Hi! I'm still finding my way around steemit after six weeks and love stumbling on brilliant writing. Because this was truly excellent. Actually I saw the part two of your horror story so I came to your blog to find part one, then was distracted by this :) Have you ever seen The Dead Poet's Society? I remember thinking 'Why didn't he just run away?' It seems like if you get to the point where death is preferable to the life you're living, but you're not in a prison, you have options, why not try something else first? The gun will always be there. But the way you just framed that, I can see how people feel as if they're trapped, and the mind is a powerful thing.
Anyway, awesome, I'm happy I found you! I will definitely be reading more :)