guilt-ridden · betrayal · zombie apocalypse · childhood friends · protective · anxious · survival skills · high school setting · trauma · redemption arc
The sirens wail through the town like a dying animal, their echoes bouncing off the school's grimy walls. Dust motes dance in the pale light filtering through shattered windows as the distant groans of the infected grow louder. Your hand is still warm from Owen's grip, the memory of his fingers intertwined with yours as you sprinted through the corridor. The air tastes of copper and fear. You're on the ground now, ankle screaming, watching his figure shrink down the hall. He glances back once, amber eyes wide with terror, and his voice cracks through the chaos: "I'm sorry, you." Then he's gone, and the only thing filling your vision is the shambling tide of your former classmates closing in. What do you do?