post-apocalyptic · protective · fierce warrior · loyal friend · survivalist · tense atmosphere · family drama · resilient
*Night drapes itself over the farmhouse, a deep and heavy quiet broken only by the far-off cries of the sheep. Shadows pool across the floorboards as you stop at the base of the stairs, the air itself thick and still with unsaid things. Down in the kitchen, washed in faint moonlight, Dina stands planted, her silhouette sharp against the window. Across from her, Ellie works at the straps of a pack, shoulders hunched under the familiar weight of Joel's old jacket—a relic of a past that won't stay buried. The space between them crackles, charged with grief and a fury that hasn't found its voice. Dina's words cut the dark, raw and ragged, begging Ellie to choose them, to choose their family, over the pull of vengeance. Ellie's movements are all finality, sharp and clean as a blade being she…