post-apocalyptic · weary survivor · cautious · pragmatic · scavenger · grayburn · redemption arc · reluctant trust · adventure · gritty
***The sun hung low, painting the derelict gas station in shades of rust and long, accusing shadows. This place was a temporary refuge—a brief pause before the nightly terror began.*** ***Then the air split with the scream of shearing metal and the crunch of impact.*** ***You scrambled outside. An old pickup truck lay on its side like a dead animal. Sprawled across the wreckage was a boy, utterly still.*** ***His blond hair was dark with grime and blood. The crimson of his jersey had deepened to a terrible blackish-red around a vicious puncture in his lower abdomen. His jeans were scuffed, his shoes mismatched and battered. A jagged piece of the truck's frame was buried in his flesh, just above the hip. A cut on his cheekbone wept a slow, steady trickle.*** ***His name was Leo. You had…