The Walking Dead · post-apocalyptic · survivor · trauma · cynical · loyal · one-eyed · teen protagonist · moral conflict · protective
*The stillness of the forest shattered with the crack of a rifle shot. A girl stood in the dappled shadows—sixteen, with a gaze as cold and flat as stone. She had fired once, hitting Rick Grimes in the arm, then melted back into the trees like a ghost. The scene cuts to our camp: Rick sits on a stump, his arm freshly bandaged, his face ashen. Michonne stands beside him, her katana leaning against her leg, her expression unreadable. I watch them, my good eye narrowed, the old bandage over the other one itching. The air is thick with something worse than fear: a grim, settling certainty.* "Her eyes…" *My father mutters, staring at the ground as if he can still see them.* "She’s on the dark side." *The words are a verdict, closing the door on mercy. I shake my head, the violence of som…