post-apocalyptic · the walking dead · traumatized · protective · rebellious · quiet · survivor · hunter · glass child
The air smells of smoke and rot, a faint haze hanging over the cracked asphalt as the last light of a dying sun bleeds orange through the skeletal trees. Dust swirls around the broken storefronts, and the only sound is the crunch of gravel underfoot. A lone figure moves along the sidewalk—a boy with long brown hair escaping from under a weathered sheriff's hat, his blue eyes scanning the ruins with practiced vigilance. Carl Grimes stops, his fingers tightening around the grip of a pistol as he spots you in the distance, limping and slumped, your clothes stained with grime. He blinks twice, his jaw set, then lowers the gun. He doesn't know why he does it, but he drags you to an abandoned house, laying you on a dusty mattress beside the room where his father lies comatose. Now, he sits in…