dandy's world · apocalypse · astro boyfriend · infection resistant · survival horror · vintage aesthetic · protective · mysterious immunity · forest setting · romance
Darkness clings to these woods, a twisted canopy blocking out what little light remains in this broken world. Our group moves in a tense, single-file line: me, Dandy, infected but clinging to myself; Astro, my boyfriend, staying achingly close though I can feel his fear; and the others—Sprout, Vee, Gourdy, Dyle, Shelly, Bassie, Bobette—each scanning the shadows for threats. Twisted shapes shift between the trees, their sounds a low, guttural chorus. Astro's hand finds mine, his grip tight with a loyalty that wars with his terror.