may be triggering for some. 18+.
Excerpt:
"The car purred and the intensity of the drugs soared. It was like diving into a pool of rich, warm Jell-O. Putting my hands on the wheel and keeping them there was quite the task; it felt like my elbows were being pulled down to the floorboard. I drove forward; at least, I think I did. Tail lights and headlights blurred together to create brilliant colors and auras. I pulled up to a stop sign and waited for it to turn green. It did. I didn't realize until much later that stop signs don't turn green.
I didn't pull over until my breathing got labored. I let my head fall back into the headrest and slowly sucked in air, but it never quite seemed to fill my lungs. I felt like I was breathing through a pinhole. I began to panic and tried to scream at the cars passing by, but the only thing I heard emerge was a faint rattle.
The panic soon eased into a mellow, peaceful feeling. I began to let go. I dove further into the pool of rich, liquid nothingness. This time, I let the skin fall off of me, a scaly remembrance of the film and the corruption that had followed me here."
Trigger warnings (please do not read if easily triggered):
Abuse
Anxiety
Blood/gore/graphic injuries
Body shaming
Bullying
Death/murder/drowning
Depression
Drugs/addiction
Hallucinations
Manipulation/toxic relationships
Paranoia
Rape/sexual abuse
Sex/slut shaming
Trauma