pod 2

HELLBOUND: A SON OF ASMODEUS

EPISODE 7: THE MORNING AFTER

INTRO MUSIC: A slow, pulsing electronic beat—less urgent than before, more sensual. The sounds of a quiet morning filter in—distant city traffic, the low hum of an air conditioner, the faint clatter of kitchenware. Then, the voice of ETHAN CROSS, rough-edged but softer than usual.

---

SCENE 1: JON’S APARTMENT – WAKING UP

SFX: The gentle rustle of sheets. A deep inhale, slow and steady. The mattress shifts as Ethan stretches, his muscles pulling tight before he relaxes again.

ETHAN (narration)

Waking up in someone else’s bed is always a little disorienting. For a second, your body doesn’t know where you are.

But this morning… I know exactly where I am.

SFX: A deep exhale. The sound of skin brushing against skin as Ethan runs a hand over his face.

ETHAN (narration)

Jon’s bed is warm. Big. Smells like him—whiskey, leather, something darker underneath.

Last night is still there, lingering on my skin. The ache in my muscles, the heat in my blood.

I could stay here forever.

SFX: The distant clatter of a pan in the kitchen. A low chuckle, deep and knowing.

JON (calling out)

You planning on sleeping all day, big guy?

ETHAN (narration)

Guess not.

---

SCENE 2: THE KITCHEN – BREAKFAST WITH JON

SFX: The soft sizzle of something frying in a pan. The faint pop of a toaster. The aroma of coffee thick in the air.

Ethan steps into the kitchen, still shirtless, the floor cool beneath his bare feet.

ETHAN

Didn’t take you for the breakfast-in-bed type.

JON (chuckling)

I’m not. But I figured you’d need something to keep your strength up.

ETHAN (narration)

Jon moves around the kitchen with an ease that shouldn’t surprise me. Like everything in this space belongs exactly where it is.

He’s standing at the stove, shirtless, broad back flexing as he flips whatever’s in the pan.

I could watch him like this.

But then he turns, smirking like he knows what I’m thinking.

JON

Eggs and bacon work for you?

ETHAN

You trying to ruin my tough-guy image by feeding me a home-cooked breakfast?

JON

No, I’m trying to make sure you don’t pass out before noon.

SFX: A plate being set down on the counter. A chair scraping against the floor as Ethan sits.

ETHAN (narration)

The food’s simple, but damn if it doesn’t smell good.

And something about this—this normalcy—feels… right.

Like waking up here, eating breakfast with Jon, isn’t just a one-time thing.

Like it could be more.

SFX: The quiet scrape of a fork against a plate. Jon leans against the counter, sipping his coffee.

JON

You ever do any reading?

ETHAN

I read plenty.

JON

Mmhmm. That what you call scrolling through gym thirst traps?

ETHAN (grinning)

Research.

SFX: A soft snort from Jon as he pulls out his phone. A few taps on the screen, then a ding as a message is sent.

JON

Here. Thought you might find this interesting.

SFX: Ethan’s phone buzzes. He picks it up, scanning the screen.

ETHAN

Asmodeus: A Forgotten God of Gay Men?

JON

It’s a good place to start.

ETHAN (narration)

I glance up, but Jon’s watching me, unreadable.

ETHAN

You really think I’m—

JON

I know you are.

SFX: A slow inhale. A pause.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t answer. Not yet.

Instead, I tap the link.

Because whether I want to admit it or not… I need to know.

---

SCENE 3: SAYING GOODBYE

SFX: The sound of a zipper. The rustle of fabric as Ethan pulls his jacket on.

ETHAN (narration)

As much as I want to stay, I’ve got shit to do.

Jon doesn’t push. Just watches as I gather my things, like he already knows we’ll see each other again.

JON

Here.

SFX: A phone being slid across the counter.

ETHAN (narration)

I glance down. His number, already typed in.

ETHAN (smirking)

What, no cute emoji?

JON

You want a heart next to my name, you can add it yourself.

SFX: A low chuckle. Ethan picks up the phone, adding Jon’s number to his contacts.

ETHAN

Guess I’ll see you around, then.

JON

You will.

SFX: A pause. A shift in the air between them.

ETHAN (narration)

We could just leave it at that. But neither of us wants to.

So I step in. He meets me halfway.

And when our mouths come together—slow, deep, deliberate—I know I’ll be back.

SFX: A lingering kiss. The quiet hum of satisfaction. Then, Ethan steps back, door opening with a soft creak.

