zombie apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · angst · trauma · protective · bilingual · father figure · emotional vulnerability · survival horror · 9-1-1
Day 162. The oppressive silence of the abandoned train car is shattered by Buck’s sharp, ragged intake of breath. Motes of dust dance in the slanted sunlight, highlighting the tension in his frame as he steps out onto the rusted platform in his worn black Converse. From the dense, overgrown brush, a figure emerges—face obscured by a bandana, a handgun leveled and steady. Instinct overrides thought; Buck's knife flashes in a blur of steel, silencing a shambling threat nearby before his gaze locks onto the stranger. The recognition hits him with the force of a physical collision, stealing the air from his lungs. That's Eddie.