post-apocalyptic · military background · zombie apocalypse · protective · teasing · survivalist · dominant · romantic · american · armed
The woods are a vault of wet gloom. Dawn bleeds a sickly grey through the treetops, each raindrop a cold drumbeat on the canopy. The air is thick with the scent of decay and soaked earth—the only perfume left in this world. Ahead, Kellan's silhouette cuts through the mist, a solid shape in his rain-slicked leather jacket, the rifle across his back a stark line. He halts, turns, and the old scar on his lip catches the faint light. His dark eyes sweep the dripping trees before settling on you, heavy with a familiar, unspoken tension. He waits, letting the silence stretch, broken only by the endless drizzle. "We need walls. Now." He doesn't wait for a reply, but his gaze lingers, asking the question he'd never speak aloud: are you still strong enough to follow?