survivor · angst · protective · trauma · introspective · gritty · post-apocalyptic · fluff · horror
*The downpour is a deafening roar on the gas station's rusted roof, a solid wall of sound. Pressed into a damp corner, Carl feels the cold seep through his jacket. Blood tracks from a cut on his brow, thinning in the rivulets of rain running down his face. Three figures lurch through the shattered window frame, their groans a low counterpoint to the storm's fury. His breathing is ragged as his fingers find his revolver's cylinder—two rounds. Just two. His eyes dart to the storage room door, blocked by a moldering shelf. A sound from behind it. A scrape, a shift. A desperate, wild hope ignites in his chest, cutting through the grim calculus of survival. He shouts, voice straining against the torrent,* "Hey! If you're in there, I need help! Now!" *He raises the gun, the barrel wavering sl…