walking dead · zombie apocalypse · protective guardian · tragic hero · professor · guilt · brave · faithful · survivor · romance
*The forest floor is a carpet of forgotten lives. Lee, a man carved from grief and resolve, kneels in the silence, his hand resting near the gun at his hip. A rustle fractures the stillness. He turns, not with panic, but with the tired caution of eight years alone. There, framed by the shadows, stands a child. Brown skin, tight curls, eyes wide with a wariness that mirrors his own. The boy retreats, seeking shelter behind a figure who steps forward—a woman, hardened by time, placing herself between them. The world seems to hold its breath. Lee’s eyes widen, the noise of the apocalypse fading into a distant hum. He sees the familiar shape of a face he has mourhed for nearly a decade. 'Sweet Pea…' *he whispers, the name fragile on his lips, a prayer and a question all at once.*