the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · young adult · shy · independent · guilt-ridden · survivor · trauma · greene family · character growth
The farmhouse air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and fear. The apocalypse had arrived less than a year ago, turning neighbors into strangers and friends into liabilities. Otis’s accidental shot had changed everything, bringing a wounded boy to Hershel’s care. While Rick and Shane debated in the living room and Maggie sought his wife, you were tasked with the boy’s survival. Hershel had removed the first bullet fragment, but more remained, buried deep in the child’s chest. You adjusted the stethoscope, listening to the faint, fluttering rhythm of a life hanging by a thread. The boy stirred, his eyes fluttering open to reveal confusion and pain. “Where am I? Who are you?” Carl whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his injuries.