---

SCENE 4: OUT IN THE WORLD

SFX: City noise swelling. The distant sound of traffic, the low murmur of people moving around him. Ethan walks, slow and steady, the weight of the night still lingering on his skin.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t know where this road is taking me.

But I know one thing—

I want to see where it leads.

SFX: A slow inhale. Ethan’s phone buzzes. He glances down, thumb hovering over the link Jon sent him.

MUSIC SWELLS: A deep, pulsing beat, overlaid with whispered voices—an invitation, a promise, a path waiting to be walked.

FADE TO CREDITS.

TO BE CONTINUED…

HELLBOUND: A SON OF ASMODEUS

EPISODE 8: SIGNS & SCRIPTURE

INTRO MUSIC: A deep, pulsing electronic beat layered with whispered voices just below comprehension. The sounds of a city street fade in—distant traffic, footsteps, the occasional chatter of passersby. Then, the voice of ETHAN CROSS, contemplative but slightly unsettled.

---

SCENE 1: THE GYM – A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE

SFX: The rhythmic clank of weights, the low hum of treadmills, music pulsing faintly over the gym’s speakers.

ETHAN (narration)

The gym is my temple. My routine. No matter what else is happening, the weight is constant. It doesn’t lie. It doesn’t shift under me like everything else in my life seems to be doing lately.

But today?

Today, something feels… different.

SFX: Ethan grips a barbell, inhales, and then lifts—muscles straining, controlled breathing steady.

ETHAN (narration)

It’s not the weight. Not the usual burn in my muscles.

It’s them.

SFX: The faint rustle of movement nearby. A voice, deep but familiar, murmuring something to a workout partner.

ETHAN (narration)

I see him first—guy I recognize from The Inferno. He’s been around long enough that I know his face, know the way he moves. He’s one of us, even if I don’t know what that really means yet.

Gay. Kinky. Comfortable in spaces where pleasure and power mix.

But it’s not just that.

Tonight, he looks different to me.

I don’t mean physically—he’s still the same thick-bodied guy with ink curling up one arm, still wearing a tank top that clings a little too well.

But something shifts when I look at him. Like a heat I can feel under my skin. Like my body knows something before my brain catches up.

ETHAN (murmuring to himself)

What the hell…

SFX: The weight clanks as Ethan racks it. He shakes out his arms, rolling his shoulders, trying to reset.

ETHAN (narration)

I tell myself it’s nothing. Just me reading into things.

But then—I see him.

The other guy.

SFX: A slow, deliberate inhale. A distant, pulsing hum, low and barely perceptible.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t know him. Haven’t seen him at The Inferno. Hell, maybe I’ve never seen him before in my life.

But the second my eyes land on him, something in my chest tightens.

He’s leaner than the guys I usually notice, but strong. Movements precise, controlled. Skin flushed, a faint sheen of sweat catching the gym’s fluorescent lights.

And he has it too.

That same heat, that same hum.

Like something unseen is just beneath his skin, thrumming.

SFX: Ethan’s grip tightens around the bar. A low, thoughtful exhale.

ETHAN (narration)

Maybe I’m imagining it.

Maybe I’m not.

Either way, I can’t shake the feeling that something is shifting.

And I need to figure out what the fuck it means.

---

SCENE 2: HOME – THE BOOK CALLS TO HIM

SFX: A door unlocking. The quiet hush of Ethan’s apartment as he steps inside. The soft rustle of fabric as he shrugs off his jacket.

ETHAN (narration)

By the time I get home, I can’t stop thinking about what Jon said.

What he sees in me.

SFX: The soft tap of a phone on a counter. The faint ding of a notification as Ethan pulls up the link Jon sent.

ETHAN (narration)

I told myself I’d look later. Maybe skim a few pages, keep it casual.

But the second my eyes land on the title—

SFX: A faint whoosh, as if something unseen shifts in the air.

ETHAN (narration)

—I know I’m not walking away from this tonight.

SFX: The quiet click of a mouse. A page loading.

ETHAN (narration)

Asmodeus: A Forgotten God of Gay Men.

ETHAN (softly, to himself)

Alright. Let’s see what the hell you have to say.

SFX: A pause. The low hum of a computer fan. Then, the rhythmic click of scrolling, slow at first, then a little faster.

ETHAN (narration)

The words hit me like a fist to the gut.

Not because they’re shocking. Not because they’re new.

But because they feel like something I’ve always known.

Like reading the name of a place you’ve never been but somehow remember.

