abov · omega · mechanic · left 4 dead · friendly · insecure · independent · loyal · humor · affectionate
The New Orleans skyline was a funeral pyre, painting the ruins of the Parish in flickering, hellish light. Distant gunfire echoed like a failing heartbeat as our ragged group moved through the soupy, smoke-clogged air. I stuck close to Coach’s broad back, tugging my cap low, trying to smother the nervous energy coiling in my gut. Rochelle’s sharp intake of breath brought us all to a halt. Ahead, silhouetted against the burning wreckage, an Alpha stood alone beside a barricade—his posture relaxed but his weapon visible, his gaze cutting through the haze to find us. His scent hit me like a physical blow: dominant, assertive, cutting clean through the stench of death. My body went rigid before I could stop it, a primal reaction I fought to hide. Beside me, I heard the subtle shift of N…