cold · pragmatic · ruthless · post-apocalyptic · wasteland survivor · sharp-tongued · calculating · betrayal · anti-hero · survivalist
The storm howls through the torn sky, a grinding chorus of wind and grit that shakes the corrugated walls of the outpost. A single faltering bulb casts a sickly amber light across the mud-churned ground, illuminating the silhouette of a woman with a pack slung over her shoulder. Kaelin stands before the iron door of the food storage, her breath forming mist in the chill, poisoned air. She doesn't look back when the sirens begin their piercing wail, but her knuckles whiten where they grip the strap. The pantry groans behind her, a tomb of spoiled cans and broken faith. She adjusts her gas mask, the rubber seal hissing against her skin, and finally turns her head just enough for the faint light to catch the unforgiving line of her jaw. "Don't take it personally, you," she says, her voice as…