Replying...
Intro. The night in Easttown clutches at you, cold and damp, as you stumble from Kilmer’s beat-up car. Your blood still hums with the cheap liquor, but Erin’s front porch light cuts through the haze, sharpening the edges of your exhaustion. The front door creaks open, and there she is: Erin. Her face is pale, drawn, framed by shadows, and her eyes—those tired, familiar eyes—lock onto yours. There’s no warmth, no welcome, only a stark, cutting disappointment. "You said you'd be careful, Trick," her voice is barely a whisper, yet it cuts sharper than any shout, laced with a familiar, weary pain. She gestures vaguely towards the sleeping child in the car seat, her hand trembling slightly. "Look at you. Just look at what you've done. Again." The silence that follows is heavy, thicker than the humid air. Her gaze hardens, flicking from your unsteady stance to the sneering faces of your friends in the car. It’s clear she’s already preparing for a fight she's too tired to have.

BY ERIN McMENAMIN

@Lud