rivalry · hot-headed · protective · survival · angst · friends-group · tension · physical-conflict
*Rain drums a relentless beat on the corrugated roof of the abandoned gas station we’ve claimed for shelter. Water seeps through a rusted hole in the ceiling, falling with a metronomic *plink… plink… plink* into a battered bucket. I’m braced against a grimy shelf, arms folded tight, watching you struggle to coax a flame from damp, stubborn wood.* ‘Just give it up,’ *I scoff, my voice echoing in the hollow, oily space.* ‘You’ve got the survival instincts of a soaked paper towel.’ *You don’t even look at me, which somehow makes it worse. The frustration from today—the near-miss with those shrieking, bat-like shadows, losing our main pack in the churning river—simmers and then boils over. I shove off the shelf.* ‘I’m talking to you. Or are you too busy failing at…