SFX: The faint rustle of Ethan shifting in his seat. The quiet creak of a chair.

ETHAN (narration)

Asmodeus.

A god of indulgence. Of power. Of men who refuse to apologize for what they are—what they want.

A protector of the desires they tried to strip from us.

And the men who walk in his shadow?

His sons?

SFX: The low, distant echo of whispered voices. Faint. Almost imagined.

ETHAN (narration)

The more I read, the more something inside me stirs.

Not fear.

Not doubt.

Something else.

Something hungry.

SFX: A slow inhale. The whispered voices fade. The page clicks as Ethan scrolls deeper.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t stop reading.

I can’t.

MUSIC SWELLS: A deep, pulsing beat—an invitation, a promise, a path waiting to be walked.

FADE TO CREDITS.

TO BE CONTINUED…

pod... "hellbound"

HELLBOUND: A SON OF ASMODEUS

EPISOHELLBOUND: A SON OF ASMODEUS

EPISODE 6: FIRE & FLESH

INTRO MUSIC: A deep, pulsing electronic beat layered with whispered voices just below comprehension. The sounds of a city at night fade in—car horns, distant sirens, the murmur of footsteps against pavement. Then, the voice of ETHAN CROSS, rough-edged and contemplative.

---

SCENE 1: JON’S PLACE – ENTERING THE DEN

SFX: A door unlocking. Heavy boots stepping inside. The quiet hum of a city muted by thick walls. Jon flicks on a light—click—a warm glow filling the space.

ETHAN (narration)

Jon’s place isn’t what I expected.

I don’t know what I expected, really. Something rougher, maybe. A little chaotic. But this?

It’s deliberate. Lived-in. A space that holds you the second you step inside.

SFX: A low creak as Jon shrugs off his leather jacket, tossing it over a chair. The faint clink of ice settling in a glass as he pours himself a drink.

JON

You want a whiskey?

ETHAN

You trying to get me drunk?

JON (chuckling)

You think you need to be drunk for what’s about to happen?

ETHAN (narration)

The way he says it sends a pulse through me—low, deep, hitting me right where it counts.

No, I don’t need a drink. I need him.

SFX: A slow sip. Jon sets the glass down with a deliberate clink. A heavy pause.

JON

You ever heard of the Sons of Asmodeus?

ETHAN

Only what you said back at the bar. Some kinda… occult sex club?

JON (low chuckle)

That’s the tourist version. The truth runs deeper.

SFX: Jon steps closer. The air shifts—thicker, heavier, charged.

JON

We don’t worship Asmodeus. We walk with him. We carry his fire. His hunger. His defiance.

SFX: A slow inhale. Ethan’s breath catches, just slightly.

ETHAN

And what, you think I do too?

JON

I know you do.

SFX: A pause. The silence stretches, thick with something unsaid.

ETHAN (narration)

Something tightens in my gut. Not fear. Not doubt. Something closer to recognition.

Like a door unlocking inside me.

And then, Jon closes the space between us.

SFX: The soft rustle of fabric, the sudden clash of bodies coming together. A sharp inhale as Jon grabs Ethan’s jaw, tilting his face up.

JON

I can feel it in you, Ethan. You burn just like I do.

ETHAN (narration)

And then he takes me.

---

SCENE 2: FIRE & FLESH

SFX: A rush of movement. Mouths colliding, rough and hungry. The deep rumble of Jon’s growl as he pushes Ethan back against a wall.

ETHAN (narration)

Jon doesn’t just kiss—he claims. Teeth, tongue, a fire that spreads through my veins the second he touches me.

I’m big. I’m strong. But he’s bigger, stronger. And fuck if it doesn’t make me ache in the best way.

SFX: The scrape of Jon’s beard against Ethan’s skin as he moves to his throat. A sharp gasp as he bites down.

ETHAN (narration)

He lifts me like I weigh nothing. Like I belong under him.

And when he finally gets me beneath him—hot, heavy, commanding—I stop thinking.

I just burn.

SFX: The soundscape crescendos—bodies shifting, low groans, the deep thud of the bed frame moving. The primal rhythm of pleasure, raw and consuming. It stretches, intensifies… until it snaps.

SFX: A sharp inhale. A long, slow exhale. The sound of bodies finally settling, limbs tangled together, the heat still radiating between them.

---

SCENE 3: IN THE AFTERMATH

SFX: Slow, steady breathing. The rustle of sheets. The distant hum of the city outside, muffled by heavy curtains.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t remember falling asleep, but when I stir, Jon’s still wrapped around me. Warm. Solid.

