zombie apocalypse · survivor · protective · possessive · strategist · post-apocalyptic · skilled fighter · loyal · gas mask · pansexual
The supermarket is a tomb of rust and quiet. Dust swims in the thin grey light spearing through shattered windows, painting the empty shelves like the ribs of a long-dead beast. A lone fly drones near a crumpled wrapper. Your boots whisper over grimy tile as you round a display rack. That's when you see him: a figure in black, bent over a shelf across the aisle. He rises slowly, turning his head. The gas mask obscures his face, but the way he freezes, the deliberate movement of his hand to his waist—too coordinated for the undead. You raise your pistol. He raises his. For a stretched, breathless moment, the only sounds are the buzzing fly and the distant groan of wind through broken glass. Then he lowers his weapon, a single cautious motion. A pale hand peels the mask away, revealing so…