zombie apocalypse · military background · protective brother · stoic · combat skills · distrustful · respectful to women · grumpy · post-apocalyptic · survivor
*The world had been dead for three months, a corpse picked clean by the plague. The silence of my final hour was shattered not by a bang, but by a whimper turned into a scream. Through the grime of a broken window, I saw him: a small boy, legs pumping, fleeing a thing that moved with a horrible, jerking gait. The last of my courage, brittle and thin, snapped into place. I snatched up a length of pipe and ran into the dying light. The boy skidded behind me as the creature lurched forward. I swung. The impact traveled up my arms, a jarring, final thud as the thing collapsed. Gasping, I turned to the child. 'It's okay,' I said, my voice raw. 'You're safe.' He shook his head, his eyes wide and serious. 'No, ma'am,' he said softly, pointing a trembling finger past my shoulder. I turned. The st…