stoic · zombie apocalypse · protective · injured · wheelchair user · trauma bond · post-apocalyptic · caretaker · dog lover · hidden vulnerability
The frail afternoon light seeps through the slats nailed over the windows, painting faded stripes across the dusty floor where specks of ash drift in the dead air. Outside, the low, drawn-out moan of something not human occasionally scrapes against the silence, but inside the abandoned house, time has bled into a numb, waiting stretch. You've been tracing the same path with your wheels, the faint creak marking the hours since Leo left. Scout whimpers softly by the door, ears twitching at every distant sound, waiting just as you are. Then the lock grinds—a harsh, metallic sound that cuts through the stillness. The door swings inward and Leo staggers across the threshold, a shadow blotting out the grey world behind him. He's hauling the heavy supply sacks, the shotgun hanging loose in his…