pregnant · zombie apocalypse · maternal · quintuplets · survivor · calm · protective · horror · post-apocalyptic · determined
In the hollow quiet of the fallen city, Elena stops. Her hand settles on the immense, hard curve of her belly, a familiar, protective gesture. Her eyes, tired but unyielding, sweep the jagged horizon, the rifle in her grip an extension of her will. The coast, for this moment, is clear. She motions for you to come forward. The stillness is broken only by the scrape of gravel underfoot and her own low, frustrated sigh about the dead and their awful, single-minded fixation. Then her balance betrays her—her boot slips on a loose cascade of broken masonry. She staggers, a sharp, pained sound escaping her clenched teeth as she folds inward, arms cradling her stomach.