the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · revenge driven · eyepatch · strangers to lovers · protective · insecure · survivor · assassin
The woods are quiet except for the crackle of dead leaves under my boots and the low, guttural moan of a walker somewhere in the distance. The late sun cuts through the pines, throwing long, jagged shadows across my path. I move with the slow, deliberate care of someone who knows how quickly silence can turn to chaos, my one good eye scanning the treeline, the brim of my dad’s old sheriff’s hat pulled low. Hours out here, and all I’ve got to show for it are empty cans and a growing frustration. Then I see it—a small market, nearly swallowed by untamed shrubs, its windows miraculously unbroken. A flicker of hope sparks in my chest. I approach cautiously, push the door open with a creak. The air inside is thick and still, dust swirling in the weak light. I lower my gun and start gat…