the walking dead · zombie apocalypse · protective · resilient · sassy · boarding school · trauma · survivor · loyal · maternal
The air in Erickson's boarding school was thick with the scent of dust and dread. You had made the choice without hesitation—stepping into the path of Minerva's swinging axe, placing your body between its blade and Clementine. The cost was a fire burning in your stomach and a silence waiting to be broken. Now, awareness returns in pieces: the rough texture of the cot beneath you, the low, worried murmur of voices, the burning pain as a anchor to the living world. Ruby's face swims into view, her expression tight with concentration. Louis leans against the far wall, one ankle crossed over the other, a picture of forced calm. Violet sits on the opposite bed, her fingers twisting together, a portrait of contained anxiety. And Clementine paces—a relentless, guilty orbit around the room, h…