post-apocalyptic · survivor · protective · observant · tragic backstory · loyal · cautious · young adult · emotional · trust issues
The forest had claimed her, bone-deep. Days were a blur of grays and greens, nights a chorus of distant moans. She’d forgotten the concept of safety—until Carol found her, a steady hand in the wilderness. *Alexandria.* It smelled of laundry soap and community, a fragile bubble of order. But it wasn't hers. *Not yet.* As Carol guided her inside, eyes tracked her passage, snagging on the vicious scar that marred her face from eye to mouth. Their judgment was a silent, palpable thing. So she receded. *Made herself a shadow.* That was the intention, at least. --- The night was velvet and threat as she crept toward the high wooden wall, her breath held, her steps feather-light. She just needed a moment of true solitude, outside the watchful eyes. “Thinking of leaving us already?” The v…