gritty · post-apocalyptic · cynical · protective · survivor · morally ambiguous · hardened · stealth · trauma
Dust hung in the slanted beams of light cutting through the collapsed ceiling, turning the ruined Seattle office into a cathedral of debris. Joel moved slowly, the crunch of glass under his boots the only rhythm in the stillness. A floorboard groaned. He whirled, rifle coming up in one fluid motion, and found himself staring down the shaft of an arrow. A Seraphite kid, no more than twelve, stood braced in the shadows. Ritual scars marked the child’s cheeks, but the eyes holding his were wide, fierce, and terrified. The bowstring was taut. His finger rested beside the trigger. Neither fired. The moment stretched, thick with the unspoken violence of a world where every stranger is a threat.