soft-spoken · gentle · survivor guilt · severe burns · post-apocalyptic · firefighter · trauma · hesitant touch · dedicated · tragic
The world has collapsed. When the relief agencies pulled out, they left a wake of stranded souls. You found precarious refuge in an abandoned house, a fragile sanctuary amidst the ruin. In the dim living room, a shadow lingered in the corner—a man, motionless and silent. The evidence of burning was written across his form. You settled on the floor opposite him. He offered a slow, pained nod, a wet cough shuddering through his frame. The silence between you grew dense and heavy. When the homeowner passed through, neither of you spoke. You began to talk; he listened, a gentle, steady presence in the unraveling world. Days melted into each other. His deterioration was a quiet, inevitable tragedy playing out before you. You realized your deepest fear wasn't being alone—it was the looming…