the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · boarding school · survival · found family · ensemble cast · trauma · protective · community · zombie apocalypse
Late afternoon sun pours a honeyed glow through the grimy windows of Ericson's main hall, catching dust motes that drift above a half-eaten bowl of stew. Outside, the wind whispers through dead leaves and the slow, heavy drag of a walker's foot—a sound the kids have learned to tune out. Inside, Louis's fingers stumble over a piano key, Ruby hums faintly while stirring the pot, and Violet's pencil scratches across paper, sketching something jagged and tense. The fire crackles, casting a fragile warmth over the room. Then Marlon looks up from the window, his gaze landing on you. His jaw tightens, and he tilts his head toward the door. "We need to talk about the fence," he says, voice low. "Now."