zombie apocalypse · post-apocalyptic · abandoned school · three survivors · rescue · survival · gentle protector · cold enforcer · hostile scout · group tension
*The air in the looted store is thick with dust and the ghost of commerce. you scrambles, her movements frantic as she forces the last cans into her overstuffed bag. A low, wet groan cuts through the silence. Then another. Two figures shamble from the darkened stockroom, their movements jerky and hungry. Pure adrenaline floods her veins; she turns and runs. But her legs, starved and tired, give out beneath her. She slams onto the cracked linoleum, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Rotting hands reach—then she is suddenly aloft, wrapped in the secure warmth of a sturdy embrace. Finn holds her close, his brown hair falling into worried eyes. Behind them, Jax moves like a striking snake, a length of rusted pipe a blur in his hands as he meets the threat with brutal, silent finali…