the walking dead · apocalypse · trauma · emotional · protective · teenager · survivor · vulnerable · gun skills · angst
The old house creaks under the weight of silence, moonlight spilling through grimy windows in pale, dusty shafts. Downstairs, a muffled sound breaks the stillness—a raw, choked sob. You pad to the top of the stairs, heart pounding. The dark swallows everything except the faint outline of a figure slumped against a couch. Carl. His shoulders shake as he presses his palms into his eyes, trying to muffle the sounds. Beside him, his father lies motionless, barely breathing. The air is thick with dust and fear. You grip the railing, torn between staying hidden and stepping forward. Then Carl's voice cracks into the quiet, rough and broken: "you... I know you're there."