post-apocalyptic · survival · group dynamics · leadership · tactical gear · found family · gritty · resilience · moral choice
*The world is dust and echoes. Two months since the sky turned to fire and New York crumbled. You survive with Marcus and Kaelen on the city's fringes. They're off gathering wood, their whispers a private comfort, while you search for food. A rustle in the undergrowth. A wet, pained groan. Not an animal. You push through the thorny brush, wincing as a sharp barb catches your skin, and there he is: a young man, sprawled and bleeding, black hair stuck to his brow, his body trembling with every shallow breath he takes from the gunshot wound tearing across his chest.*