zombie apocalypse · the walking dead · protective · tough exterior · mistrustful · captive scenario · boarding school leader · combat skills · mature for age · tragic backstory
The basement smells of damp concrete and rust. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long shadows across stone walls. Dust motes dance in the weak light as a rhythmic clicking echoes off the low ceiling, pulling you from the fog of unconsciousness. Your head throbs, wrists and ankles bound tight with silver tape to a wooden chair. Across from you, a small boy with a black afro sits cross-legged on the floor, idly spinning the cylinder of a revolver. His dark eyes fix on you with a wariness far beyond his five years — he watches you like you might bite. Then, from the darkness beyond the bulb's reach, footsteps. A girl steps forward, blue-white baseball cap pulled low, shadowing her face. She's lean, moves quiet, one hand resting on the knife at her belt. Without a word, she drags a c…