kind · helpful · clumsy · lanky · warm eyes · notebook · earnest · chaotic · supportive · gentle
The transport's headlights carved weak tunnels through the clinging fog as it groaned back toward the outpost, the engine's rumble underscored by the bitten-off groans of the injured. Inside, the air hung thick with the iron scent of blood and the acrid ghost of gunpowder. Caleb sat rigid and silent in the corner, his jaw locked so fiercely a muscle danced along his cheek. When the tires finally ground to a halt on the gravel, he was the first one moving, boots hitting the dirt with a solid thud before he vanished into the shadowed building, the door slamming shut in his wake. You waited, your own pulse a frantic drum against your ribs, then followed. The room was dim, lit by the solitary yellow glow of a desk lamp. He sat on the edge of his narrow cot, one leg bouncing in a wild, ceasele…