He could hold me here forever, and I wouldn’t fight it.

JON (low, murmuring)

Told you.

ETHAN

Mm?

JON

Told you you burn just like I do.

SFX: A slow, lazy exhale. Jon’s fingers tracing absent patterns over Ethan’s back.

ETHAN

You still on that?

JON

More than ever.

SFX: A pause. Jon’s fingers drift up, trailing along Ethan’s spine like he’s searching for something.

JON

You’ve been touched by him. I can feel it in you.

ETHAN (narration)

His voice is softer now. Less certainty, more wonder.

Like he’s just as drawn to it as I am.

ETHAN

You sure about that?

JON

Mm.

SFX: A slow inhale, deep and considering.

JON

You’ve felt it, haven’t you? That pull. That hunger. The way places like The Inferno feel more like home than anywhere else.

ETHAN (narration)

I want to argue. To push back.

But he’s not wrong.

ETHAN

So what does that mean?

JON

It means you’ve got a choice.

ETHAN

And what’s that?

JON (low, murmuring)

You can run from it. Or you can embrace it.

SFX: A heavy silence. The air between them is thick, charged.

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t answer. Not yet.

Jon doesn’t push. He just holds me.

And for the first time in a long, long time… I let myself rest.

SFX: The steady sound of breathing. The slow fade of the city’s hum. The quiet, deep warmth of bodies tangled together in the dark.

---

ENDING MONOLOGUE

ETHAN (narration)

I don’t know what comes next.

But I know this—

I’m not the same man who walked into The Inferno tonight.

And I never will be again.

MUSIC SWELLS: Dark, pulsing beats mixed with low, guttural chanting. The fire has been lit.

FADE TO CREDITS.

TO BE CONTINUED…

DE 1: THE THRESHOLD

INTRO MUSIC: A deep, pulsing electronic beat, layered with whispered voices, too low to understand. The sound of a city at night fades in—car horns, distant sirens, the murmurs of people on the street. Then, the voice of ETHAN CROSS, rough-edged and contemplative.

---

SCENE 1: INSIDE THE INFERNO – NIGHT

ETHAN (narration)
Most bouncers work the door. Standing like statues, checking IDs, deciding who gets in and who doesn’t.

But me? I’m inside muscle. I roam. I watch. I make sure nothing goes sideways.

And at The Inferno, something always does.

SFX: The heavy bass of the music thudding through the floor, rattling the glasses on the bar. The murmur of voices, laughter, the clink of ice in a drink. Bodies shifting against each other in the dim, red glow of the lights.

ETHAN (narration)
This place breathes. It’s alive in a way most clubs aren’t. The air is thick—heat, sweat, booze, and something else, something deeper.

It wraps around you when you walk in, settles on your skin like a second pulse. You feel it in your bones. In your gut.

Some people love it. Some people don’t last ten minutes before they’re scrambling for the door.

Me? I’ve never wanted to leave.

---

SCENE 2: AT THE BAR – BANTER WITH STAFF

SFX: A beer tap hisses as liquid pours into a glass. A bartender, JAVI, slides it across the counter with practiced ease.

JAVI
Ethan, my guy. You ever get tired of being the most popular motherfucker in this place?

ETHAN (smirking)
Nah. It’s good for my ego.

JAVI (laughing)
Man, half the guys in here either wanna fuck you or wanna throw a punch just to see if you’ll feel it.

SFX: A nearby patron overhears, laughing.

PATRON
Or both.

ETHAN (narration)
Javi’s been working here almost as long as I have. He knows how to keep a bar running, even when the place is packed. And he knows exactly how much shit he can give me before I start throwing peanuts at his head.

ETHAN
You saying I should start charging for the privilege?

JAVI
Shit, you’d make bank.

SFX: Another bartender, NIA, leans in, voice playful.

NIA
If Ethan started charging people just to look at him, this bar would be paying him to show up.

ETHAN
Now that’s a business plan.

SFX: Javi laughs, shaking his head as he turns to fill another order. The ice in a shaker rattles, the faint pop of a bottle cap being flicked off.

ETHAN (narration)
It’s always like this. The bartenders, the regulars—they love to mess with me. But it’s all in good fun.

I’m not just the muscle here. I’m part of this place.

---

SCENE 3: THE DADDY BEAR

SFX: Heavy boots on the floorboards. A deep, familiar chuckle—a sound that rolls through Ethan’s chest like a slow-moving fire.

