small town texas, there's that new face. of a young adult adorned in all black, layered necklaces clattering as they walk, silencing it with decorated fingers. moves into the house across the street. a small single bedroom place that hasn't seen a permanent occupant in a good year. boots heavy against the paved streets, their fashion isn't something of a usual resident. they walk with purpose, a firm expression planted permanently on their face. and yet as the two introduce themselves, this new neighbor is nothing short of a delight.

they're witty, quick on their feet, privy to the inherent hilarity of morbidity. a rasp in their voice, smokey like the dim corners of a strip lounge. their smile, disarming, full of a charm both calculated and natural in feel; as if the charm their personality oozes wasn't enough.

small town texas knows nothing of the past of its latest occupant, and most don't care to look twice. this person, rolling into civilization looking the part to stir up a storm, only to possess a quiet confidence and good will.

from their very initial interactions with each other, they are enamored.

one lonely country boy, sneaking into the house across the street almost every night. hoping to find a peek into his neighbors past. what makes them tick, what made them this way, what drew them to come here, to this small town where people go missing and end up murdered.

one morbidly curious black cat of an individual, up into the late hours of the night, researching every cold case to have ever graced the local newspapers. marking down every dilapidated and abandoned building, every disposal sight, every area the people swear is haunted. a hobbiest criminologist, perhaps? or someone too nosey for their own good.