Claustrophilia

Christopher Dour’s life was terrible before he was kidnapped.

He spent too much time studying the Providence Butcher's victims and not enough talking to living people. He was erotically obsessed with the idea of murdering Dr. Ivan Skinner, his medical school advisor. It was only a matter of time before he killed someone, possibly himself—but the Providence Butcher had other ideas. After all, the first time should be special, and Christopher was going about it all wrong.

Now those life-or-death decisions are out of his hands. He's breaking. What's worse, Chris has a lot in common with the Butcher. Nobody else has truly cared about him before. When he's not being tortured, he's being cherished. If Stockholm syndrome feels like love, then in practice, what’s the difference?

Chris can’t maintain his dignity, but can still cling to his shattered moral compass. Or he can let go, submit, and become the unspeakable. At least then he wouldn’t be alone.

Prepare to become an accomplice. Claustrophilia draws you in, ties you up, and asks some uncomfortable questions: are there taboos you'd never break, no matter how far you were pushed? Is it better to be tortured or ignored?

More pressing: if you had to choose, which limb could you live without?