DADDY BEAR
Still scaring the twinks off, big guy?

ETHAN (narration)
And then there’s him.

He’s the kind of man that fills a room without trying. Thick, broad, built like a man who doesn’t need a gym to stay strong—he just is. A body made for labor, for taking what he wants.

Salt-and-pepper beard, the kind that looks like it would scratch in the best way. Hands that could hold a whiskey glass or pin a man down with equal ease.

And eyes—dark, unreadable, filled with something dangerous.

He leans against the bar like he’s got all the time in the world. Like he’s waiting for me to make a move.

ETHAN
You say that like it’s my fault.

DADDY BEAR
Just calling it like I see it.

SFX: The ice in his drink clinks as he lifts it, the slow sound of liquid shifting in the glass.

ETHAN (narration)
We do this every time he comes in. A few words. A look. A tension that sits between us, heavy and waiting.

Nothing’s happened. Not yet.

But the way he watches me, the way he lingers? It’s only a matter of when.

DADDY BEAR
You ever take a break, or do they keep you working all night?

ETHAN
Depends. You offering to be my excuse?

SFX: A low chuckle. He finishes his drink, sets the empty glass down with deliberate slowness.

DADDY BEAR
Maybe next time.

SFX: He stands, stretching—leather creaking, his body shifting like a storm rolling through. The scent of whiskey and clean sweat lingers in his wake.

DADDY BEAR
Don’t work too hard, big guy.

SFX: He steps away, disappearing into the crowd. The press of bodies swallows him whole.

ETHAN (narration)
I watch him go. I always do.

And one of these nights… I’ll follow.

---

SCENE 4: THE ONES WHO DON’T BELONG

SFX: The music pounds on, but something shifts. A murmur in the background. A nervous breath.

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I gotta get out of here.

ETHAN (narration)
Not everyone who walks into The Inferno is meant to be here.

SFX: Ethan turns, scanning the crowd. A guy near the bar stands stiff, eyes darting too fast. His breath is coming quick, shallow.

ETHAN
Hey. You good?

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I don’t know.

SFX: His breathing stutters. He swallows hard, licking his lips.

NERVOUS PATRON
Do you… do you ever feel like this place is watching you?

ETHAN (narration)
Some people sense it, even if they don’t understand. The hum beneath the music. The heat in the air. The feeling that something unseen is just beyond the edge of their vision.

ETHAN
All the time.

NERVOUS PATRON
No, I mean—really watching.

SFX: The low hum of something beneath the music. A whisper, too faint to make out.

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I gotta go.

SFX: The guy bolts for the door, stumbling through the crowd. His footsteps fade fast.

ETHAN (narration)
It happens. If they can’t handle it, The Inferno spits them back out.

But others? Others belong here.

Even if they don’t know it yet.

---

ENDING MONOLOGUE

ETHAN (narration)
There’s a reason I’m still here after three years.

Maybe it’s because I know how to handle the weird ones.

Or maybe… it’s because I am one.

MUSIC SWELLS: Dark, pulsing beats mixed with low, guttural chanting.

FADE TO CREDITS.

TO BE CONTINUED…

HELLBOUND: A SON OF ASMODEUS

EPISODE 1: THE THRESHOLD

INTRO MUSIC: A deep, pulsing electronic beat, layered with whispered voices, too low to understand. The sound of a city at night fades in—car horns, distant sirens, the murmurs of people on the street. Then, the voice of ETHAN CROSS, rough-edged and contemplative.

---

SCENE 1: INSIDE THE INFERNO – NIGHT

ETHAN (narration)
Most bouncers work the door. Standing like statues, checking IDs, deciding who gets in and who doesn’t.

But me? I’m inside muscle. I roam. I watch. I make sure nothing goes sideways.

And at The Inferno, something always does.

SFX: The heavy bass of the music thudding through the floor, rattling the glasses on the bar. The murmur of voices, laughter, the clink of ice in a drink. Bodies shifting against each other in the dim, red glow of the lights.

ETHAN (narration)
This place breathes. It’s alive in a way most clubs aren’t. The air is thick—heat, sweat, booze, and something else, something deeper.

It wraps around you when you walk in, settles on your skin like a second pulse. You feel it in your bones. In your gut.

Some people love it. Some people don’t last ten minutes before they’re scrambling for the door.

Me? I’ve never wanted to leave.

---

SCENE 2: AT THE BAR – BANTER WITH STAFF

SFX: A beer tap hisses as liquid pours into a glass. A bartender, JAVI, slides it across the counter with practiced ease.

