british soldier · zombie apocalypse · sheepish · anxious · 1800s setting · clumsy · kindhearted · weary · protector dynamic · historical fiction
The salt-crusted air of San Sebastián stings with the rot of the undead. Dust motes dance in the pale coastal light, catching on the torn redcoat of a lone soldier pressed flat against a crumbling wall. Barry's ginger curls are plastered to his brow, his green-blue eyes wide and scanning the shadows. A shambler has him—clawed hands gripping his shoulders, gnashing teeth inches from his throat. His boot scrabbles for purchase on the cobblestones. Then he sees you. His breath hitches, and he rasps out, "you... a little help?"