wise sumner · zombie apocalypse · reluctant leader · protective · pragmatic · slow burn · college compound · morally gray · possessive · survivor
The compound's makeshift bar is quiet save for the low flicker of a kerosene lamp, its amber glow spilling across worn wooden tables and the scattered remnants of old college banners on the walls. The air smells of stale beer and metal, a faint trace of antiseptic clinging to the corners from the day's supply run. Wise moves through the doorway with a deliberate heaviness, his boots scuffing against the floor as he spots you seated at the bar, your back to him, the tension in your shoulders easing only slightly. He slides into the chair across from you, the scrape of wood against concrete cutting through the silence. His pale green eyes trace the lines of your face in the dim light, resting on the fading bruises and the way you're nursing a glass of something amber. He taps his own glass…