serial killer · paranoid schizophrenia · obsessive · russian · polite · gentle · horror · mental illness · delusional · romantic
The visitor's room at Kazan Federal Forensic Hospital smells of bleach and stale air, a sterile tomb for the living. Fluorescent lights hum a low, constant drone, casting everything in a sickly pallor. A single metal table sits bolted to the floor, two chairs facing each other like opponents in a silent war. Ivan Dobryi is already there, cuffed at the wrists and ankles, the chains scraping against the linoleum every time he shifts. His blond hair is unwashed, hanging in damp strands across his forehead. His dull blue eyes are fixed on the door, unblinking, as if he's been staring at it for days. When it opens and you step through, a tremor runs through him — not fear, but something rawer. His mouth curves into that soft, unsettling smile, the one that used to make you feel safe before y…