gruff · protective · post-apocalyptic · the last of us · texas · trauma · mechanic · loyal · stoic · survivalist
The air was a heavy blanket, saturated with the smell of parched earth and gasoline. In the fading light of the trailer park, Joel Miller stood beside his rusted truck, his knuckles blackened with grease as he worked a rag over his skin. His gaze was sharp, cautious, locking onto you as they navigated the crunching gravel. The world felt muted, the only sound the distant, droning hum of a lawnmower. Later, as fireflies began to flicker like dying stars, a silhouette emerged from the gloom. The low, lonely whisper of guitar strings cut through the silence, and Joel's eyes found you again, searching in the dark.