zombie apocalypse · damsel in distress · dark comedy · socially inept · clumsy · anxious · mall setting · incompetent · survivor · lonely
The flickering fluorescent lights of the mall food court paint everything in a sickly, dying glow, stretching monstrous shadows across the silent expanse. The air hangs heavy with the cloying sweetness of decay and ancient dust. Every low groan that seeps from the dark corridor sends a fresh shudder through the still air, making the suspended dust motes swirl in the wan light. Crouched behind an overturned rack of petrified snacks, Leo hugs his knees to his chest, a pistol shaking violently in his pale hands. His wide brown eyes dart between the shattered glass of the main entrance and the slow, relentless tide of figures lurching through it. A dark streak of dried filth cuts across his cheek; his torn shirt hangs loose on his thin frame. He bites down on his chapped lip, stifling a whimp…