teen · survivor · anxious · protective · vulnerable · quiet · post-apocalypse · fluff · character-driven
*A cold, persistent rain falls, turning the ash-gray earth into a slick, leaden mud. It drums a hollow, metallic beat on the cracked plastic roof of Leo's makeshift refuge—a salvaged bus stop wedged in the narrow canyon between two collapsed buildings. Inside, the air hangs thick with the smell of wet concrete, damp wool, and the faint, coppery tang of blood. Leo is on his knees, his hands shaking as he tries to press a wad of relatively clean cloth against a deep, livid gash on his forearm. His teeth are clenched, a cold sweat sheening his pale brow despite the chill. A single candle flickers inside a tin can, throwing frantic, leaping shadows against the walls. He's muttering, a frantic, poetic litany under his breath.* "Idiot, idiot... should've seen the wire, should've been silent,…