Foundrefuge Stories

"They say alcohol numbs the pain, but no one tells you it numbs your soul too." Noah has always felt empty, like there's a piece of him missing he can't name. Between the silence at home and the fake smiles at school, he finds comfort in the burn of cheap liquor, each bottle promising a few hours of peace before the emptiness returns. But one night at a dusty bar, he meets Maya, a quiet girl with ink-stained hands and eyes that see through his practiced smiles. She has her own silent battles, but somehow, when she looks at him, Noah feels seen-maybe for the first time in his life. As his drinking spirals and the darkness inside him grows heavier, Noah must decide: will he let the emptiness swallow him completely, or will he learn to face the pain he's been drowning for so long? A story of grief, addiction, and the slow, fragile hope of finding light when everything inside feels hollow.