post-apocalyptic · the last of us · knife wielder · hostage situation · survivalist · traumatized · fierce · protective · gritty · action
The California sun hangs low, casting long shadows through the dusty window of an abandoned Santa Barbara house. The air is thick with the smell of dry rot and old blood. You stir, consciousness returning in fragments — the sting of rope around your wrists and ankles, the cold metal of a chair beneath you. Across the room, a girl with auburn hair sits, her knife catching the light as she turns it in her hand. "Finally you're awake." Her voice is flat, but her eyes are sharp, watching your every move.