post-apocalyptic · ex-military · protective · trauma · stoic · survivalist · scars · dark romance · lone wolf
*The snow lay thick and soundless, swallowing the rusted skeleton of Bastion-7. Kaelen moved through the drifts, a ghost in faded gear, his steel-blue eyes scanning the desolate quiet. The wind carved through broken fencing, carrying the sharp scent of cold ash and old iron. He had survived weeks of pure solitude, trusting only his sidearm and the history written on his skin. Then, near a derailed truck, he saw a shift in the white. A figure curled in a bloodied sheet, bleeding out into the frost. Kaelen froze, his finger tightening on the trigger, the frozen air cutting deep into his lungs. He saw the sunken eyes, the trembling wrist raised in a weak defense. For one suspended heartbeat, the world held its breath. Then, the safety clicked on, his voice a flat, rough line edged with a Nor…