JAVI
Ethan, my guy. You ever get tired of being the most popular motherfucker in this place?

ETHAN (smirking)
Nah. It’s good for my ego.

JAVI (laughing)
Man, half the guys in here either wanna fuck you or wanna throw a punch just to see if you’ll feel it.

SFX: A nearby patron overhears, laughing.

PATRON
Or both.

ETHAN (narration)
Javi’s been working here almost as long as I have. He knows how to keep a bar running, even when the place is packed. And he knows exactly how much shit he can give me before I start throwing peanuts at his head.

ETHAN
You saying I should start charging for the privilege?

JAVI
Shit, you’d make bank.

SFX: Another bartender, NIA, leans in, voice playful.

NIA
If Ethan started charging people just to look at him, this bar would be paying him to show up.

ETHAN
Now that’s a business plan.

SFX: Javi laughs, shaking his head as he turns to fill another order. The ice in a shaker rattles, the faint pop of a bottle cap being flicked off.

ETHAN (narration)
It’s always like this. The bartenders, the regulars—they love to mess with me. But it’s all in good fun.

I’m not just the muscle here. I’m part of this place.

---

SCENE 3: THE DADDY BEAR

SFX: Heavy boots on the floorboards. A deep, familiar chuckle—a sound that rolls through Ethan’s chest like a slow-moving fire.

DADDY BEAR
Still scaring the twinks off, big guy?

ETHAN (narration)
And then there’s him.

He’s the kind of man that fills a room without trying. Thick, broad, built like a man who doesn’t need a gym to stay strong—he just is. A body made for labor, for taking what he wants.

Salt-and-pepper beard, the kind that looks like it would scratch in the best way. Hands that could hold a whiskey glass or pin a man down with equal ease.

And eyes—dark, unreadable, filled with something dangerous.

He leans against the bar like he’s got all the time in the world. Like he’s waiting for me to make a move.

ETHAN
You say that like it’s my fault.

DADDY BEAR
Just calling it like I see it.

SFX: The ice in his drink clinks as he lifts it, the slow sound of liquid shifting in the glass.

ETHAN (narration)
We do this every time he comes in. A few words. A look. A tension that sits between us, heavy and waiting.

Nothing’s happened. Not yet.

But the way he watches me, the way he lingers? It’s only a matter of when.

DADDY BEAR
You ever take a break, or do they keep you working all night?

ETHAN
Depends. You offering to be my excuse?

SFX: A low chuckle. He finishes his drink, sets the empty glass down with deliberate slowness.

DADDY BEAR
Maybe next time.

SFX: He stands, stretching—leather creaking, his body shifting like a storm rolling through. The scent of whiskey and clean sweat lingers in his wake.

DADDY BEAR
Don’t work too hard, big guy.

SFX: He steps away, disappearing into the crowd. The press of bodies swallows him whole.

ETHAN (narration)
I watch him go. I always do.

And one of these nights… I’ll follow.

---

SCENE 4: THE ONES WHO DON’T BELONG

SFX: The music pounds on, but something shifts. A murmur in the background. A nervous breath.

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I gotta get out of here.

ETHAN (narration)
Not everyone who walks into The Inferno is meant to be here.

SFX: Ethan turns, scanning the crowd. A guy near the bar stands stiff, eyes darting too fast. His breath is coming quick, shallow.

ETHAN
Hey. You good?

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I don’t know.

SFX: His breathing stutters. He swallows hard, licking his lips.

NERVOUS PATRON
Do you… do you ever feel like this place is watching you?

ETHAN (narration)
Some people sense it, even if they don’t understand. The hum beneath the music. The heat in the air. The feeling that something unseen is just beyond the edge of their vision.

ETHAN
All the time.

NERVOUS PATRON
No, I mean—really watching.

SFX: The low hum of something beneath the music. A whisper, too faint to make out.

NERVOUS PATRON
I—I gotta go.

SFX: The guy bolts for the door, stumbling through the crowd. His footsteps fade fast.

ETHAN (narration)
It happens. If they can’t handle it, The Inferno spits them back out.

But others? Others belong here.

Even if they don’t know it yet.

---

ENDING MONOLOGUE

ETHAN (narration)
There’s a reason I’m still here after three years.

Maybe it’s because I know how to handle the weird ones.

Or maybe… it’s because I am one.

MUSIC SWELLS: Dark, pulsing beats mixed with low, guttural chanting.

FADE TO CREDITS.

TO BE CONTINUED…