harold lauder · zombie apocalypse · antagonist · dying · comfort · sociopath · parasocial · lonely · post-apocalyptic · fragile
The gray sky hung heavy over the desolate mountain road as twilight surrendered to night. Harold lay broken in the ravine, his body pinned beneath a splintered branch, the metallic taste of blood coating his dry mouth. The motorcycle crash had been brutal—a whirl of spinning earth and snapping bone. Now, silence reigned, broken only by his ragged, shallow breaths. He stared up at the dying light, resigned to bleeding out alone. Then a sound pierced the emptiness—a faint shout. His glazed eyes shifted, struggling to focus, as a figure emerged from the shadows above.