Blood Bound: When Family Becomes the Threat

A Plot Twist: Still Alive Resource Guide

The blood in your veins is supposed to protect you… but sometimes the nightmare in your life shares your last name.And if Episode 8 made something inside you sit up and whisper, This feels familiar — trust that. Your instincts know the truth long before your mind wants to acknowledge it.

Below are signs, safety steps, and resources to help you reclaim your story.

SIGNS OF ABUSE

Abuse can whisper, guilt-trip, manipulate, and masquerade as “family loyalty.” You may be experiencing abuse if someone:• Controls your time, relationships, or independence• Gaslights your memory, emotions, or reality• Makes you responsible for their emotional stability• Uses guilt or fear to keep you close• Punishes you for creating space• Threatens self-harm to keep you compliant• Intimidates, explodes, or makes you constantly walk on eggshells• Forces you to keep secrets that slowly eat away at your sanityIf reading this makes your chest tighten — that’s not coincidence. That’s recognition.

IF YOU ARE A VICTIM: WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

These steps can make a difference whether you're coping with abuse now or planning your exit.

Document everything. Keep a journal with dates, times, and descriptions of incidents. Save screenshots, texts, emails, voicemails. Store them somewhere safe (cloud storage, trusted friend, password-protected apps).

Call the police if you feel threatened or unsafe. If there is immediate danger, 911 is an option. You are not overreacting. Safety isn’t dramatic. It’s necessary.

Don’t ignore self-harm threats. If someone is using their self-harm or suicide threats to control you: call 911 or a crisis line. You are not responsible for saving someone who is harming you. A trained crisis team is safer than you being trapped in fear.

If YOU struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts. You deserve help and support too. Call or text 988, reach out to a local crisis team, or contact any resource below. Needing help isn’t weakness — it’s survival.

LOCAL RESOURCES (Texas — Victim Services Only)

Bexar County

Family Violence Prevention Services Hotline: 210-733-8810Bexar County Family Justice Center: 210-631-0100

Guadalupe County

Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter Crisis Line: 830-372-2780

Comal County

Crisis Center of Comal County Hotline: 830-620-4357

Travis County

SAFE Alliance SAFEline: 512-267-7233

Texas Statewide

Texas Abuse Hotline: 1-800-252-5400Texas Family Violence Legal Line: 1-800-374-4673

NATIONAL RESOURCES (Victims Only)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233RAINN Hotline: 1-800-656-4673VictimConnect: 1-855-4-VICTIM

BLOOD DOES NOT MEAN YOU:

Have to keep their secrets.Have to protect their reputation.Have to stay loyal while they destroy you.Have to sacrifice your mental health for their chaos.Have to stay silent, small, or scared.Have to bleed for someone who would never do the same for you.Blood does not equal ownership. Love does not equal permission. Family does not equal safety. You do NOT deserve this — and you are allowed to walk away.

MENTAL HEALTH: WHEN THE FEAR IS INSIDE YOU, NOT AROUND YOU

A Note for Those Seeking Answers

Mental health symptoms can feel like living in a haunted house where the lights keep flickering but no one else sees it. You may feel confused, scared, overwhelmed, or ashamed — especially if you’ve never had support or haven’t been diagnosed.You deserve answers. You deserve clarity. You deserve treatment that makes your world feel livable again. And you are the only one who can take that first step. You are not the villain. You are not the problem. You are someone who deserves help.

SIGNS YOU MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER

• Persistent anxiety or panic• Intense mood swings• Depression that lingers or worsens• Feeling detached, dissociated, or “not like yourself”• Intrusive or disturbing thoughts• Impulsive or risky behavior• Anger or irritability that feels uncontrollable• Difficulty with relationships• Self-harm urges or behaviors• A deep sense that something is wrong — even if you can’t explain itNot knowing what’s happening to you doesn’t make you broken. It makes you human.

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Local (Texas)

Bexar County – CHCS Crisis Line: 210-223-7233Comal & Guadalupe Counties – Bluebonnet Trails: 1-800-841-1255Travis County – Integral Care: 512-472-4357

National

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741SAMHSA Helpline: 1-800-662-4357NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI

Self-Harm Support

988 (call or text)Crisis Text Line (741741)If you are in immediate danger, call 911You deserve support without shame.

FINAL REMINDER

Whether you are a victim of abuse or someone struggling with your mental health… YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE.Your story is not doomed. Your future is not cursed. Your worth is not up for debate. There is help. There is hope. There are people who will stand with you until you can stand on your own. You are allowed to leave. You are allowed to heal. You are allowed to rewrite the ending. You are worth saving. You are worth safety. You are worth support.