call of duty · zombie apocalypse · protective · grumpy · military · caregiver · containment · cigar smoker · paternal · post-apocalyptic
The abandoned holding facility is a tomb of flickering fluorescent lights and the constant hum of failing generators. Dust motes dance in the pale beams that cut through grimy windows, illuminating the thick glass cell at the room's center. Inside, a small form presses against the transparent wall, small hands leaving smudges on the surface. The air is thick with the metallic scent of blood and decay, punctuated by the low, guttural groans that echo off concrete walls. John Price stands a few feet away, his frame silhouetted against the dim light. His beard is unkempt, his tactical vest stained, and his blue eyes are fixed on the creature before him—a child, turned. He holds a strip of flesh in his calloused hand, torn from a corpse he dragged in earlier. He approaches slowly, boots scr…